Hello and welcome! Today, we are unboxing the latest Redmi Note 14 Pro smartphone, and as always, I’ll take you through the key features and performance details in a tech-review style.
Build Quality and Design
The Redmi Note 14 Pro comes with a sturdy polycarbonate back and frame. It’s 8.24mm thick and weighs around 190 grams, making it a bit on the heavier side, but it still feels comfortable in the hand. The phone is available in multiple colors, and the design is sleek, making it look premium despite its affordable price.
In terms of durability, the phone has dual microphones and dual SIM slots, which are non-hybrid, meaning you can use two SIMs at once. The Redmi Note 14 Pro also comes with stereo speakers and an IR blaster. What’s particularly impressive in this price range is the IP69 rating, which provides excellent dust and water resistance, making the phone more durable than others in its category.
Display Features
The Redmi Note 14 Pro boasts a 1.5K curved display that enhances your viewing experience. Although marketed as a 12-bit display, it’s closer to a 10-bit panel, which still offers great color accuracy and smooth visuals. The phone also comes with a 120Hz high refresh rate, ensuring fluid scrolling and seamless transitions. On top of that, it’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, a rare feature in budget phones.
With 1200 nits of typical brightness and a peak brightness of 3000 nits, outdoor visibility is impressive. Watching videos and viewing content is enjoyable because of its accurate color reproduction, thanks to 100% DCI-P3 color gamut support. Additionally, the HDR10+ certification means you’ll get enhanced contrast and colors in supported content. The display’s punch-hole camera design is minimal, giving you more screen real estate.
Performance and Hardware
Under the hood, the Redmi Note 14 Pro is powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Ultra (4 nm) processor, ensuring smooth performance even during heavy usage. With excellent CPU throttling, the phone manages heat well during extended gaming sessions or multitasking. We tested games on high graphics settings, and it performed well without significant thermal issues. It’s clear that the Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Ultra (4 nm) chip provides reliable performance for users who want to game or run resource-heavy apps.
The storage speed is also decent, which helps with app loading times and overall responsiveness. Since this is the Chinese variant of the phone, the performance might vary slightly when it’s optimized for the Indian market, but initial impressions are quite positive.
Software Experience
The Redmi Note 14 Pro runs on Android 14, up to 3 major Android upgrades, HyperOS out of the box, which is a bit of a mixed bag as the Chinese variant comes preloaded with several localized apps and features that may not be useful for non-Chinese users. However, when it launches in India, we expect Xiaomi to provide an optimized version for Indian customers, hopefully with fewer bloatware apps.
On the positive side, Android 14, up to 3 major Android upgrades, HyperOS offers a smooth, intuitive experience, and Xiaomi’s MIUI layer adds several useful features without overwhelming the user.
Camera Performance
The Redmi Note 14 Pro is equipped with a 50-megapixel primary camera with a Sony sensor. While this sounds great on paper, the actual performance left a bit to be desired. The portrait shots I took lacked the depth and sharpness I was hoping for, and the edge detection was somewhat inconsistent. Additionally, there were occasional issues with the dynamic range, particularly in challenging lighting conditions.
The selfie camera also had its limitations. At times, it struggled with edge detection and dynamic range, but it’s something that could be improved with software updates. On the positive side, the video quality on both the rear and front cameras was good, with decent stabilization. However, it’s clear that the cameras still need some optimization, especially for the Indian market.
Battery Life and Charging
One of the strongest aspects of the Redmi Note 14 Pro is its battery life. It comes with a 5500mAh battery, which is more than enough to last through a full day of moderate use. Whether you’re browsing the web, playing games, or watching videos, the battery backup is reliable.
What’s even better is the 45W fast charger included in the box, allowing you to charge the phone to full capacity in about an hour. While this is the Chinese variant we are testing, we expect the Indian version to maintain the same level of battery performance and charging speed.
Connectivity and Extras
The Redmi Note 14 Pro supports 5G connectivity, making it future-proof as 5G networks continue to expand. Additionally, it comes with Wi-Fi 6, ensuring faster internet speeds and better connectivity in crowded areas. The phone also has Bluetooth 5.4 and features like NFC, which will likely remain in the Indian variant as well.
Pricing and Availability
In terms of pricing, the Redmi Note 14 Pro is competitively priced in the Chinese market, starting at around ₹17,000 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. There are other configurations, including 8GB RAM + 256GB storage, which will be priced higher. When converted to Indian pricing, it seems like good value for the features you get, but as always, Indian pricing may vary due to import taxes and other factors.
The Indian market, especially in the ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 range, is extremely competitive. There are many other options, like the iQOO Z9 with the Dimensity 7800 chip, and even the POCO M4 Pro, which is often available at around ₹18,000 during sales. Xiaomi will need to price the Redmi Note 14 Pro carefully to stay competitive against these strong contenders.
Conclusion
The Redmi Note 14 Pro is an impressive device in its price range, offering a great display, solid performance, and long-lasting battery life. However, there are a few areas, like camera optimization, that could be improved, especially for the Indian variant. The inclusion of features like 5G support, 45W fast charging, and stereo speakers makes it stand out in the budget segment.
If Xiaomi can price this device competitively when it launches in India, it has the potential to be one of the top budget smartphones in the market. However, given the stiff competition, it remains to be seen whether the Redmi Note 14 Pro will live up to expectations in the Indian market.
Stay tuned for our full review once the Indian variant is released!