Simply forward of MWC 2024, Xiaomi launched the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Extremely to a worldwide viewers and I acquired to spend a bit of time with the latter. Not numerous merchandise reside as much as the unique which means of the phrase Extremely (“past”), however I’ll say the Xiaomi 14 Extremely goes past what most individuals would anticipate and even need… not less than in the case of cameras.
It was ultra-obvious from Xiaomi’s press briefing that the corporate desires the Xiaomi 14 Extremely dialog to revolve round its video talents. The occasion itself was held at an precise film studio outdoors of Barcelona, full with a digital camera dolly, units, skilled lighting, and plenty of different costly pro-grade gear. The message was clear: the Xiaomi 14 Extremely can supply customers many pro-level options, with out the associated fee, bulk, or complexity usually related to skilled cameras.
Xiaomi 14 Extremely: Director’s Lower
Harley Maranan / Android Authority
As an instance simply what the Xiaomi 14 Extremely can do, the corporate mounted the telephone on a rig positioned on a dolly and used it to file a brief scene. Then knowledgeable colorist took the video file and edited it, to showcase the Extremely’s dealing with of tough lighting situations.
It was undoubtedly a formidable sight, particularly for somebody like myself who isn’t well-versed within the actually technical facets of capturing pro-grade video. The top consequence video was visibly superior when it comes to dynamic vary and distinction and neatly illustrated what would have been in any other case incomprehensible technical jargon.
Harley Maranan / Android Authority
However, as my colleague Harley notes in our video, what was left unmentioned was the price of all of the skilled gear used within the demo or the years of coaching the colorist had underneath their belt. To be clear, I’m not saying that Xiaomi did something mistaken, however moderately that a number of the current developments in smartphone imaging are above and past what 99% of telephone patrons would ever ask from a smartphone digital camera. And Xiaomi is much from the one telephone maker utilizing more and more esoteric imaging performance to market their units.
Harley Maranan / Android Authority
Not all the Xiaomi 14 Extremely’s digital camera capabilities require massive setups to grasp — the advantages of options like automated face monitoring or the stepless variable aperture system are rather more apparent. The stepless variable aperture of the principle digital camera means the opening of the lens shutter will fluctuate between f/1.63 and f/4.0, permitting the telephone to rapidly adapt to totally different lighting situations. Count on higher low-light capabilities and extra granular management over bokeh results once you mix this variable aperture with a big 1-inch sensor.
As soon as once more, Xiaomi has labored with legendary digital camera producer Leica to design and tune the complicated digital camera system on the 14 Extremely. Right here’s a breakdown of the 4 cameras on the again:
- Ultrawide: 50MP, 0.5X, 122-degree FOV, f/1.8, 12mm equal focal size
- Important: 50MP, 1X, f/1.63-f/4.0, OIS, 23mm equal focal size
- Telephoto: 50MP, 3.2X, f/1.8, OIS, 75mm equal focal size
- Periscope telephoto: 50MP, 5X, f/2.5, OIS, 120mm equal focal size
Between the 4 cameras, the Xiaomi 14 Extremely is ready to deal with most varieties of scenes, from macro photographs to long-range zoom, because of the big selection of focal lengths. And naturally, there’s a smattering of AI options to benefit from all the info coming from the {hardware}.
And if you should get much more out of your 14 Extremely’s cameras, Xiaomi additionally launched a brand new model of its digital camera grip accent, that includes an additional 1,500mAh battery, a shutter button, and even a zoom wheel.
Harley Maranan / Android Authority
What in regards to the telephone a part of this digital camera telephone?
Whereas most of our consideration was devoted to the digital camera options of the Xiaomi 14 Extremely, there’s a lot to love in regards to the precise telephone. The design was introduced in step with the current iPhone-inspired pattern in direction of flat edges, however we’ve nonetheless acquired curved glass edges for a greater hand really feel. The 6.73-inch QHD+ OLED display delivers nearly every little thing you may need from a show. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is after all current, as is Xiaomi’s fast-charging expertise. It’s price highlighting the insanely quick wi-fi 80W charging, greater than what many different high Android telephones get by a charging cable.
Sadly, Xiaomi hasn’t given the press a lot time with its new flagship telephone, so all the speak about efficiency is theoretical for now. However the Xiaomi 14 Extremely does appear like a correct monster that goes “extremely” in all the fitting locations — and in some much less apparent ones. Whether or not all of the video energy is required for many customers, that’s one other story.
The Xiaomi 14 Extremely will go on sale for €1,499 (~$1,624), in both black or white, and the digital camera grip accent will likely be one other €199 (~$216).
