Xiaomi’s Redmi Note series is one of the most popular budget phones in the world. Rightfully so, as they offer incredible value for the price. Their latest refresh, the Redmi Note 14 series, continues to that trend. And today, we’re here to check out the Redmi Note 14 Pro.
Oh, and before you ask: yes, the Redmi Note 14 Pro looks a lot like the POCO X7 Pro in both the design and specs. But apparently, they are still different from each other. We have a separate review for that device, so stay tuned.
So, did Xiaomi make an already great phone even better, or they somehow dropped the ball on this one? We’ll find out in our Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G review.
Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G Specs
- Android 14, HyperOS
- Dual SIM, Dual Standby
- 6.67-inch 1.5K AMOLED display, 2712 x 1220 pixel resolution, ~445ppi
- 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate
- 3000-nit peak brightness, 12-bit color, DCI-P3
- Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, 1920Hz PWM dimming
- Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- 2.5GHz MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultra octa-core processor
- 8GB/12GB RAM
- Mali-G615 MC2 GPU
- 256GB/512GB UFS 2.2 internal storage
- 20-megapixel front camera
- 200-megapixel (1/1.4-inch, f/1.65, OIS) + 8-megapixel (ultra-wide) + 2-megapixel (macro) rear cameras, LED flash
- IP68 dust and water resistant
- In-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 6E
- Bluetooth 5.4
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
- NFC
- IR blaster
- USB-C
- Dimensions: 162.33 x 74.42 x 8.4/8.55mm
- Weight: 190g
- Colors: Lavander Purple, Coral Green, Midnight Black
- 5,110mAh non-removable battery, 45W Turbo charging
Design and Build Quality
Xiaomi completely changed the design of the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G from its predecessor. Personally, I prefer the cleaner, more unique, and rectangular shapes of the Redmi Note 13 series.
The company is joining the current trend of having a large, rounded, camera island in the back of the device. Sadly, it didn’t work out. The squarish shape looks odd and for me. Plus, it is unnecessarily thick and bulky, even the camera lenses.
Its hero colors, the Lavander Purple and Coral Green, look slightly more interesting with their youthful colors. The Midnight Black, the one we have here, is boring but sleek. It does have a matte finish to prevent fingerprint smudges, and the shimmering effects do add a premium feel.
“Thin and light” hasn’t always been the series’ main tagline. That’s fine, though, since the Redmi Note series always prioritizes function over style.
While the Redmi Note 14 Pro is slightly thicker and heavier than the competition, the smooth curves in the back and the screen make it really comfortable to hold in the hands, especially when you’re binging shows or gaming.
Xiaomi also highlights its durability features. The company doesn’t market it as an ultra-tough phone through a bunch of ridiculous durability tests.
But the IP68 dust and water-resistant rating, flagship-level Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front, and sturdy aluminum frame are enough to protect it from accidental drops, water exposure, and other possible natural causes.
Despite its durability features, the Note 14 Pro still ships with a rubber protective case and a screen protector — a standard issue on Xiaomi phones.
Taking a tour, there’s a curved 6.67-inch AMOLED screen on the front, with a punch-hole for the 20-megapixel selfie camera. The bezels are not the thinnest, but still good for the price.
It has the busiest top I’ve seen in a while. There are the speaker grills, IR blaster, and what appears to be two microphones.
Left side is clean, while the right has the volume controls and lock/power switch. The physical buttons are not the clickiest I’ve tested, but they get the job done.
The bottom has the SIM tray for two nano SIMs back to back, another microphone, the USB-C port, and the primary loudspeaker.
Its durability features and unapologetically thick but comfortable design is a testament to what the series is all about. Still, I do wish they spiced up the looks a little.
Display and Audio
The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G has a 6.67-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 2712 x 1220 pixel resolution, ~445ppi, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate, and a lot of bells and whistles: 12-bit color, 3000-nit peak brightness, 1920Hz PWM dimming for eye safety, and of course, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.
Screen quality is solid. The nice colors and deep contrast you’d expect from the OLED panel are present, the smooth refresh rate is felt, while the screen brightness can get really high for sunny outdoor use and really low to protect your eyes when web browsing at night.
Widevine L1 DRM support is here for FHD streaming on platforms like Netflix. Such platforms also support Dolby Vision and HDR too, so that’s an added bonus.
The stereo speakers are also impressive. The top driver is an actual speaker and not an amplified earpiece, which resulted in good sound balance. The bass is present while the treble is clean, albeit the vocals can be a bit better. Dolby Atmos is also here.
Hardware and Performance
The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G is powered by a 2.5GHz MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultra processor. That’s the chip found on the Note 14 Pro Plus and an upgrade to its predecessor’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip.
Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G Benchmark Scores
It has a Mali-G615 MC2 GPU and comes in numerous RAM and storage configurations. There’s an 8GB/256GB model, which is the unit that we have here. In addition, it’s also available in 12GB/256GB and 12GB/512GB models.
Day-to-day performance has been satisfactory for the price. It’s not ultra fast, but it handled everything I threw at it with no fuss.
Now, let’s head to gaming. Genshin Impact was smooth under Medium settings. It did get hot a little but it was bearable and didn’t affect frame rates even after extensive gaming.
Call of Duty Mobile has no problems under High/Max and PUBG Mobile under HD/Ultra for the right balance. Farlight84 was also seamless under Balanced/High, as well as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Asphalt Legends Unite using their highest settings.
Performance has always been a top priority for the series, and with the Redmi Note 14 Pro, I can confirm that it continues to be so.
| Game | Graphics Settings |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | • Graphics Quality: High • Frame Rate: Max |
| Farlight84 | • Graphics Quality: Balanced • Frame Rate: High |
| PUBG Mobile | • Graphics Quality: HD • Frame Rate: Ultra |
| Genshin Impact | • Graphics Quality: Medium |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | • Graphics Quality: Ultra • Frame Rate: Super • HD Mode: On |
| Asphalt Legends Unite | • Visual Quality: High Quality • Frame Rate: 60 |
Software and Interface
The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G still ships with Android 14-based HyperOS 1.02 instead of the newer Android 15. On the upside, Xiaomi pledged three years of major software upgrades and four years of security patches.
To be honest, it’s not the best interface I’ve seen. The search tab could be cleaner. There are a lot of things going on with the app drawer (which you have to enable in the settings) but I do like the sections you can switch to between categories.
I’m also not a fan of the cluttered notifications tab with unwanted entries. Plus, the ads on the security checks on side-loaded apps feel unnecessary.
Google’s AI suite, Google Gemini, is prominently featured on this device and replaces Google Assistant when you long-press the power button. Apart from asking questions in a more human-like conversation, you can ask different queries and commands relating to what you’re looking at on the screen. You can ask it to summarize the article you’re reading and more.
I also saw a couple of bloatware pre-loaded out of the box. Good thing they can be easily removed. So, if you don’t want it, you have the option to uninstall them.
Customization settings are plenty. There are different lock screen styles to choose from. Xiaomi has also prepared different AOD (Alway-On Display) wallpapers that can fit different kinds of style.
Both the in-display fingerprint scanner and face unlock worked well in our tests. They are fast and accurate. No problems here.
AI features such as Image Enhancer, AI Image Expansion, AI Eraser Pro, and AI Image Cutout are on the gallery app. However, you have to go through the annoying process of creating and signing in on a Xiaomi account to use them.
Xiaomi still uses Google Keyboard, our preferred keyboard as it’s familiar, easy to use, customizable, and has quick access to emojis, gifs, and more. The camera app has a little learning curve but is still feature-dense and intuitive.
I really appreciate Xiaomi’s pledge to provide extended support to the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G. Let’s just hope one of those updates will clean up the mess I didn’t like and further improve other features.
Cameras
The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G boasts an ultra-sharp 200-megapixel 1/1.4-inch main camera with a bright f/1.65 aperture and optical image stabilization. It’s joined by a slightly boring 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens, 2-megapixel macro, and 20-megapixel selfie shooter.
Daylight shots from the main camera are good. The colors look natural, the dynamic range was handled well, the natural bokeh was present, and the contrast had no issues. Sharpness is great, but I noticed weird post-processing in the sharpness when I zoomed in to inspect.
Overall, if you have a thing for photography, the main camera will satisfy you. Of course, that’s not to say that it’s the best out there. But for its price point, it’s good enough.
Thanks to the large sensor, low-light shots looked impressive, too. Noise and grains are almost non-existent, shots are well-lit, details are sharp, and colors still look realistic.
Unsurprisingly, shots from the ultra-wide lens are not that great. Sharpness is what is to be expected from an 8-megapixel sensor.
On the upside, the barrel distortion was handled well, the colors are nice, and the dynamic range is surprisingly decent.
The 20-megapixel front camera is not the best but gets the job done. Sharpness in good lighting is good, and skin tones and colors are fine, but it easily loses details in low light.
Those who are into photography will really appreciate the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G. But I do wish they dialed down the main camera hardware to make room for a sharper ultra-wide lens or a dedicated telephoto shooter.
Battery and Charging
The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G comes with a 5,110mAh battery with 45W Turbo Charging — a common configuration for most midrange smartphones today.
It garnered decent scores in our battery tests. In PCMark’s synthetic battery test, it lasted for 13 hours and 30 minutes before dropping to 20%. That’s a loop of different simulated workloads. The score is slightly lower than the average of 14 hours and 15 minutes we get from other similarly priced devices.
On the other hand, it lasted for 20 hours and 33 minutes in our 1080p YouTube video loop test, which is much higher than the average score of 16 hours and 27 minutes.
The 45W Turbo Charge adapter can fully charge the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G for about an hour. Not the fastest, but still impressive for the price. See the full charging test below:
- 15mins: 0-27%
- 30mins: 58%
- 45mins: 82%
- 59mins: FULL
Verdict
Xiaomi nailed the Redmi Note series once again. This year’s installment has the same winning formula as before, plus more.
Like its predecessors, the Redmi Note 14 Pro still offers a reliable performance for both day-to-day tasks and gaming. The premium display makes it even more fun to use, the cameras take nice photos, and the good battery life with speedy charging can keep up with your daily life.
Of course, there’s also the improved durability that ensures it can survive accidental drops and water splashes.
While it may not be for everyone, there’s no denying that the Redmi Note 14 Pro is still one of the best smartphones you can get for the price.
Redmi Note 14 Pro pricing and availability in the Philippines
The Redmi Note 14 Pro has a price of Php16,999 for the 8GB/256GB model, Php17,999 for the 12GB/256GB, and Php19,999 for the 12GB/512GB. They are now available on Xiaomi stores nationwide and through Shopee and Lazada.
Pros
- Premium display
- Impressive stereo speakers
- Reliable performance for daily use, gaming
- Satisfactory cameras
- Good battery life with speedy charging
Cons
- Design may not please everyone
- UI could be cleaner