It’s been two years since Xiaomi began their partnership with luxury German camera manufacturer, Leica, with the companies jointly developing camera systems together for Xiaomi’s flagship smartphones. The latest collaboration is seen in the Xiaomi 14T series that has been hotly anticipated for its high-end specs, and better price point compared to the 14 Pro and Ultra models that launched earlier this year.
Above: The Xiaomi 14T Pro in Black. For the 14T series, xiaomi works in partnership with Leica again for the camera system.
PERFORMANCE
For most users, the Xiaomi 14T is an excellent all-rounder; it will perform essential daily tasks without a hitch, and its camera system co-engineered with Leica will take very good pictures. For those willing to spend more to get an even better system, the Xiaomi 14T Pro is the one to consider. It’s equipped with MediaTek’s most powerful Dimensity 9300+ chip, which delivers high performance and superior energy efficiency, it’s fitted with a battery that charges faster, and a better main camera sensor for better quality pictures.
Above: The Xiaomi 14T Pro in Black is sleek, with a gorgeous matte sandstone finish.
CAMERA SYSTEM
As an avid photographer, the Xiaomi 14T Pro appeals to me on so many levels — the main one being with its camera system co-engineered with Leica, and having all the Leica filters built-in to the software for easily editing the style of a photo. In particular, there’s the two signature Leica photographic styles — Authentic (a natural, balanced look, great for street photography and everyday shots) and Vivid (a high contrast look where colours pop, resulting in a striking photo). These looks adhere to Leica’s colour science and tones, without excessive sharpening.
Above: a closer look at the leica triple camera system on the Xiaomi 14T Pro.
There are also convenient camera presets for Long Exposure shots, such as taking a “Moving Crowd”, “Neon Trails” and “Light Painting”. These are fun and simple to use, and give professional results without the need to understand the technical settings required to set up such a shot.
A “Pro” mode further gives the user complete manual controls over the White Balance, Focus, Shutter Speed, and ISO.
The display’s refresh rate at 144Hz is incredible fast. Viewing motion on the screen is super smooth and clear, and this really aids in capturing that perfect shot, especially with moving subjects. There’s also the peak brightness that reaches an impressive 4,000 nits. It’s unlikely you’ll need any screen to be this bright, but it helps when taking pictures under direct sunlight and you need to see clearly what’s on your screen.
Above: photo of someone, somewhere. Shot on xiaomi 14t pro.
TAKING PHOTOS
When taking a photo, you’re freezing a moment in time. That photo will tell a story about what it has captured, and a good photo will evoke emotions or memories. With any smartphone, taking pictures is second nature to most of us, but with the Xiaomi 14T Pro, you’ll be taking better pictures that will have you wanting to switch to this phone just for its camera system.
Above: that’s me testing out the xiaomi 14t pro against the sunset.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been taking the Xiaomi 14T Pro along with me wherever I go, and that includes to the press conference and finals of the Miss Universe Singapore pageant where I was the official portrait photographer and one of the judges.
I took a whole bunch of portraits of current regional beauty queens who flew down for the finals to watch the Singapore contest. And with every photo I took, there were “ooohs” and “ahhhs”, and I kept getting requests from each girl sitting at the table for their own picture to be captured with the phone. I had to field questions about the phone I was using, because of how instantly impressive every photo turned out; as the phone was still under embargo, I just replied, “Xiaomi”.
Above: portrait of miss universe indonesia 2024, shot on the xiaomi 14t pro.
Above: portrait of miss universe Malaysia 2024 1st runner-up, shot on the xiaomi 14t pro.
What made the phone even more impressive, was that we were in a pretty dark setting at Amber Lounge with low ambient light. The phone’s main sensor picked up the surrounding light and gave photos that were high in contrast, showed good depth against the busy background, and captured the coloured lights in the club beautifully.
Above: miss universe Singapore 2024, Charlotte Chia being crowned. shot on the xiaomi 14t pro.
FILTERS
Everyone loves to add filters to their photos; especially ones that make them appear more attractive (such as having smoother skin and a slimmer jawline); and colour calibrated filters also set the mood for what you’re trying to emote in the photo.
Above: the chefs at fiasco by juice.
As with all the Xiaomi phones created in partnership with Leica, the 14T Pro comes with a whole suite of photographic filters that can be applied directly to any photo without the need for a third-party app. And these filters are really fun to play with. They enhance photos, giving them a professionally colour-graded look.
Above: portrait of kunar, shot in daylight with the xiaomi 14t pro.
Above: portrait of lisa, shot at night in a restaurant with the xiaomi 14t pro.
The Xiaomi 14T series stands out for its incredible low light captures, and of course you get all the Leica filters and signature Leica colour calibrations that come with the phone. It’s not just for photographers, but any person who is after a mid-range, reasonably-priced phone, with an excellent camera system.
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