Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G review: Affordable all-rounder

Best Prices Today: Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G

Xiaomi’s Redmi sub-brand has carved a niche for itself over the years as a provider of excellent-value smartphones. Its Redmi Note 13 Pro received a glowing 4.5-star review from us last year, while we’ve also been impressed by its recent forays into budget tablets.

This year, it aims to maintain this performance with the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G, another Android device that offers largely premium features for a largely affordable price.

As with previous generations, the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G makes its appearance alongside subtly different models, including the Note 14 Pro+ 5G and the more standard Redmi Note 14. These all come at different price points and with different processors, camera lenses and batteries.

In this review, we consider whether the £299 Note 14 Pro 5G does enough to stand out from its stablemates, as well as from the growing ranks of appealingly affordable Androids. We look at its performance, cameras, display, battery and software, and we answer the question of whether it’s worth choosing over its many rivals.

Design & Build

• Sleek, curved body with opalescent colours
• Pin-hole selfie camera
• IP68 rating

The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G offers a clear departure from the more angular build of the 13 Pro, with its body sporting a more tapered, curved design.

So whereas the 13 Pro basically aped the flatter outlines of recent iPhone models, the 14 Pro goes for softer corners and edges. We also see something similar with the rear camera module, which is now housed in a squircle bump, as opposed to something closer to a classic square.

It’s also located more in the middle of the phone’s rear, which maybe looks more symmetrical, but can make taking photos a little less easy.

While the range of colours available for the phone is quite limited, we really liked the Coral Green of our review sample. It has a subtly opalescent shimmer that changes shade depending on the light, while the colour itself is vibrant yet tastefully understated.

It complements the thin bezels of the 6.67-inch display and the phone’s overall minimalism, enabling you to make a statement without saying too much.

Not only does the phone look pretty sharp, but it’s also compact and light. It weighs in at 190g (6.70 oz), and while it has a fairly large display, its thin bezel means that it doesn’t feel oversized or unwieldy.

Another bonus is that it’s highly durable for a mid-range device, with an IP68 rating and a display made out of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. I was also pleased to find that it comes with a black silicon case in its box, while there’s a screen protector already fitted on its display.

Screen & Speakers

• 6.67in CrystalRes AMOLED display
• Dolby Atmos dual speakers
• 120Hz refresh rate

As with so many budget and mid-range phones these days, the Redmi Note 14 Pro’s screen is arguably its best feature.

It comprises a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel that supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, while it’s also capable of a brightness peak of 3000 nits. This allows for some very smooth and sharp viewing, something which is also supported by its (1.5K) resolution of 2712 x 1220 pixels.

While I don’t normally watch TV or films on smartphones, the phone did a great job of rendering content on Netflix, YouTube and Prime Video. Its 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio is another ingredient which enables highly detailed and rich images, and if you’re travelling you probably won’t miss your home TV that much.

More generally, the phone’s 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling with the phone more responsive and rewarding. Text and images pop in a nice way, while there’s an option to select which apps do and do not use the max rate. This can help you to conserve battery while still making the most of smooth browsing.

The quality of its screen is also matched by its Dolby Atmos-supporting stereo speakers, which deliver great sound for both music listeners and TV fans.

I found that even with fairly complex music, different layers were easily and clearly audible, with the stereo speakers providing a sense of depth and three dimensions. Yes, they don’t really manage higher volumes and they aren’t quite premium level, but they will keep most people very happy.

Specs & Performance

• Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Ultra
• 8GB RAM and 256GB storage
• No micro-SD card slot

With 8GB of RAM as standard and a 4nm Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Ultra chip on board, the Redmi Note 14 Pro is a capable device for a budget phone.

For the vast majority of tasks it performed perfectly well, opening apps and pages without any noticeable delays. I also found it more than adequate as a gaming device, with casual titles such as Subway Surfers and Fortnite all running smoothly.

However, I did find that it can struggle a little if you ask more of it. A couple of the more graphically advanced Android games, including Asphalt 9 and Shadowgun Legends, weren’t completely lag-free when I played them. They were still enjoyable, but anyone wanting the best possible Android gaming experience will probably have to opt for a more premium phone.

While the Note 14 Pro’s performance is generally good, one slightly disappointing feature is that it doesn’t come with a microSD slot.

It’s not common these days but could be a problem given that the phone comes only as a model with 256GB of internal storage, so users who tend to fill up their devices with photos, music and other files may have to exercise a degree of restraint.

Cameras

• 200Mp main rear camera
• 8Mp ultrawide and 2Mp macro lenses
• 20Mp selfie camera

The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G stands out from the pack of mid-range phones by virtue of its 200Mp main wide camera lens.

Featuring optical image stabilisation (OIS) and end-to-end AI Remosaic technology (which allows for parallel rather than sequential processing of images), Xiaomi claims it can capture a wide range of scenes with a minimum of effort. It’s complemented by an 8Mp ultrawide lens for more panoramic shots, as well as a 2Mp macro camera for extreme closeups.

On the whole, I had fun with the Note 14 Pro’s main camera. Good shots were easy to take in the vast majority of conditions, with the lens offering a naturalistic balance of colours. While I found that some landscaped photos came out a little undersaturated, it could easily be argued that this comes as a welcome antidote to the oversaturated photos certain other phones have a tendency to take.

Either way, the level of clarity was usually high, with the 200Mp mode enabling an often stunning level of detail.

The other two rear lenses were a mixed bag. The 8Mp ultrawide lens comes in very handy if you’re someone who likes to capture outdoor photos, and despite the big difference in megapixels its output usually holds up against that of the main 200Mp lens.

As for the 2Mp macro lens, I found that I could usually take more pleasing closeups with the main lens, with the macro working better only in good natural light.

Yet while the macro lens could be regarded as a gimmick, I was mostly impressed by the Note 14 Pro’s 20Mp selfie camera. It’s capable of taking deep yet flattering self-portraits, with the ability to really ramp up the ‘beautification’ stakes, if you so wish.

Another positive word should go to the phone’s night mode. As the samples I took show, it illuminates low-light scenes with considerable vividness, and without making things seem artificial or bleary.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5110mAh battery
• 45W wired ‘turbo’ charging

Featuring basically the same 5,110mAh charger as its predecessor, the Note 14 Pro is a reliable phone for anyone who will be outside working or travelling with it. It was put through its paces at my house, with one other family member having fun using it for gaming, and I was pleased to find that it always made it to the next day.

Lighter users will often last two days without needing to recharge, although those who keep the refresh rate to 120Hz and use it heavily may have to plug it in by the end of the first day.

This is reflected in its results for the PCMark battery test, which at 13 hours and 24 minutes are very good, but not quite enough to place the Note 14 Pro among the best battery life phones.

One thing worth pointing out is that the Note 14 Pro comes with a 45W wired charger in its box, as opposed to the 67W charger you had with the 13 Pro. This may seem like a downgrade, and in practice, it does result in slower charging times, but I generally found that charging was still very quick.

I clocked the phone at 0% to 33% in 15 minutes, and to 64% in half an hour. As such, most people won’t really notice the difference.

Software & Apps

• Android 14
• Three years of core Android upgrades
• Four years of security upgrades

At first glance, it seems that the Note 14 Pro 5G has departed from last year’s model by running on HyperOS over Android 14, in contrast to MIUI 14 over Android 13.

But as we’ve written before on the subject of other Xiaomi phones, HyperOS is not all that different from MIUI. It shares a very similar design and layout, meaning that it’s not especially interesting or attractive.

That said, I did find it mostly functional and easy to use, with screens, apps and pages loading quickly. There have been some subtle updates, with the drop-down control centre adding a welcome shortcut for the Settings menu, for instance. And while some may complain about the relative lack of customisation options, the Themes app gives you some scope for personalisation.

It’s also worth mentioning that, aside from the usual Google apps, the phone adds a range of Google AI features. This includes Gemini (Google’s ChatGPT-like personal assistant) and Circle to Search, while AI Erase Pro and AI Image Expansion will arrive with an update at the end of January.

As with most generative AI on phones at the moment, these are helpful additions, without being complete game changers.

A more positive note is the fact that Xiaomi has committed to providing the Note 14 Pro with three years of core Android updates. This comes in addition to four years of security patches, making the device relatively future-proof for a mid-range phone, which can often suffer from a lack of support.

However, you can find longer support from the likes of Samsung. For example, the Galaxy A16 5G has six years of support.

Price & Availability

The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G is available in the UK from January 15th, with its RRP coming in at £299. It’s available to buy directly from Xiaomi, or from Amazon and other third-party retailers.

As with previous entries in the Redmi series, the Note 14 Pro 5G isn’t available in the US, although it will be available in Europe.

As far as alternatives go, the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G offers similar specs and is £100 cheaper. The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper comes in at a similar £279, with the added selling point of an eye-friendly e-reader mode (although its cameras aren’t as good).

There’s also the excellent CMF Phone 1 which is only £209.

Check out out list of the best budget phones to see our top recommendations.

Should you buy the Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G?

Anyone with a Note 13 Pro needn’t upgrade but this doesn’t alter the fact that the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G is one of the best budget phones you can buy if you’re looking at the top end of this price bracket.

The screen is excellent for the price, while its battery and charging capabilities are also impressive. Then there’s its capable main rear camera, easy-to-use software, and solid performance.

It comes recommended but you should check out various cheaper rivals from the likes of Samsung, CMF and Motorola before taking the plunge.

Specs

• Android 14 w/ HyperOS
• 6.67in 120Hz AMOLED
• Underscreen fingerprint sensor  
• Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (front only) 
• Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Ultra
• 8GB LPDDR4X RAM  
• 256GB UFS 2.2 non-expandable storage  
• 200Mp, f/1.65 main camera with OIS   
• 8Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide camera   
• 2Mp, f/2.4 macro camera  
• 20Mp, f/2.2 front-facing camera   
• Dual stereo speakers  
• Dual-SIM   
• 5G   
• Wi-Fi 5  
• Bluetooth 5.4 
• IP68  
• USB-C
• 5110mAh battery   
• 45W wired charging   
• 162.33 x 74.42 x 8.4mm  
• 190g 
• Midnight Black, Coral Green, Lavender Purple

Best Prices Today: Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G