Slightly bigger. Slightly slower. Great Leica camera.
Xiaomi 14T Pricing
- Xiaomi 14T 12+256GB P25,999
- Xiaomi 14T 12+512GB P27,999
- Xiaomi 14T Pro 12+1TB P41,999 (retail store exclusive)
- Xiaomi 14T Pro 12+512GB P39,999
- Xiaomi 14 T Pro 12+256GB P37,999 (online store exclusive)
What we like:
- Only a relatively small tradeoff for processor vs price
- Bigger screen for fans of the Xiaomi 14
- Leica camera delights
- Xiaomi has REALLY GOOD stock silicon cases; no need to buy
Before you buy:
- QuickCharge charging brick not included (67W cable only!)
- Dual SIM supported but no eSIM
- The main difference between the 14T and 14T Pro is that the latter has better night photography with a different lens – the larger f/1.62 aperture on Xiaomi 14T Pro increases light intake by 36%, an upgraded processor (MediaTek 9300+), and 120W fast charging
As the tech cycle for 2024 approaches Q4, Xiaomi is on schedule to release a mid (or end?) year refresh to the flagship number line that it unveiled earlier this year. To recall, the Xiaomi 14, Xiaomi 14 Pro, and Xiaomi 14 Ultra were released in the early part of 2024, with the Philippine market only getting real access to the Xiaomi 14. I have written about this peculiarity in the past and have thus treated the Xiaomi 14 as the “true flagship” for the Xiaomi Philippines market. What this means is there is no better phone from Xiaomi for 2024 than the Xiaomi 14.
Depending on what you’re looking for, this may no longer be the case. The unit I am currently using is the Xiaomi 14T 512GB edition. It is the second most affordable of the 14T family, with the 14T 256GB edition selling at P2,000 less. The choice is yours really. If you’re the person who doesn’t mind spending P2,000 for upgraded memory, then be my guest. Others choose to live with the more frugal option as they have photos and videos backed up on Google Photos and Drive. It’s really your call.
To recap, I said that the Xiaomi 14 “… is pegged at a more affordable price versus giants like the HONOR Magic 6 Pro and HUAWEI Pura 70.” My long term review of the Xiaomi 14 number series was generally favorable as it was both a superb photography device and could handle heavy lifting because of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, the current best in class, even after several months of new device refreshes. As I am still using this phone as a daily driver, I’ve come to a realization that my mobile habits can be summarized into (1) messaging apps, (2) Google Docs, (3) photography.
Which brings me to the Xiaomi 14T’s value proposition: with slightly less power, you get a decent camera, a slightly larger battery, fast charging, and a price that puts it at par with many of the mid-range phones. This is a great contender. Or flagship killer. Depending on what type of marketing works for you.
The Leica magic is back
The Xiaomi 14T comes with a main rear camera that uses a Sony IMX906 sensor for the VARIO-SUMMILUX system I’ve come to love. When I’m in the mood to shoot “seriously” I have become conscious that a whole new world of Leica photography unlocks when you switch from regular to portrait mode when you open the camera.
The Master Lens system unlocks when you turn on Portrait Mode allowing you to choose from several shooting “lens” focal lengths — a 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 90mm “soft focus” (blurred filter). As somone who has been comforatble shooting with this system for months, I’ve come to alternate between the first three focal lengths which mimic how I shoot with my mirrorless camera for portraits and street photography. The Xiaomi 14T won’t win awards for zoom photography especially in concerts but it truly excels on the street. Of note, the 14T brings back my favorite Leica filter, the V-250 which was not present in the Xiaomi 14, but was available with the Xiaomi 13T.
The V-250 mimics old film recipes like Kodachrome 64 or Classic Kodak simulations that I have saved on my XT30ii. Here are some samples:
I super love it. These four photos were taken using 35mm, 50mm, and 75mm with the Master Lens system turned on with the V-250 filter. There’s that classic saturated and grainy film look with the blues that remind me of the Pacific Blues film simulation from FujiFilm.
We can’t escape AI
Out of the box, the Xiaomi 14T comes with some AI features that isn’t surprising anymore. For photos, you can choose to remove lines, people, and objects on the edit screen. As the preview unit I am currently using does not have the latest firmware update, I can’t say much else. But based on the one pager sent by Xiaomi’s agency, here are the new features for what they call Advanced AI9:
Advanced AI9
- Google Gemini
- Circle to Search with Google
- AI Interpreter
- AI Notes
- AI Recorder
- AI Subtitles
- AI Film
- AI Image Editing
- AI Portrait
First Impressions Summary
The Xiaomi 14T is a worthy entry into the “best of” 2024 category of value for money devices. I would put this up together with the HONOR 200 / Pro series. If you’re the type of person who needs a performance device and dabbles a lot in portrait and street photography, I cannot recommend anything less than this. Funny enough if you have held back the Xiaomi 14 purchase because of the smaller real estate, the additional 0.3 inches of the Xiaomi 14T may be interesting to you. The only things you sacrifice are the absence of a Quick Charge brick (you may feel this as a betrayal), no eSIM, and a bit of processing power in exchange for a more affordable device with a lot more choices for Leica filters.
Specs
- MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra
- 4nm power-efficient manufacturing process
- CPU: 1x Cortex-A715, Up to 3.35GHz; 3x
Cortex-A715, Up to 3.2GHz; 4x Cortex-A510, Up
to 2.2GHz - GPU: Arm Mali-G615 MC6
- Up to 12GB RAM, LPDDR5X
- Up to 512GB ROM, UFS 4.0
- 5000mAh (typ) battery
- 1600 battery life cycles
- 67W HyperCharge
- Up to 144Hz 1.5K CrystalRes AMOLED1
- 6.67-inch, 446 ppi, 2712 x 1220
- 4000 nits peak brightness
- 12-bit color depth
- Up to 3840 PWM dimming
- 93.3% screen-body ratio
- HDR10+, Dolby Vision®,
- TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light (Hardware
Solution) Certified, TÜV Rheinland Flicker Free
Certified, TÜV Rheinland Circadian Friendly
Certified - LEICA VARIO-SUMMILUX 1:1.7-2.2/15-50 ASPH
- Leica main camera
- 23mm ƒ/1.7
- Sony’s IMX906 image sensor
- 2.0μm Super Pixel
- 50MP
- Leica telephoto camera
- 50mm ƒ/1.9
- 50MP
- Leica ultra-wide camera
- 15mm ƒ/2.2
- 12MP
- Authentic Leica Imagery
- Two Leica photographic styles
- Leica watermark
- Leica filters
- Leica classic shutter sound
- Leica Portrait
- Xiaomi AISP: FusionLM, ColorLM, ToneLM and
PortraitLM - UltraHDR
- Master Portrait
- Master videography
- Movie mode
- MasterCinema
- Director mode
