There is always a smartphone that attracts all eyes at the Mobile World Congress. And in this edition it seems that the crown belongs to the Xiaomi 14. In the absence of flagships from other brands, mostly presented in advance or postponed, the Chinese manufacturer sticks out its chest. Although yours is a presentation that came with spoilerssince the company launched the devices in its country of origin a few days ago.
Xiaomi's two highest-end smartphones have a camera developed in collaboration with the German optics specialist Leica. But before going into details, the group's president, William Lu, opened the event with a few words that outline the company's strategy. Its nerve center is its brand new HyperOS operating system.
The head of Xiaomi has highlighted that his company has almost 700 million active IoT (Internet of Things) devices. The goal is for all of them, at least the most recent ones and those sold from now on, to work with HyperOS. The platform is prepared to facilitate the connection of all terminals with each other. And in that direction he points out the strategy that Lu has put on the table, summarized in three pillars: people, cars and home. Of the three there is only one category that the manufacturer does not cover yet, but hopes to do so very soon. Previously, he had already announced his electric car, Xiaomi SU7, a bet that was also mentioned during the event.
Next, the company has dived into its new smartphones. The camera was the star of the presentation. The strategic alliance with Leica, endorsed by the appearance of Matthias Harsch, CEO of the German company on stage, has borne fruit. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra mounts four sensors on the back. They are all 50 megapixels, but they play with other specifications to obtain the best possible photographic performance. The main lens has a variable aperture of f/1.63 – f/4.0, allowing controlled adjustments to brightness and defocus. The brand has designed the device to deal with different scenarios. That is why it has added two telephoto lenses, one with a focal length of 120 mm and the other, 75 mm, as well as a 12 mm wide angle. The cameras can also record video in 8K or 4K at 120 fps (frames per second).
The younger brother is satisfied with a triple camera, which also has 50 megapixel Leica lenses. The specifications are more modest but still typical of a high-end. The focal length range covered by its sensors goes from 14 mm for the wide angle lens to 75 mm for the telephoto lens. The company notes that the minimum focusing distance is 10 cm. In addition, both devices have the new Xiaomi AISP technology, aimed at improving photographs with artificial intelligence. “You cannot present a product in 2024 without talking about AI,” was one of the phrases uttered from the stage. And obviously the presentation has been filled with references to AI.
The Xiaomi 14 has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, the same one used by other brands' flagships, such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Both come equipped with WiFi 7 and 5G connectivity. These terminals already have Xiaomi HyperOS, which replaces the company's previous operating system, MIUI. Its technological base is also Android, but it covers not only Xiaomi smartphones, but also wearables, tablets, IoT devices, televisions and even cars.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a 6.73-inch AMOLED screen, with a pixel density of 522 dpi and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The screen of the basic version of the series is 6.36 inches, with AMOLED technology and a density of 460 dpi. Its battery is 4610 mAh, while the Ultra version reaches 5000 mAh.
The Xiaomi 14 is sold starting at 999 euros, with a configuration of 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is priced at 1,499 euros (in its version with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of capacity ). Both are now available on the market.
The Chinese manufacturer has also taken the opportunity to present a tablet, the Xiaomi Pad 6s Pro 12.4, with a 12.4-inch 3K screen and a refresh rate of 144 Hz, as well as a small array of wearable devices. The Smart Band 8 Pro has appeared on the stage, which offers several exercise options and has functions to monitor health parameters, and two smartwatch: the Watch S3, reminiscent of a classic watch, and the Watch 2, whose battery promises long life, up to 65 hours of typical use.
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