Xiaomi 14 Civi review – GSMArena.com tests | Infinium-tech

Introduction and description

The Xiaomi 14 Civi is the latest product in its 14 series, which plays a similar role as the Galaxy FE smartphones in the Samsung lineup. That is to say, it is in the premium midranger segment, but its hardware and, if we are to believe Xiaomi’s words, its user experience have a lot in common. The thing is, Xiaomi already has a whole line serving this purpose – the T series – which makes us wonder if the Civi will fit into the picture.

At the time of this writing, the Xiaomi 14 Civi is only available in India while Chinese users can get it under the name Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro. It’s unclear when and which other markets will get the phone, but as the previously mentioned T series launch is fast approaching, it may never see a wide rollout.

Anyway, the 14 Civi runs on one of Qualcomm’s latest chipsets, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, paired with at least 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. While the name suggests this is just a lower-clocked version of the flagship SoC, the differences are actually more significant than that, but the 8s Gen 3 is no slouch nonetheless.

Xiaomi 14 Civi specifications at a glance:

• Body: 157.2×72.8×7.5mm, 178g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back or silicone polymer back (eco leather), aluminium frame.
• Display: 6.55″ AMOLED, 68B colours, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 3000 nits (peak), 1236x2750px resolution, 20.02:9 aspect ratio, 460ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8635 Snapdragon 8s Generation 3 (4 nm): Octa-core (1×3.0 GHz Cortex-X4 & 4×2.8 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A520); Adreno 735.
• Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 4.0.
• OS/Software: Android 14, HyperOS.
• rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.6, 25mm, 1/1.55″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 50 MP, f/2.0, 50mm, 0.64µm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom; Ultra Wide Angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 15mm, 120˚, 1.12µm.
• Front Camera: Wide (main): 32 MP, f/2.0, 26mm, 1/2.8″, 0.8µm, AF; Ultra Wide Angle: 32 MP, f/2.4, 100˚, 1/2.8″, 0.8µm.
• video capture: rear camera: 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960fps, 720p@1920fps, Gyro-EIS; Front Camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps; Gyro-EIS.
• Battery: 4700mAh; 67W wired, PD3.0, 100% in 40 minutes (advertised).
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.4; NFC; Infrared port.
• various: Fingerprint reader (under the display, optical); stereo speakers.

The Civi is built around a 6.55-inch OLED panel, which doesn’t have LTPO technology, but sounds pretty good on paper – 120Hz, Dolby Vision, and 3,000 nits peak brightness.

The camera setup is “almost flagship-like”. The 14 Civi has a 50 MP main camera, which is a slightly smaller sensor than the Xiaomi 14, a 50 MP telephoto unit with a shorter reach (2x vs 3.2x) and a lower resolution ultrawide wide camera (12 MP vs 50 MP).

However, there is a pill-shaped cutout on the front that houses two cameras as compared to the one camera on the Xiaomi 14. The Civi has a standard 32 MP with autofocus and an ultrawide angle lens.

These are the key specifications, but the most important thing is how well each of these pieces performs in real life. Let’s take the Xiaomi 14 Civi out of its box and find out!

Unboxing of the Xiaomi 14 Civi

The phone comes in a standard retail box that includes all the usual user manuals and the 67W charger needed to maximize its charging potential. Of course, a USB-A to USB-C cable is also used for charging and data transfer.

There’s also a transparent silicone case for a well-stocked retail package.