Lo, did Xiaomi unveil its freshest Redmi Note 14 series in the heart of China yonder month, yet no whisper of a global debut looms imminent. Nevertheless, fate smiled upon me, allowing me to clutch the peak-tier Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus in my grasp just this past weekend. A veritable juggernaut, boasting a 6,200mAh battery, this device promises much power. But what secrets lie within? Has Xiaomi woven a tapestry of marvels to set the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus apart from its mid-range brethren? Having dwelt in the company of this device for a span of days, herewith are my nascent impressions of the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus!
### Elegant Design with Great Visuals
Behold the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus, graced with a monolithic 6,200mAh battery that dost command attention from the first encounter. My very soul was taken aback, expecting a robust behemoth akin to those hardy phones of yore that could serve as a cudgel as well. Yet lo, as I unfurled the phone, a sleek and nimble companion greeted me. The treasured contents of the box were ordinary, with the standard fare of charging adapter, USB Type-A to Type-C, a SIM ejector, a silicone cloak, and sundry papers.
And what revelations awaited me beyond? The weight of the device was a thing of marvel. Clad in the Sand Star Green guise, a visual feast awaited me, with a shimmering marbled design reminiscent of the tide’s backwash upon the shore. Only the Redmi sigil adorned the nether leftmost corner, interfering naught with the aesthetic. A squircle camera regimen graced the apex, embraced by a silvery texture, akin to that witnessed in the iQOO 12 and Vivo X100 Pro. The camera module’s center perch forestalled any untoward wobbling.
Moreover, the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus exudes an air of opulence, with a glass back ensconced in the protective embrace of Gorilla Glass Victus 2. This shielded the frame of humbler plastic from leaving an acrid taste in my mouth. Albeit, the disposition of the buttons could be improved, as the volume roc and power buttons found themselves wedged on the starboard side. These keys lacked the tactile splendor, exuding an air of modesty.
To the visage, the Note 14 Pro Plus inherits the curved display of its forebear. The selfsame 6.67-inch 1.5K AMOLED display, with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR 10+, and Dolby Vision support as its prior incarnation. This display, too, finds shelter under the aegis of GG Victus 2.
### A True Battery King
The nebulous depths of the new ‘high-energy silicon-carbon’ 6200mAh battery are yet to be plumbed entirely. From streaming copious content, embarking on a benchmarking quest, and partaking in gaming pursuits, only 50% of battery life remained after 5-6 hours of utility with the autonomic brightness setting. It is my conjecture that under normal circumstances, this battery may provide a full two days or more of sustenance with moderate use.
In kind, the swiftness of the 90W charging speeds eluded full exploration, yet a mere quarter of an hour sufficed to refuel the phone from 50% to brimming.
### Quite the Lackluster Performance
The lamentable Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 hastens to deliver prolonged screen-on times, bolstered by its efficient make. Yet, this choice of chip left me confounded, for why wield an ‘s’ series Qualcomm chip in a “Pro Plus” model? The benchmark straits are equally disheartening and represent a downward trajectory from the antecedent Dimensity 7200 Ultra.
Furthermore, the 12GB/256GB variant, adorned with LPDDR4X and UFS 2.2 configurations, suffers from a deficiency. The AnTuTu storage evaluations bear witness to this failing. The pallor of this turn of circumstance is only exacerbated when contrasted with last year’s Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus, bedecked in LPDDR5 and UFS 3.1 garb.
Gaming, too, met an average fate, as both BGMI and COD Mobile attained only 60FPS on the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus. Alas, this limitation may stem from the device being a Chinese iteration, ill-suited for global realms. The smooth seas of 60FPS notwithstanding, 90FPS stands as the standard in this domain, a mark missed. My quest to journey forth in the realm of Genshin Impact was met with tribulation, as frames plummeted to 40FPS mere minutes into the foray. In the tempest of crowded environs, the FPS diminished further, rendering the experience nigh unbearable. A venture into Warzone Mobile was verily abandoned after this grim affair.
Arrayed with the Chinese variant of HyperOS, rooted in Android 14, the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus showed a propensity to dispatch tasks posthaste. The meager RAM Management, however, proved a chafe after a spell.
### Beyond Underwhelming Cameras
The quest for clarity led me to dabble in a morsel of photography after the primary setup, illuminating the mediocre provenance of the cameras therein.
On the forefront, the 50MP Omnivision Light Fusion 800 primary sensor pales in comparison to last year’s 200MP Samsung HP3 sensor. The diurnal captures, while satisfactory in detail, yield oversaturated denouements. The dynamic range proves passable, though shy of mastery.
A swift transition to the 8MP Sony IMX355 ultra-wide unveiled a tonic shift in color verity. The hues, now more natural, come at the cost of details. Meanwhile, the 50MP Samsung JN1 telephoto sensor, with its 2.5x optical zoom, presents more resplendent tints. Fortuitously, these shades do not reach the zenith of saturation borne by the primary sensor. Yet discord prevails in the trio’s realm, with each sensor wrestling for dominion over color reproduction and processing.
Perambulating into the nocturnal realm, the camera’s prowess wanes from adequate to nigh calamitous. Nocturnal snapshots teem with noise, hues surreptitiously concealed, and details smeared into obscurity, rendering the scene lifeless. A chromatic aberration haunts the shadows, particularly afflicting the ultra-wide.
Alas, even in well-lit expanses, human visages metamorphose into oil paintings. Skin tones fade into the void, bereft of detail upon scrutiny. The maleficent shadow cast upon the realm of selfie shots yields yet gloomier results. Saturation reigns supreme, with nary a hint of intricate skin or features, ensconced in an uncanny light of unknown provenance.
Venturing into videography, the device supports up to 4K at 30FPS. Alas, the OIS, despite its presence, lay dormant during 4K capture, leading to unsteady shots. EIS floundered in its attempts to stabilize the shots, resulting in lamentable jerking.
### The Compromises Are Just Not Worth It
And so, the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus emerges as a regression from its antecedent, shackled not only with recalcitrant and unoptimized cameras but also with woeful performance. In an arena brimming with sterling options such as the Realme GT 6T and the OnePlus Nord 4, the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus, commencing at 1,899 Yuan (approximately $260), faces an insurmountable precipice.
For those souls who seek only, and I aver, only a paragon of battery endurance, and can endure meager performance, this device may proffer a path. Yet, even then, the illustrious devices aforementioned prove themselves as paragons of versatility, stalwart at every turn.
Thus conclude my candid impressions of the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus. The forthcoming video on the device shall soon grace the annals of history, available for perusal on Moyens I/O on YouTube. Share your ruminations on the latest Redmi Note in the comments below!