The Xiaomi 14 Ultra combines a 1-inch camera sensor with four AI imaging models

Xiaomi just couldn’t wait for MWC to unveil its latest Leica-endorsed flagship phone. After the 12S Ultra and 13 Ultra, Xiaomi has finally caught up with the competition by choosing Sony’s second-generation 1-inch mobile camera sensor, the LYT-900, for its brand new 14 Ultra flagship phone. This marks the second device to sport this crème de la crème of imaging silicones, following the likes of Oppo’s Hasselblad Find X7 Ultra from early January. However, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a slight edge with its faster primary variable aperture of up to f/1.63, beating the Find X7 Ultra’s f/1.8 – at least on paper.

With the exception of the new 120mm periscope shooter’s faster f/2.5 aperture, the remaining three Summilux rear cameras are almost identical to the previous set and are still powered by a Sony IMX858 sensor each. The biggest change in this area is the new Xiaomi AISP neural chip, which claims to be the world’s first AI large model computing platform for photography. This uses four large models – “FusionLM,” “ToneLM,” “ColorLM” and “PortraitLM” – to fine-tune results, especially with digital zoom at 30x or more.

The 14 Ultra also offers some surprises in the battery, durability and connectivity categories. As seen in the super-slim Mix Fold 3 and Honor Magic V2, the 14 Ultra is Xiaomi’s first monoblock to jump on the silicon carbon cell bandwagon to pack 5,300mAh of juice into a space that’s 8 percent smaller. Xiaomi claims that compared to the previous model, you get 17 percent more endurance with this battery upgrade. To top up the battery, you get both 90W wired fast charging and 80W wireless fast charging — taking 12.5 minutes and 20 minutes to reach 50 percent, respectively.

In keeping with the “Year of the Dragon” theme, Xiaomi claims the 14 Ultra’s “Dragon Armor” structure has twice the bending resistance thanks to its special “6M42″ aluminum alloy middle frame (supposed to be made and with better grip ). The Chinese brand even claims that this part is 8 percent stronger than the iPhone 15 Pro’s titanium frame.” middle aluminum alloy frame (allegedly made with better grip). The Chinese brand even claims that this part is 8 percent stronger than the iPhone 15 Pro’s titanium frame, but decided to offer a more premium titanium version as well.

That metal frame is complemented by “Dragon Crystal” glass — shielding the 6.73-inch AMOLED screen (3200 x 1440 120Hz; manufactured by TCL CSOT) — with an apparent 10x drop resistance. Xiaomi is also touting its new vegan leather material, which has been certified by SGS to be six times more wear-resistant, more dirt-resistant and less prone to yellowing due to UV rays – an important breakthrough, especially for the white version. But if you prefer something shiny, the 14 Ultra also comes in a blue ceramic ‘Dragon Crystal’ flavour, which looks like ceramic but isn’t quite as heavy – weighing just 5g more than its vegan leather counterpart. Regardless of the coating material, this device has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

Like October’s 14 and 14 Pro (and the electric sedan’s SU7 in-car entertainment system), the 14 Ultra runs on Xiaomi’s Android-based HyperOS and is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. This is cooled by a dual vapor chamber that also draws heat from the chamber modules. The processor is backed by Xiaomi’s new proprietary chip, the Surge T1, which apparently boosts cellular connectivity by up to 37 percent, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections by up to 16 percent.

This device also supports two-way satellite calling and texting, now with 60 percent faster satellite lock and 29 percent faster satellite connection. As a bonus, when you get lost, you can send your location data along with vitals from your wearable – possibly exclusive to one of Xiaomi’s latest watches or smart bands. Unfortunately, these satellite features are probably limited to China for now.

We’ll likely hear about the global launch of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra at MWC next week, but for now we can refer to Chinese pre-order prices. The vegan leather and ceramic variants start at 6,499 yuan (about $900) for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration and top out at 7,799 yuan ($1,080) with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. They will be available for retail from February 27th. The titanium version with dark gray vegan leather is based on the top configuration, but costs an extra 1,000 yuan ($140) and won’t be available until March 12.

Like its predecessor, the 14 Ultra has an optional photography kit with a shutter button grip that adds an extra 1500mAh of power. The upgrade this time is the new video record button along with a custom jog dial. You can get this accessory for 699 yuan ($100) bundled with the phone.