CONCLUSION

    The 50MP camera with the IMX906 image sensor and the Leica optics is obviously why people would choose the Xiaomi 14T and well, I get it. Image quality is borderline excellent during the day and even though night shoots will not take you by surprise results are still very good. As for the selfie camera I must admit I didn’t use it almost at all simply because it’s nothing special compared to the 50MP one (good, just good).  What stole the show for me however wasn’t the 50MP camera but the performance of the Mediatek Dimensity 8300 Ultra CPU (and it's not even the latest model by Mediatek) which left every other phone I’ve tested in the dust, especially in A.I loads (so if that’s a thing for you the Xiaomi 14T is a great choice). The AMOLED screen of the Xiaomi 14T does a very good job overall and has two screen modes, automatic and manual in both of which 144Hz is not used unless supported by a specific app (for the most part you’ll see 60/120Hz rates). I am not really a gamer when it comes to smartphones but for regular use (calls, taking pictures and browsing) the 5000mAh li-poly battery of the Xiaomi 14T lasted for well over 15 hours which is not a bad number today (but yes, there are better models out there in that regard). As for charging by using an 65W charger like I do the Xiaomi 14T needed 46 minutes for up to 80% and 83 minutes total for 100% (remember, nowadays manufacturers recommend only going up to 80% so that the battery can last longer). As for Android 15 (HyperOS 2.0) if anything I got slightly worse results in some of the tests compared to Android 14 and well, I have no idea as to the why that is (A15 could be heavier).

    The Xiaomi 14T already counts almost half a year in the global market and currently retails for USD492.57 inside the USA (Amazon.com – 512GB/12GB version) and for 510.58Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de – 256GB/12GB version). At the end of the day the Xiaomi 14T may not be perfect (selfie camera and battery life are my two concerns with it, especially if you’re playing games) but its performance and 50MP camera make it  indeed a flagship smartphone killer and for that it gets the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- Mediatek Dimensity 8300 Ultra CPU (AI Performance)
- 6.67” AMOLED 144Hz Screen (HDR10+ With Dolby Vision)
- 8/12/16GB LPDDR5X RAM
- 256/512GB UFS 4.0
- 32MP Front / 50MP Rear Camera (4x Optical Zoom / Leica Optics / Beauty Mode / HDR+ / 4K Recording)
- 5000mAh Battery
- IP68 Certified Enclosure
- Available Colors (Titan Black / Titan Grey / Titan Blue / Lemon Green)

CONS

- HyperOS (Bloatware)
- Battery Life (Good, Not Great)
- Selfie Camera (Could Be Much Better)