I’ve at all times advisable Redmi Notice units prior to now, and it was straightforward to take action; the units mixed nice {hardware} with an unbeatable worth, and so they undercut their rivals by a substantial margin. However that hasn’t been the case within the final two years, with Xiaomi altering focus to the mid-range class. Whereas the Redmi Notice 12 Professional+ and Redmi Notice 13 Professional+ had attractive designs and first rate {hardware}, they simply did not ship on the worth facet of issues, and the rise in value meant they did not fairly have the identical mainstream likeability.
The Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ is way the identical; it prices simply as a lot as its predecessor, however you get higher cameras and highly effective {hardware}. The battery life is the place you will see the largest distinction, with the machine that includes an enormous 6200mAh battery that simply lasts two days between expenses.
Nonetheless, Xiaomi hasn’t carried out sufficient on the software program facet of issues. The Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ comes with Android 14 out of the field, and that simply is not adequate on a mid-range telephone on the finish of 2024. What’s much more annoying is that the machine will get simply three Android OS updates, and Android 15 — which it ought to have launched with — counts as one.
Whereas the {hardware} is arguably higher, the software program scenario continues to be an actual downside for Xiaomi, and the model does not appear to care about it — not less than not sufficient to do change its technique.
Redmi Notice 14 Professional+: Pricing and availability
Xiaomi unveiled the Redmi Notice 14 sequence in Q3 2024, and the telephones made their international debut in India on December 9. The Redmi Notice 14 and 14 Professional are the reasonably priced fashions within the sequence, with the Notice 14 Professional+ delivering the perfect {hardware} and cameras.
The Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ begins at ₹30,999 ($365) in India for the variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and the 8GB/256GB mannequin prices ₹32,999 ($390). There’s additionally a 12GB/512GB version that is accessible for ₹35,999 ($425), and all three variants can be found in all three coloration choices — blue, black, and purple — in order that’s good to see.
Xiaomi accelerated the launch timeline in India, with the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ debuting a month sooner than its predecessor. There is not any telling when the telephone shall be accessible within the U.Okay. and different international markets, but when I needed to enterprise a guess, it would be someday in January.
Redmi Notice 14 Professional+: Design
It is clear that design is a key space of focus for Xiaomi, and the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ is among the best-looking units on this class. In truth, I truly like this design greater than that of the Xiaomi 14; the graceful curves makes the machine look elegant, and you do not really feel such as you’re utilizing a mid-range telephone.
The colour I am utilizing is especially nice, because it has a vegan leather-based again — the opposite two fashions have an everyday glass again as a substitute. The leather-based end feels nice, and there is a stitched sample that provides the telephone a little bit additional character. There is a new digital camera island on the again as nicely, and like the remainder of the design, it seems to be clear and stylish. This space is usually an afterthought on most Xiaomi units, so it is good to see the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ getting a module that accentuates the design.
Xiaomi did the fitting issues with materials selections as nicely, with the machine that includes an aluminum mid-frame that provides it further rigidity. The perimeters have a shiny coat, and whilst you get symmetric curves, there’s nonetheless sufficient width on the sides to carry the machine. The perimeters are color-matched to the again, and once more, it makes the machine {that a} bit extra upmarket.
The ability and quantity buttons have good tactility, and I did not see any issues on this space. The one concern I’ve is that the in-screen module sits a little bit decrease on the display screen, making it awkward to entry one-handed; that is true of the Discover X8 Professional and several other different units I examined not too long ago, so Xiaomi is not the one model doing this.
Whereas the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ is 6g heavier than its predecessor, you get a considerably larger 6200mAh battery. Actually, I did not discover the added heft, and Xiaomi did job with the burden distribution. The in-hand really feel is equally nice, and the telephone is not cumbersome or unwieldy within the least.
The Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ retains IP68 ingress safety as nicely, giving it added resilience towards mud and water. General, Xiaomi did all the fitting issues with the design of the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+, and it does not find yourself wanting like a mid-ranger.
Redmi Notice 14 Professional+: Show
The Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ makes use of the identical 6.67-inch panel dimension as final 12 months, but it surely will get a lot brighter, and it will get Gorilla Glass Victus 2 as commonplace. You get the same old 120Hz refresh and a decision of 2712 x 1220, however Xiaomi makes use of the dynamic mode out of the field, so you will want to enter the settings to allow 120Hz.
Xiaomi normally does job with coloration calibration, however my unit had cooler colours out of the field; fortunately, it is easy to regulate coloration stability by way of the settings. Apart from that, I did not discover any points with the panel as such — it has good distinction and vibrancy.
There are not any issues utilizing the panel outside; it will get sufficiently vivid, and there is a slight distinction from the Notice 13 Professional+ on this regard. That mentioned, the ambient brightness sensor is a little bit sluggish to regulate brightness, and I discovered myself having to make use of the brightness slider to manually modify it a number of occasions.
Whereas it will not win any awards, the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ holds up nicely throughout gaming, however you’ll discover jitter in demanding titles. Video streaming is nice sufficient; there’s HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient, however switching to HDR content material in YouTube made the video jittery at occasions. Exterior of that, colours appeared nice, and there wasn’t any extreme blooming.
Like earlier years, you get stereo sound, and it is detailed sufficient that you need to use the onboard audio if you happen to’re listening to a podcast. There’s 1920Hz PWM dimming, and also you get a good quantity of configurability with regards to always-on types.
Redmi Notice 14 Professional+: Efficiency
After utilizing MediaTek-powered designs for the final three years, Xiaomi is again to utilizing Qualcomm within the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+. The telephone is powered by the most recent Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 platform, and it has a higher-clocked Adreno 710 and is manufactured on the 4nm node.
Provided that Qualcomm was sluggish to change to the most recent Arm cores prior to now, it is good to see using Cortex A720 and A520 cores this time. I seen some lag at occasions — significantly when switching between a video and a recreation — however outdoors of that, there weren’t any points in common use.
Class | Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ | POCO F6 | OnePlus Nord 4 |
---|---|---|---|
PCMark Work 3.0 (General) | 12359 | 15491 | 13396 |
PCMark Work 3.0 (Net Looking) | 12111 | 14944 | 12604 |
PCMark Work 3.0 (Video Enhancing) | 7490 | 7691 | 7233 |
PCMark Work 3.0 (Writing) | 14452 | 17327 | 13304 |
PCMark Work 3.0 (Photograph Enhancing) | 21036 | 26584 | 20533 |
Geekbench 6 (single-core) | 1154 | 1762 | 1000 |
Geekbench 6 (multi-core) | 3189 | 4608 | 3849 |
The telephone does job with gaming as nicely, but it surely tends to be aggressive with thermal administration, so you will notice throttling in prolonged gaming periods. There is not a lot in the way in which of overheating, however you will notice the occasional lag and jitter in demanding video games; turning down the settings makes a distinction.
Xiaomi is promoting the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ in 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB, and 12GB/512GB configurations, and annoyingly, all storage modules of the machine include UFS 3.1 and never UFS 4.0. You miss out on Wi-Fi 6E as nicely, however there may be Bluetooth 5.4 and NFC. I did not see any points with connectivity or calling, and I obtained a dependable mobile sign.
There is a new x-axis vibration motor, and whereas it does not ship the identical stage of granular suggestions because the Xiaomi 14, it’s first rate sufficient in its personal proper — contemplating how a lot you are paying for the telephone.
Redmi Notice 14 Professional+: Battery life
Among the best options of the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ is the considerably larger 6200mAh battery. What’s significantly nice is that Xiaomi slotted in a silicon-carbon battery, so that you get significantly better density, and the telephone can stand up to excessive chilly with none points. It is nice to see manufacturers bringing this tech to the mid-range phase.
The elevated battery dimension offers the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ a definite benefit, and the telephone manages to final two days with none points. Even with heavy use, I solely needed to cost the machine each different day, so if you happen to want a telephone with the perfect battery life on this phase, the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ is the one to get.
You additionally get 90W charging, and Xiaomi bundles the requisite charger within the field. It takes simply over 65 minutes to completely cost the machine, and that is not dangerous contemplating the scale of the battery. Xiaomi has the same old battery safeguards to increase longevity, together with charging restrict and optimized charging.
Redmi Notice 14 Professional+: Cameras
After utilizing 200MP cameras, Xiaomi is as soon as once more again to a 50MP major digital camera on the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+, and the machine options OmniVision’s OVX8000 module, dubbed the Mild Hunter 800 by Xiaomi. This is identical sensor that is used within the POCO F6 Professional, Xiaomi 14 Civi, and even the Xiaomi Combine Flip, so the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ is in good firm on this regard.
In the same vein, Xiaomi added a 50MP Samsung JN1 telephoto lens on the again with 2.5x optical zoom, and this makes the telephone far more versatile. After years and years of ineffectual auxiliary cameras, the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ will get usable auxiliary cameras, and the 8MP wide-angle lens is first rate sufficient in its personal proper.
Nonetheless, Xiaomi is but to handle long-standing points with video recording on the Redmi Notice sequence; the telephone nonetheless does not get 4K60 video, and what’s much more annoying is that it does not even have 60fps at 1080p when utilizing the wide-angle lens. The digital camera interface itself is unchanged in 4 years, so if you happen to’ve used a Xiaomi or POCO telephone prior to now, you will be accustomed to all of the settings.
Due to the brand new sensor, the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ takes implausible pictures in any scenario. Daylight pictures have nice element and dynamic vary, and correct colours. You aren’t getting overly saturated photographs, and foliage rendition is detailed with none aggressive smoothing. The digital camera does a implausible job in low-light conditions as nicely, offering good coloration vibrancy and loads of element, and no seen noise ranges. It takes a smidgen longer to focus in low-light than high-end telephones, however that is about the one shortcoming I seen.
The telephotos lens is an effective addition on the again, and it produces usable pictures at as much as 5x zoom. There is not any OIS, and it might take a couple of tries to get the perfect shot, however once more, the inclusion of a devoted zoom lens is a giant differentiator. The digital camera is not fairly nearly as good in low-light, however you continue to get pictures which might be first rate sufficient for sharing on social media. You get first rate portraits as nicely, and whilst you cannot modify the focal size, there is a marked distinction over the 13 Professional+.
The wide-angle lens is healthier than earlier years, and whereas it does not measure as much as the likes of the Xiaomi 14, it positively holds its personal towards different mid-rangers. To sum up, the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ has a flexible digital camera system that takes nice photographs in most situations, and it’s proper up there with the perfect on this class.
Redmi Notice 14 Professional+: Software program
The Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ comes with Android 14 out of the field, though Google rolled out the secure model of Android practically two months previous to the launch of the telephone. Xiaomi’s software program interface wants an overhaul; the design is 4 years previous at this level, and it is beginning to present its age.
The UI has higher fluidity than MIUI skins of yesteryear, and also you get a good quantity of customizability. That mentioned, ColorOS and Funtouch OS have higher options on this space, and so they’re optimized significantly better. You additionally get loads of bloatware, and whereas most of it may be uninstalled, it is annoying that Xiaomi hasn’t addressed this but.
As an alternative of delivering the most recent Android model, Xiaomi centered its consideration on AI-assisted utilities, and like each different telephone at the moment, the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ has a set of AI instruments with questionable usability. Circle to Search and AI-backed transcribing of audio recordings are helpful, however I did not see the utility of AI summaries and translate options baked into the Notes consumer.
Gallery has an AI-assisted object eraser, a software that will increase the scale of the body, and one which generates brief video highlights out of your pictures. There’s an AI translator and AI subtitles as nicely, and the primary downside is that none of those can be found out of the field — they will be rolling out by way of software program updates down the road. Given Xiaomi’s monitor document at delivering well timed updates, I would not maintain my breath.
Then there’s the difficulty with system updates. Xiaomi is guaranteeing three Android OS updates and 4 years of safety updates, however the issue is that Android 15 counts in direction of a kind of updates, and that is simply an underhanded transfer. Xiaomi does this deliberately so it does not should trouble with long-term updates down the road, and this observe alone makes me not wish to suggest the machine.
Redmi Notice 14 Professional+: The competitors
The POCO F6 is my go-to advice on this phase, with the machine providing a terrific mixture of {hardware} and battery life. The digital camera is not nearly as good because the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+, but it surely comes shut, and it does a significantly better job at gaming. The battery lasts a day and a half, and coming in at ₹29,999 ($353), you get a significantly better worth.
Clearly, the OnePlus 12R continues to be a terrific alternative, and whereas it’s costlier at ₹35,999 ($425), you get a greater telephone in nearly each space. The AMOLED panel will get brighter, the telephone is considerably sooner in common use, and the primary digital camera takes higher pictures in nearly any situation.
Nothing’s Telephone 2a Plus can be an intriguing alternative to think about. It has a particular design, nice software program options, and two usable cameras on the again. And beginning at ₹26,999 ($318), you are not paying a hefty premium.
Redmi Notice 14 Professional+: Do you have to purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You want a handsome mid-range telephone
- You need nice cameras on the again
- You want the perfect battery life on this class
You should not purchase this if:
- You need good software program with significant extras
- You want long-term updates
- You desire a telephone that takes good movies
I examined each Redmi Notice telephone launched within the final decade, so I do know what I am speaking about with regards to these units. Whereas the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ is costlier than earlier telephones that got here within the sequence, there is not a value hike this 12 months, and that is factor.
The {hardware} is basically moderately good, and the cameras are nice — the inclusion of a telephoto lens offers it a good edge, and that is no small feat on this class. The battery life is definitely the perfect I’ve used on any mid-ranger, and it does not take lengthy to cost the battery both.
However just like the final two years, it is the software program that in the end limits the machine. If you do not have a problem with the truth that the telephone comes with Android 14 out of the field, then sure, the Redmi Notice Professional 14+ is a good alternative. However the software program makes an even bigger distinction in how lengthy you’ll be able to truly the telephone, and on this space, Xiaomi is as soon as once more discovered to be missing.
The Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ combines terrific cameras with an enormous battery, and the telephone clearly nails the fundamentals. Nonetheless, the software program is middling at greatest, and it detracts from what’s an in any other case nice machine. If you happen to do not thoughts that and wish nice cameras and two-day battery, the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+ is an effective total alternative.