Xiaomi's 14T Pro shoots in all directions, but hits somewhere in the middle

Xiaomi continues its strange tradition of flooding the market with new devices while largely ignoring the West and attempting to emulate Apple. While the Xiaomi 15 flagship series isn’t expected to hit most global markets until the end of Q1 2025, the company is releasing the 14T and 14T Pro models—mid-year updates to the Xiaomi 14 series (and yes, it’s unclear why a mid-year update is necessary). Ironically, neither of these models closely resembles the Xiaomi 14 or 14 Ultra, leaving even Xiaomi unable to explain the reasoning behind the T model's existence.

Xiaomi’s approach of flooding the market with a wide (and, let's be honest, slightly confusing) array of devices is an integral part of its strategy. Rather than developing a focused strategy with three or four standout flagship devices like Samsung and Apple, Xiaomi launches new models every few months, quickly making the previous models irrelevant in terms of branding. The T series does include some advanced features from the flagship models, but usually at the cost of a few significant omissions. Do these subtle differences justify the price tag? Should you even invest NIS 3,099 in a device that might become obsolete in just a month? We received the Xiaomi 14T Pro from Hamilton, the official Xiaomi importer in Israel, and put it to the test.

Design: Titanium in Name Only

Xiaomi has made a significant step forward in the design of the 14T Pro compared to its predecessor, but that doesn’t mean it's perfect. It comes in three colors—Titanium Gray, Titanium Blue, and Titanium Black—leading you to believe the phone is made of titanium, right? Well, despite pre-launch rumors hinting at such an upgrade, there is no actual titanium in the Xiaomi 14T Pro, which might be disappointing, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

All three colors look premium, and with its aluminum alloy frame and curved back, the phone gives off a flagship vibe, similar to the Galaxy S24 Ultra—an impressive comparison to be in. However, one thing I noticed during testing was that while the phone’s back is beautiful, it’s a magnet for fingerprints. That said, the overall design is quite dull. Xiaomi played it safe, opting for a design we’ve seen before, clearly inspired by something trying to be an iPhone. Where’s the originality? Where’s the innovation? It seems Xiaomi prefers playing it safe instead of taking design risks. Fair enough.

The most notable design improvement comes from the camera bump. Xiaomi’s top phones are known for their cameras, thanks to the brand’s partnership with Leica (more on that later) and the sheer size of their camera bumps. While still large and taking up a significant portion of the back, the bump is now flatter, more elegant, and color-matched to the device. Xiaomi has ditched the bulky black block for a more minimalist, aesthetically pleasing look.

Display

Xiaomi may have skipped an OLED screen in favor of CrystalRes AMOLED technology for the 14T Pro, but don’t worry—it’s still a top-quality display. With an adaptive refresh rate of up to 144Hz, the experience is excellent, whether you’re a gamer, streaming enthusiast, or just scrolling through Instagram. The display’s adaptability ensures you rarely encounter stuttering, offering smooth 120Hz viewing. And if you want to save battery, you can always lock the display to 60Hz.

But the real highlight of the screen is its unprecedented peak brightness of 4000 nits. This means the 14T Pro allows you to see the display clearly even under direct sunlight. Xiaomi hasn’t made a big fuss about this feature, but it’s a significant advantage in everyday use.

User Interface

The 14T Pro comes with Xiaomi’s new HyperOS, based on Android 14. Unfortunately, the new version doesn’t do the phone any favors. It’s a cluttered, cartoonish, and overly complicated operating system, far from being a clean, minimalist user experience. To make matters worse, it includes ads and unnecessary apps that can’t be removed.

Granted, the days of dozens of pre-installed apps on Xiaomi devices are long gone, but it seems Xiaomi still isn’t ready to let them go completely. Right from the initial setup, you’re bombarded with recommended apps and games that aren’t installed yet but can be downloaded via a shortcut to the Mi Store. This feels messy and unnecessary on a phone that claims to have a clean, impressive layout.

In short, if Xiaomi really wants to shake its reputation as just another Chinese brand, it needs to invest much more in a clean, intuitive operating system. And perhaps make it less gaudy, too.

Performance

Despite the cluttered and unflattering operating system, the Xiaomi 14T Pro’s performance is particularly impressive. Xiaomi opted for the Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ chip (yes, at this price point, you won’t get a Qualcomm flagship processor but its Chinese equivalent), paired with 12GB of RAM. This combination proves to be a winning recipe, delivering a smooth and fast user experience.

Whether you’re scrolling through social media, playing demanding games, or editing videos, the 14T Pro won’t let you down. I didn’t encounter any stutters or freezes, and the phone blazed through every task I threw at it. Xiaomi seems to have done an excellent job optimizing both hardware and software, despite the bloated OS.

Camera

The camera system on the Xiaomi 14T Pro is undoubtedly the star of the show: a 50MP wide primary lens with an f/1.6 aperture, a 50MP telephoto lens with an f/2.0 aperture and 60mm narrow angle for zoom, and a 12MP ultra-wide lens with an f/2.2 aperture and 15mm wide angle.

But does reality live up to expectations? Well, it’s a mixed bag. The collaboration with Leica, a legendary German camera and lens manufacturer, highlights several features aimed at improving photography, such as unique shooting styles. Since Xiaomi integrated Leica’s camera systems into the T series with the 13T and 13T Pro, it has undoubtedly raised the bar for mid-range photography. However, with the 14T Pro, Xiaomi seems to be overshooting that bar a bit. On one hand, there are impressive features pushing the boundaries of mobile photography, delivering stunning results that may even be the best among mid-range competitors. On the other hand, there are also moments of inconsistency, with some odd overexposures and extreme light intake.

Moreover, DxOMark, the French lab considered the “bible” for camera rankings, rated the 14T Pro at a disappointing 46th place, well below last year’s Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, which ranked 33rd.

After taking countless photos with the Xiaomi 14T Pro, transferring them to my computer, and examining them closely, I must admit that the results are pretty impressive, even under magnification. Yes, I did notice some over-processing, exaggerated lighting, and colors that weren’t always true to life—like an aggressive Instagram filter gone rogue. But overall, the images are sharp, full of detail, and set a new standard for the mid-range market. They even look good when enlarged, meaning you can print them without worrying about pixelation or blurring.

Bottom Line

I have to admit, the Xiaomi 14T Pro is an impressive device. It looks premium, feels premium in hand, and delivers a fast, smooth user experience. But... and this is a big "but," it leaves me feeling like it's just more of the same. With all due respect to the company’s frequent releases, Xiaomi needs to realize that too much is simply too much. This market flooding with new devices every few months creates confusion among consumers and ultimately prevents Xiaomi from becoming the premium brand it aspires to be, like Apple, Samsung, or Google.

The 14T Pro performs very well, has a fantastic screen, and its camera, despite some inconsistencies, is probably the best in its mid-range category. However, it doesn’t justify all the hype and flashy advertisements promising a groundbreaking experience.

In the end, for NIS 3,099, the Xiaomi 14T Pro offers good value for money. But if Xiaomi really wants to conquer the world, it needs to slow down its release pace, focus on genuinely high-quality devices, and find its unique identity.