Xiaomi 14 CIVI review – affordable flagship with premium cameras

• The Xiaomi 14 CIVI is the latest smartphone from Xiaomi in its Xiaomi 14 series in India.
• The device has been priced starting at ₹42,999 and is available in two variants.
• Here’s my review of the Xiaomi 14 CIVI that will help you decide whether to buy the device or not.

Xiaomi recently launched the third smartphone in its Xiaomi 14 series, the Xiaomi 14 CIVI in India. The device, placed as the most affordable option in the company’s Xiaomi 14 lineup comes with Leica cameras, just like its siblings.

The Xiaomi 14 CIVI is a camera-centric smartphone and has been placed as an affordable flagship smartphone. The Xiaomi 14 CIVI has been placed below the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra but the device still packs a punch.

I have been using the Xiaomi 14 CIVI for a few days now, and here is my detailed review of the latest camera-centric smartphone from the company.

Xiaomi 14 CIVI price and availability

The Xiaomi 14 CIVI has been priced at ₹42,999 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant and ₹47,999 for the 12GB RAM + 512GB storage variant.

The device comes in three colour options – Cruise Blue, Matcha Green and Shadow Black. The device is available from Flipkart, Mi Home Store and Xiaomi online store.

In the box

• Xiaomi 14 CIVI
• Protective case
• Pre-applied screen protector
• Power adapter
• USB Type-C cable
• SIM ejector tool
• Documentation

Xiaomi 14 CIVI specifications

Xiaomi 14 CIVI pros and cons

Pros

• Design
• Camera
  

Cons

• Battery and charging
  

Design and display

The Xiaomi 14 CIVI will immediately impress you with its design. The device comes in three colour options – Cruise Blue, Matcha Green and Shadow Black. While the Cruise Blue and Shadow Black variants feature a glass back, the Matcha Green variant offers a back with a vegan leather finish with a glass inlay that gives it a unique look.

I tested the Matcha Green variant of the device and I can easily say it’s the best among the three options.

Apart from the vegan leather finish, the device’s brushed aluminium frame adds to its premium appeal. The device is quite slim and lightweight at 177 grams. The compact design also ensures that people with small hands can use it with one hand without any issues.

The smartphone feels great to hold in hand and thanks to the vegan leather finish, you don’t have to worry about fingerprint smudges and can use it without a case to show it off.

The smartphone comes with volume rockers and a power button on the right side.

You get two antenna lines on the left side.

At the top, you get a speaker grille, a microphone and an infrared sensor, which is a standard feature in Xiaomi devices.

At the bottom, the device features a SIM tray, a microphone, a USB Type-C port and a speaker grille.

Coming to the display, the Xiaomi 14 CIVI features a 6.55-inch 1.5K 12-bit OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. It offers a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It is a quad-curved display that offers a good viewing experience.

The display comes with Dolby Vision and HDR10+, which along with the Dolby Atmos-enabled stereo speakers makes it a great device to watch movies and shows.

Software and performance

The Xiaomi 14 CIVI runs on Android 14 out of the box, with the company’s HyperOS on top. For those unaware, Xiaomi has replaced MIUI, the company’s custom skin with HyperOS. The smartphone will get three years of Android updates and four years of security updates. While it is not as good as what Samsung is offering with its devices, this should be enough for most users.

HyperOS is filled with its nifty customisation features, offering users a lot of control over the user experience. At the same time, the device comes with its fair share of bloatware and you will occasionally be greeted with an ad.

In terms of performance, the Xiaomi 14 CIVI is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset. It comes in two memory variants – 8GB RAM with 256GB internal storage and 12GB RAM with 512GB internal storage. I tested the 512GB variant of the smartphone. The device offers LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage.

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is a powerful chipset and is as good as last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship chipset. While the chipset is able to easily handle whatever you throw at it, the device does heat up during extended gaming sessions. If you are a serious gamer, the Xiaomi 14 CIVI may not be the best option for you.

To keep the device sleek, Xiaomi has cut down on the battery size, offering a 4,700mAh battery with 67W fast charging support. Considering that OnePlus offers a 5,500mAh battery with 100W fast charging support compared to the OnePlus 12R, the device is at a disadvantage not only in battery size but also in charging speed.

The device does offer a decent battery life and should be enough for a day with moderate usage.

Camera

The Xiaomi 14 CIVI features a triple camera setup at the back, consisting of a 50MP primary camera with Light Fusion 800 sensor with Hyper OIS, a Leica Summilux lens, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor with Omnivision OV13B10 sensor and a 50MP 2x telephoto camera with Samsung JN1 sensor.

It’s not just hardware, the Xiaomi 14 CIVI also offers Leica colour science, which is aimed at offering better colours. A few images felt slightly oversaturated at times but the overall camera experience has been good with the device.

The Xiaomi 14 CIVI performs well in daylight conditions, capturing images with good detail and accurate colour reproduction both indoors and outdoors. While capturing images with Leica tuning set to Authentic, the device delivers vivid and punchy images.

The portraits on the device come out well, with good edge detection and subject focus. You have the option to choose from Master Portrait and Leica Portrait. While the former offers a subtle bokeh effect, the latter provides a more natural and realistic effect. You can also play around with various modes such as Documentary, Swirly bokeh and Swift Focus.

The device does not disappoint when it comes to low-light images. It captures images with good details with minimal noise. While it may not be as good as the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, it gets the job done.

You can also play around with Leica filters in the gallery once you have captured the image.

On the front, the Xiaomi 14 CIVI features a dual selfie camera setup consisting of a 32MP primary camera with OmniVision Samsung S5K3D2 sensor with f/2.0 aperture and a 32MP OmniVision Samsung S5K3D2 sensor with f/2.4 aperture.

Verdict

The Xiaomi 14 CIVI is a good option for those looking for a sleek smartphone with a premium design and good cameras. The device’s vibrant display and powerful chipset are a bonus. The device does miss out on a bigger battery and proper heat management, both of which might be an issue for gamers.

Disclaimer: The content on this website is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a purchasing guide or recommendation. We advise readers to do additional research, including hands-on usage of the device at a retail outlet, before making a decision.

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