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Review verdict: while the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G is a good phone, I can’t help but feel that the global version (the one released in the Philippines) feels a little gimped VS what was initially announced in China. Xiaomi’s downgrade on key features like the camera and battery size is a disappointing change to an otherwise impressive phone. Those key specs might make the difference for a sale considering all the new phones that have been popping up lately.
Pros:
- Excellent design
- IP68 resistance
- Shock resistance to resist drops and tumbles
- Good processor package
Cons:
- The camera is a hit-or-miss
- Downgraded battery compared to the Chinese variant
When the Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G was announced a few months ago, I was very excited. The phone’s spec sheet looked impressive on paper when it was announced in China, so I was expecting the same here. Unfortunately, the global variant has some downgrades, and while it’s still a great phone, I was a bit disappointed with the final specs.
What are the differences between the Chinese and global versions? First, the camera package – the global variant has a 200-megapixel main camera instead of the 50-megapixel one in China, but it lacks a telephoto lens and has some filler cameras. The battery capacity has also decreased by more than 1000mAh, although it does gain 120W fast charging. The rest of the specs seem to be the same across the board.
Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G Review Philippines: Design
I might have complaints about this phone, but you really can’t take away how good it looks, especially with the lavender-purple leather back variant. The combination of the metal frame and leather back on our review unit looks very elegant, and even though the camera module is quite large, it still fits well with the overall vibe of the phone.
The phone feels hefty without being heavy, and it has all the hallmarks of a premium device, including increased durability thanks to what Xiaomi calls “all-star Armor Structure”. That’s basically a fancy way of saying that the phone’s protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front, as well as Gorilla Glass 7i at the back (for the non-leather variants). The phone is also IP68 water resistant and has tougher shock resistance to drops and spills.
What you get is a phone that’s tougher than your average device, a feature that’s starting to become more and more common at the price point that it plays at.
Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G Review Philippines: Display
The display on the phone looks great, with the Redmi 14 Pro+ 5G sporting a 6.67-inch 1.5K display with a 120hz refresh rate, 240Hz sampling rate and a peak brightness of 3000 nits. It’s very easily visible under direct sunlight so you won’t have issues using it if you’re in a motorcycle or a bike if you’re using it for navigation.
The curved panel isn’t for everyone, but for people who value and appreciate this kind of display, they’ll like it. Colors and saturation from the panel is about what you’d expect from a display like this. In short, it’s very good.
Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G Review Philippines: Cameras
Like I mentioned earlier, the global variant for the Xiaomi Redmi 14 Pro+ 5G gets a 200-megapixel camera rather than a 50-megapixel main sensor from the Chinese variant. Xiaomi also axed the 50-megapixel periscope camera as well, swapping it out for a 2-megapixel depth sensor.
So how does the 200-megapixel camera on the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ perform? It seems okay – the camera takes good pictures in bright light, which is expected for a phone at this price point. You can shoot in 200-megapixel mode if you really want to utilize every single pixel of the phone’s sensor, but I personally wouldn’t bother.
Ideally, I would have been okay with no telephoto camera if the main camera was exceptional, but that’s not the case with this phone. Some of our shots lacked detail, and we noticed some noise in other zoomed-in shots. The ultra-wide camera isn’t any better. I was looking forward to the phone being a camera powerhouse, but it seems the phone still needs some software tuning.
On the bright side, there are generative AI tools that you can use with this phone, including the ability to remove unwanted people from photos. The cameras are fine if you just need a phone that can take pictures to share on social media, but if you’re into mobile photography or consider it a hobby, you might be disappointed.
Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G Review Philippines: Performance, software, battery
The phone has a good processing package: Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 delivers solid performance and is capable of handling fairly heavy gaming, although we noticed some slight heat while in use. It’s not overly hot, but it’s noticeable.
Navigation on the phone is very smooth, although I still have my usual complaints about Xiaomi phones, namely the ads and unwanted bloatware. I seem to mention this in every video I make about a Xiaomi phone, even with HyperOS, which hasn’t changed. This is something you’ll need to consider when buying this phone.
As mentioned earlier, the battery capacity of this phone is lower than the Chinese version, with the global variant having 1,000mAh less. The trade-off is that you get a faster 120W charger compared to the 90W in the Chinese variant, but I would have preferred the higher capacity because you don’t really notice the 30W increase. However, the good news is that the phone has good screen-on time and overall battery life despite the lower capacity, with our phone getting a screen on time of 13 hours and 23 minutes via our continuous YouTube test.
Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G Review Philippines: Wrap-up and Conclusion
So who is this phone for? I think it’s for people who are looking for a good-looking mid-range phone with good performance, decent battery life, and an aesthetically pleasing design that can withstand occasional drops. If Xiaomi had retained the same specs as the Chinese variant, I could also recommend it to people looking for a decent cameraphone for mobile photography, but based on our results, you might be disappointed.
Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G Review Philippines: Price
The 12GB/512GB variant is 1K more than last year’s model at Php 24,999, while the 12GB/256GB version is priced at Php 22,999. There’s also an 8GB/256GB variant that’s priced at Php 20,999.