We put the Xiaomi 14 through our rigorous SBMARK Camera test suite to measure its performance in terms of photo, video and zoom quality from an end-user perspective. This article analyzes the behavior of the device in a series of tests and several common use cases and aims to highlight the most important results of our tests with an excerpt of the acquired data.
Overview
Key Camera Specifications:
- Primary: 50MP 1/1.31″ sensor, 23mm equivalent, f/1.6 aperture lens, AF, OIS
- Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, 14mm equivalent focal length, f/2.2 aperture lens, 115°
- Tele: 50MP, 75mm equivalent, f/2.0 aperture lens, AF, OIS
Pros
- Accurate target exposure under all tested conditions
- Fairly neutral white balance in all tested conditions
- High detail retention in photo and video modes
- Low noise level in photo mode
- In tele mode, high level of detail
Against
- Exposure matching issues often visible in videos under most conditions tested
- Low contrast on faces in bright light and backlight conditions
- In video mode, noise is noticeable in low light
- Artifacts such as flare and ghosting are often visible in photo mode
The Xiaomi 14 showed notable improvements in image quality, particularly in videos, compared to its predecessor, the Xiaomi 13, partly thanks to hardware improvements such as a larger sensor and a larger aperture.
The device received high marks for its texture-noise trade-off, with images having a high level of detail and low noise in most conditions tested. The texture-noise compromise is one of the best we’ve seen for this price range, surpassing its direct competitors. The Xiaomi’s neutral white balance in most situations means that the device is particularly suitable for taking landscape photos. However, when taking photos of people outdoors, the images often showed mixed results, with low contrast on faces and sometimes overexposure of the subject. This would have affected the color rendering, which was at times imprecise and desaturated. The device showed some irregularities in autofocus. When photographing action scenes, the images would contain some artifacts, such as ghosting, giving the photo an unnatural photographic appearance.
The Xiaomi 14’s zoom performance was good for its segment, aided by the tele module’s 50MP sensor, which delivered richly textured images, especially when using long-range zoom.
The video experience of the Xiaomi 14 has been much improved compared to previous generations. The target exposure was accurate and the videos contained a wide dynamic range both indoors and outdoors. Similar to photos, videos contained plenty of detail and texture, while white balance remained fairly neutral. Video autofocus was a little unstable when panning a scene, but overall autofocus was much better than on the Xiaomi 13. Furthermore, videos also showed some exposure instabilities in several tested conditions.
The Xiaomi 14’s low-light video performance was slightly lower than that of its competitors in the same price segment, mainly due to more noticeable noise and inaccurate skin tone rendering.
Test summary
About SBMARK Camera Tests: SBMARK camera evaluations take place in laboratories and real-world situations using a wide variety of subjects. Scores are based on objective tests whose results are calculated directly by the measurement software in our laboratory setups, and on perceptual tests where a sophisticated set of metrics allows a panel of imaging experts to compare aspects of image quality images that require human judgment. Testing a smartphone involves a team of engineers and technicians for about a week. Photo, zoom and video quality are evaluated separately and then combined into an overall score for comparing cameras on different devices. For more information on the SBMARK camera protocol, click here. More details on smartphone camera scores can be found here. The following section compiles key elements of SBMARK’s comprehensive testing and analysis. Full performance evaluations are available upon request. Please contact us to find out how to receive a full report.
Xiaomi camera scores 14 Cons Premium
This graph compares SBMARK photo, zoom, and video scores between the tested device and the references. The average and maximum scores of the price range are also indicated. The average and maximum scores for each price segment are calculated based on the SBMARK database of tested devices.
Photo
137
Huawei Mate 60 Pro+
Huawei Mate 60 Pro+
About SBMARK Camera Photo Tests
For scoring and analysis, SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2,600 test images in both controlled laboratory environments and natural outdoor, indoor, and low-light scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The photography protocol is designed to take into account key use cases and is based on typical shooting scenarios, such as portrait, family and landscape photography. Evaluation is performed by visually examining images Cons a natural scene reference and performing objective measurements on laboratory-captured graph images under varying lighting conditions from 1 to 1,000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.
Xiaomi photo scores 14 Cons Premium
Photography tests analyze image quality attributes such as exposure, color, texture and noise under various lighting conditions. Autofocus performance and the presence of artifacts are also evaluated on all images captured under controlled laboratory conditions and in real-life images. All of these attributes have a significant impact on the final quality of images captured with the tested device and can help understand the camera’s key strengths and weaknesses.
Xiaomi 14 – Accurate target exposure, neutral white balance. The level of detail is high and noise is well controlled.
Autofocus irregularity and speed: 1000Lux Δ0EV portable daylight
SBMARK CHART (DMC) Detail Retention Score vs. Lux Levels for Tripod and Handheld Conditions
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail retention score with lux level, for two retention conditions. The DMC Detail Retention Score is derived from an AI-based metric trained to evaluate the performance of texture and detail on a selection of crops from our SBMARK chart.
Evolution of visual noise with illuminance levels under handheld conditions
This graph shows the evolution of the visual noise metric with lux level in handheld conditions. The visual noise metric is the average of the visual noise measurement across all areas of the Dead Leaves graph in the AFHDR configuration. SBMARK visual noise measurement is derived from the ISO15739 standard.
Zoom in
134
Huawei P60Pro
Huawei P60Pro
Learn about SBMARK camera zoom tests
SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 400 test images in controlled laboratory environments and in natural outdoor, indoor, and low-light scenes, using default camera settings and pinch zoom at various zoom factors from ultra wide zoom to long range zoom. The evaluation is performed by visually examining the images Cons a reference of natural scenes and performing objective measurements of map images captured in the laboratory under different conditions from 20 to 1000 lux and color temperatures from 2300K to 6500K.
Xiaomi Scores 14 Zoom vs Premium
This graph illustrates the relative scores for the different zoom ranges evaluated. The abscissa is expressed in focal length equivalent to 35 mm. Zoomed scores appear on the right and zoomed scores appear on the left.
video
138
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
About SBMARK Camera Video Tests
SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2.5 hours of video in controlled laboratory environments and natural low-light scenes, indoors and outdoors, using default camera settings. The evaluation consists of visual inspection of natural videos taken under various conditions and performing objective measurements on videos of graphs recorded in the laboratory under different conditions from 1 to 1000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300 K to 6,500 K.
Xiaomi video scores 14 Cons Premium
Xiaomi 14 – Acceptable target exposure in low light conditions with some limitations in dynamic range and notable exposure adaptation. Skin tones are not always accurate and noise is visible. Details, however, are quite well preserved for a low-light condition.
SBMARK CHART (DMC) Video detail retention score versus lux levels
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail retention video score with the lux level in the video. The DMC Detail Retention Score is derived from an AI-based metric trained to evaluate the performance of texture and detail on a selection of crops from our SBMARK chart.
Evolution of spatial visual noise with illuminance level
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with lux level. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise graph in the video noise setup. SBMARK visual noise measurement is derived from the ISO15739 standard.
Temporal evolution of visual noise with illuminance level
This graph shows the evolution of temporal visual noise with lux level. Temporal visual noise is measured on the visual noise graph in the video noise setup.
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