Simply forward of MWC 2024, Xiaomi launched the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Extremely to a world viewers and I received to spend a little bit time with the latter. Not a whole lot of merchandise dwell 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… at the very least on the subject 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 digicam 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 fee, bulk, or complexity usually related to skilled cameras.
Xiaomi 14 Extremely: Director’s Reduce
Harley Maranan / Android Authority
As an example simply what the Xiaomi 14 Extremely can do, the corporate mounted the cellphone on a rig positioned on a dolly and used it to file a brief scene. Then an expert colorist took the video file and edited it, to showcase the Extremely’s dealing with of tough lighting circumstances.
It was positively a powerful sight, particularly for somebody like myself who isn’t well-versed within the actually technical points of taking pictures pro-grade video. The top outcome video was visibly superior by way of 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 below their belt. To be clear, I’m not saying that Xiaomi did something fallacious, however fairly that a few of the latest developments in smartphone imaging are above and past what 99% of cellphone patrons would ever ask from a smartphone digicam. And Xiaomi is way from the one cellphone maker utilizing more and more esoteric imaging performance to market their gadgets.
Harley Maranan / Android Authority
Not the entire Xiaomi 14 Extremely’s digicam capabilities require large setups to grasp — the advantages of options like automated face monitoring or the stepless variable aperture system are far more apparent. The stepless variable aperture of the primary digicam means the opening of the lens shutter will range between f/1.63 and f/4.0, permitting the cellphone to shortly adapt to completely different lighting circumstances. Count on higher low-light capabilities and extra granular management over bokeh results while you mix this variable aperture with a big 1-inch sensor.
As soon as once more, Xiaomi has labored with legendary digicam producer Leica to design and tune the complicated digicam 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
- Fundamental: 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 forms of scenes, from macro pictures to long-range zoom, because of the wide selection of focal lengths. And naturally, there’s a smattering of AI options to profit from all the information coming from the {hardware}.
And if it’s essential get much more out of your 14 Extremely’s cameras, Xiaomi additionally launched a brand new model of its digicam grip accent, that includes an additional 1,500mAh battery, a shutter button, and even a zoom wheel.
Harley Maranan / Android Authority
What concerning the cellphone a part of this digicam cellphone?
Whereas most of our consideration was devoted to the digicam options of the Xiaomi 14 Extremely, there’s a lot to love concerning the precise cellphone. The design was introduced according to the latest iPhone-inspired development in direction of flat edges, however we’ve nonetheless received curved glass edges for a greater hand really feel. The 6.73-inch QHD+ OLED display screen delivers nearly the whole lot you could possibly 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 prime Android telephones get by a charging cable.
Sadly, Xiaomi hasn’t given the press a lot time with its new flagship cellphone, so the entire discuss efficiency is theoretical for now. However the Xiaomi 14 Extremely does appear like a correct monster that goes “extremely” in all the correct 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 digicam grip accent might be one other €199 (~$216).
