It feels like every year the Redmi Note series manages to achieve both being exciting and monotonous at the same time. That’s achievement.
Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 14 series two days ago, with utmost hype. The phones come in a refreshed design and an aggressive price point characteristic with the series. They are intended to be performance phones. One of these also got rebranded as a POCO phone. Can you guess which one?
As always with Xiaomi, there are going to be Redmi Notes for every audience possible. Hence why you still see a 4G variant of it. There is also another certain company that saw how well this tactic works and tried to copy it. And to no one’s surprise, it also worked out for them. We’re not gonna mention a brand but it certainly has blue, green, and red colors on them.
Anyway, back to the Redmi Note 14, the highest-end now features IP68 durability, better than last year’s Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus.
The Redmi Note 14 Pro and Pro Plus deserve their own article, and this article is going to be lengthy if we just add those two in the same page.
Redmi Note 14 4G
We’re expecting that, within this year, 4G-only phones disappear completely. 5G phones are maturing now and even carriers are offering low-priced 5G phones to the masses, such as Smart, ZTE, and TalkN’Text. However, as long 5G chipsets remain expensive and 4G-only chips are cheaper to manufacture, the extinction of 4G phones are less likely to happen. Plus, with 4G-only phones, brands can focus on improving other crucial components, like the camera, design, and battery. Hence why phones like the Redmi Note 14 4G still exists.
The phone is a clear upgraded from the Redmi Note 13. If you give us this summary two years ago, we would have thought it to be a “Redmi Note 12 Pro 4G”. It is amazing to see that Xiaomi manages to add previously Pro-only specs on a vanilla Redmi Note. Now that’s an upgrade. Of course, we can’t all be winners, there must be some sort of “catch” with this good-sounding spec sheet.
The Redmi Note 14 features some subtle yet significant upgrades from last year’s Redmi Note 13. We know, we said that twice already. The phone comes with a 6.67″ FHD+ (2400x1080px) 120Hz AMOLED screen. Its design felt like it rolled back a few years. It is reminiscent of the Redmi Note 12 thanks to the way the cameras are arranged on their island. With this time around, Xiaomi decided to keep it simple.
While other phones are on their way to have better durability, with some budget phones now going as extreme as IP68, Xiaomi decided “nah”. We understand though, if they think similarly. The IP54 rating is enough to withstand some splashes and splices of dust, and you will not unnecessarily drop the phone at absurd heights or run it over with a bulldozer, a sports car, or let it be dropped by a bowling ball. No need to ask the Guinness World Record either to prove its strength.
The MediaTek Helio G99 is here to stay for all budget phones to come this year… most likely. Aside from the Helio G88 and the Snapdragon 680 series, what other good choices do brands have? Even the G100 is a slightly upgraded G99, which really isn’t saying much. This chipset just won’t die, will it? In the Philippines, the phone comes in 8/128 or 8/256 options. Two options that are still adequate for a typical budget phone user. In context, the Redmi Note 13 came with a Snapdragon 685. So going with MediaTek is a better option.
With Silicon-Carbon (SiC) batteries on the rise, battery capacities are going to be larger but also the batteries themselves are going to be slimmer. This is a win-win situation wherein manufacturers can implement more important parts without sacrificing the phone’s chassis for a bigger battery. Phones just need batteries with large capacities without compromising on size. This is why the Redmi Note 14 can sport a 5500mAh battery without it looking bulky. Not to mention, it comes with the typical 33W fast charging. The charger and brick are still included, so no need to worry.
Among other highlights, and surprisingly, they are less highlighted versus its AI capabilities, include the Dolby Atmos-powered stereo speakers, Hi-Res Audio, and the IR Blaster. Of course, the in-display fingerprint scanner is also present.
The phone comes in a wide array of colours to match your personality (just don’t make the colours as YOUR personality, mmkay?). These colours include Lime Green, Mist Purple, Midnight Black, and Ocean Blue
The phones are priced at PHP 8,999 (8/128) and PHP 9,999 (8/256). You can get one online via Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok, and any authorized Xiaomi store nationwide.
SPECS:
- 6.67″ FHD+ (2400x1080px) AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 1800nits peak brightness
- Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Protection
- IP54 dust/splash resistance
- MediaTek Helio G99-Ultra
- GPU: ARM Mali-G57 MC2
- CAMERAS:
- 108MP (Primary), f/1.7
- 2MP (Depth)
- 2MP (Macro)
- FRONT: 20MP
- HyperOS 2.0 based on Android 14
- 5500mAh, 33W fast charging
- USB-C, 3.5mm jack, In-display fingerprint scanner, IR Blaster, Stereo Speakers, Hi-Res Audio
- 4G LTE, Dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2
- Lime Green, Mist Purple, Midnight Black, Ocean Blue
- PRICE:
- 8/128: PHP 8,999
- 8/256: PHP 9,999
Redmi Note 14 5G
To people looking for something like the Redmi Note 14 4G but with 5G capabilities, then they have a straightforward answer. The Redmi Note 14 5G is almost exactly that. Keyword on “almost”. Colours are now limited to three.
The Redmi Note 14 5G features the MediaTek Dimensity 7025-Ultra. The 7025 should be close in performance to the Dimensity 810, if you could still remember that. In terms of display, it features the same 6.67″ AMOLED screen as the 4G phone. It also has the same blinding 2100nits peak brightness.
One of the phone’s better advantages against the 4G version is that the Redmi Note 14 5G removes one useless 2MP camera for a mediocre 8MP ultrawide. Sadly no, the other 2MP, a macro camera, is still there. The front camera’s resolution, 20MP, remains untouched.
The phone has a slightly smaller battery, 5110mAh, but incorporates faster charging at 45W. Small compromises, but has little to no effect on real-world capacity and usage.
Finally, the phone has dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio. It also is better resistant to dust, rated at IP64. The 3.5mm jack remains on the Redmi Note 14 and frankly, has never been removed. This jack survived the extinction event that happened in 2017. Jacks aren’t dead after all.
As we mentioned, the phone now only has three colours: Midnight Black, Lavender Purple, and Coral Green.
SPECS:
- 6.67″ FHD+ (2400x1080px) AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 2100nits peak brightness
- Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- IP64 dust/splash resistance
- MediaTek Dimensity 7025-Ultra
- GPU: PowerVR IMG BXM-8-256
- CAMERAS:
- 108MP (Primary), f/1.7
- 8MP (Ultrawide)
- 2MP (Macro)
- FRONT: 20MP
- HyperOS 2.0 based on Android 14
- 5110mAh, 45W fast charging
- USB-C, 3.5mm jack, In-display fingerprint scanner, IR Blaster, Stereo Speakers, Hi-Res Audio
- 5G SA/NSA, 4G LTE, Dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2
- Coral Green, Lavender Purple, Midnight Black
- PRICE:
- 8/256: PHP 13,999
- 12/512: PHP 16,999
AVAILABILITY
The Redmi Note 14 5G is priced at PHP 13,999 (8/256) and PHP 16,999 (12/512). Note, for the price of the 5G phone, you can get a POCO X7, which has far better performance, camera, and durability rating. There’s a FREE Gift Box during the pre-order period that lasts until January 23, 2025.
You must be logged in to post a comment.