Xiaomi 14 vs Xiaomi 13 – Looks Nearly Identical But There Are Notable Improvements

The Xiaomi 14 has been a massive hit in Malaysia as it’s a true blue flagship smartphone but is priced much more affordably compared to rival flagships, starting from RM3,499. Given that it doesn’t look much different from the Xiaomi 13, it should pretty much be the same. We’re here to dive into some of the most notable improvements brought by the new flagship so you can find out if it’s worth making the jump.

Xiaomi 14 vs Xiaomi 13

Improved Display

The Xiaomi 14 boasts a significantly brighter screen compared to its predecessor, with over 50% increased peak brightness. This enhancement, reaching up to 3000 nits, promises improved visibility outdoors and in direct sunlight. Additionally, the display’s resolution sees an upgrade, now at 1200 x 2670 and 460ppi, ensuring a sharper and more vibrant visual experience. The variable refresh rate, a significant upgrade as it ranges from 1Hz to 120Hz, optimizes battery life without compromising performance.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Equipped with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, the Xiaomi 14 offers substantial performance upgrades. With a 30% boost in CPU performance, 25% in GPU performance, and a remarkable 98% increase in NPU performance, users can expect a smoother and more efficient user experience. Paired with Xiaomi’s Loop LiquidCool technology, the smartphone stays cool even during intensive tasks such as gaming and streaming. Based on the two graphs above, you can see how much better it is compared to last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

This might seem like a simple marketing ploy but based on our benchmark results, it managed to have a stability rating of 79.8%, The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a powerful chip and it does generate quite a bit of heat as a result, with most other smartphones running the same chip generating a stability rating of about 50% to 60%. In simpler terms, the Xiaomi 14 has better thermal management compared to most other Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 devices.

Enhanced Leica Cameras

The Xiaomi 14 elevates the photography experience with improvements to its camera module. While retaining the 50MP main camera, both the ultrawide and telephoto lenses receive upgrades to 50MP sensors. Moreover, the front camera now supports 4K video recording, enhancing the overall videography capabilities of the device. Based on our own experience, the main camera itself works excellently, though the focus gets a bit slower in darker areas. The ultrawide camera however seems to be slow and have trouble focusing more often than not.

If you’re a fan of zoomed shots, the telephoto camera appears to be on par with the main camera up to 5x zoom. At 10x magnification, details start to soften up but still more than usable. Past that, it will be highly dependent on the lighting as it typically turns into mush. Selfies look sharp, though you will need to toy around with the softening effect, and have no trouble focusing. At times, it did capture some bizarre light flares, like on my glasses, but it’s nothing to worry about for the most part.

Faster Charging

With a slightly larger 4610mAh battery and faster 90W wired charging, the Xiaomi 14 offers improved endurance and quicker charging times compared to its predecessor. Additionally, both models support 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging, ensuring convenience and flexibility in powering up the device. Keep in mind that Xiaomi does include a 90W charger in the box, which gives us a full charge within 36 minutes, so you don’t have to get a specialized charger. In fact, you don’t even need to purchase any accessories unless you don’t like the look as you get a full suite of goodies within the box itself.

We did review the Xiaomi 14 recently and it was one of the best smartphones we’ve reviewed. It might be the best value smartphone of 2024 given its price in Malaysia, but if you want to make the most out of your smartphone purchase, I see no harm in sticking to your Xiaomi 13. If you do plan on making the jump anyway, or you’re coming from an older device, it is one that will serve you well.

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