Xiaomi 14 CIVI is a flagship with pure value for money that fully relies on the Leica offering

This year has been good for Xiaomi’s premiumization plans. Both the flagship series phones have delivered as expected in terms of experience and refinement. And they have also appealed to two different preferences – the Xiaomi 14 offers a rare no-compromise experience with a fantastic Leica camera for those who prefer a compact phone, and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a true big-screen flagship with Leica intelligence defining photography. It’s no surprise, then, that Xiaomi wants to capitalize on the momentum in India by expanding the series to make it a troika. The Xiaomi 14 CIVI, with CIVI apparently standing for “cinematic vision,” is not a forced addition.

The common denominator between the 14 and the 14 Ultra, Leica’s expertise in optimizing camera performance, is also clearly evident in the 14 CIVI. I have not yet reached the point that defines value. Here it is – with a starting price of ₹39,999, this is the first phone under the 50,000 price bracket to feature Leica’s professional camera system. There are subtle changes across the board to differentiate it from its older sibling, the Xiaomi 14 (mind you, this is priced ₹69,999 upwards). Some of these are to keep costs under control. One example is that the 50-megapixel ultra-wide lens on the 14 is replaced by a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens on the 14 CIVI.

But overall, it’s a similar offering in terms of experience. In some ways, I think the Xiaomi 14 CIVI, 14, and 14 Ultra are a troika that’s more capable across the board than Samsung’s Galaxy 24 when compared to the Galaxy S24+, which in turn can barely keep up with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Except maybe One UI. In my review of the Xiaomi 14, I’d found the transition to be smoother than expected, even though the 6.36-inch screen was significantly smaller than the 6.7-inch screen I’d upgraded from. The 14 CIVI was a touch easier, with a 6.55-inch screen.

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HyperOS and its layout deserve a lot of credit for this. The resolution remains the same and differences in distance are not noticeable as the sharpness remains similar. Xiaomi has kept a similar mix of Gorilla Glass Victus and aluminum frame, although the finish of the back depends on the color option chosen – green gets one made of vegan leather, for example.

It must be said that there is a touch of subtlety in Xiaomi’s distinction between the 14 and the 14 CIVI. The former uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen3 chip, the latter still stays in the same ballpark as the Snapdragon 8s Gen3 despite its lower price. Alongside this, the UFS 4.0 storage standard remains, as do the storage options. The 14 CIVI only feels lukewarm on the back occasionally, namely when the camera is in use for a while, taking one beautiful photo after another. Even then, it doesn’t stutter, feel sluggish, or hinder app switching. This intense summer has convincingly shown us more than in recent years how few phones can achieve this level of composure.

With the Leica brand on a phone that is the most affordable yet to get this treatment, you would expect nothing less than 14-level photo performance from the Xiaomi 14 CIVI. For the most part, it does, with the exception of the use of the ultra-wide-angle camera, which in this case is a wider sensor with slightly fewer megapixels. That observation aside, it must be said that with the Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant options, as well as many shooting modes, you’ll mostly get a better photo than you give yourself credit for. I wouldn’t recommend complimenting yourself too much – it’s Xiaomi’s Leica-optimized camera that continues to be astonishingly good.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Leica’s matched Authentic and Vibrant photo modes are like having two very different cameras in one. If possible, I’d recommend taking the same shot in both modes – you might find that the other mode is better for sharing on social media. Whether in sunlight or under overcast skies with dark clouds outdoors, the dynamic range returned in photos is worth appreciating. A slight reduction from 3.2x optical zoom to 2x optical zoom, but there’s no need to worry as the image processing more than makes up for any potential loss of detail.

It must be noted that Xiaomi and Leica’s camera optimizations rely more on the old-fashioned efforts where hardware and image processing work together, rather than the simple route where artificial intelligence (AI) makes its own, inconsistent efforts.

While this phone completes the Xiaomi 14 series trio, it doesn’t compromise on the core functionality that ties it to its flagship roots. It’s serious business, after all, with Leica’s reputation at stake, as is the positioning of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 in terms of perception. The camera offering is on point, and a software update has further refined the very subtle imperfections in portraits, for example. One could always complain that video recording stops at 4K resolution and not 8K, but that’s about it. It’s the cheapest among the three flagships in the portfolio, and yet it plays to its strengths as you’d expect. The same can’t be said of its closest rivals, which lends more credibility to Xiaomi’s efforts.