Redmi Note 14 Pro review

The Redmi Note series has carved its legacy on the promise of offering exceptional value, and the latest Redmi Note 14 series continues this tradition. At least it promises to. The new Redmi Note 14 Pro is the mid-tier variant in the series that offers a blend of a premium design and updated specifications and features, all for a not-so-premium price tag. 

So, for a starting price of Rs 24,999, should you invest your money in the new Redmi Note 14 Pro? And if you do, what special does it offer? Let’s find out in this review. 

Redmi Note 14 Pro design

The Redmi Note 14 Pro breaks free from the visual monotony of its predecessors – the Redmi Note 13 Pro and Note 12 Pro. It brings the much-needed redesign, with its dual-tone vegan leather back and a squarish camera island.

The device boasts a sleek design, offering a streamlined profile that feels premium in your hands. The curved sides only add to its aesthetic appeal, and the tall form factor makes the device easier to grip even for those with smaller palms. 

The Redmi Note 14 Pro is very comfortable to hold, with or without a case. It’s not too heavy and the new camera island, surprisingly, doesn’t add any extra weight to the device. The smartphone is only 190 grams if you are wondering, which is only three grams heavier than the Redmi Note 13 Pro – a difference that nobody will notice. 

Redmi Note 14 Pro display

The display is where the Note 14 Pro truly shines. Like it or not, Redmi has opted for a curved screen this time, over a flat panel as on its predecessor. It’s a 6.67-inch 3D Curved AMOLED display with a 2712 x 1220 pixels resolution for crisp visuals and up to 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling.

While I was unsure about the curved panel, I was happy to note no accidental touches with it, at least with the bundled case I have been using. The curve is subtle enough to make gestures a tad easier, but not overdone.   

Meanwhile, the display is bright, thanks to 3,000 nits peak brightness. But even without reaching the peak limit, the screen was easily visible outdoors. It also has 1,920Hz of high-frequency PWM dimming, which ensures that there’s minimal flicker at low brightness. 

The device also has Widevine L1 support, which means you can easily stream full HD content on Netflix and Prime Video. I loved revisiting some of the old episodes of Breaking Bad over the weekend and Arcane’s Season 2 (which is one the must-watch animes of 2024) on this beautiful panel. It also has HDR10+, which works well for Netflix and YouTube. 

Although I didn’t get to test the display’s toughness thoroughly, Redmi promises a stronger display. It has the flagship-grade Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, which just adds to the durability of the device. Notably, it comes with a film on top of the glass, which got easily scratched – just something you should know.

Redmi Note 14 Pro cameras

While the design and display are two key aspects of the Redmi Note 14 Pro, the camera setup has changed significantly from last year’s 13 Pro. You now get a triple-rear camera system with a 50MP Sony Light Fusion 800 main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. 

ALSO READ: 5 best Redmi smartphones to buy in 2024

We found the 50MP sensor on the new Note 14 Pro to be capable of taking good portrait and landscape shots with vibrant colours, good contrasts and an overall appealing look. 

Most cameras these days can offer good performance in the daylight, but where they struggle is in the dark. So, I was really looking forward to testing these cameras after the sun went down, and I must say that the results were mixed. 

The main camera does a great job of capturing appealing photos, but when you zoom in, there’s little detail. Especially in low-light images. There’s a night mode which helps a little. One thing to note is that, despite having an optical image stabilisation (OIS) support, you need to keep your hands still for a second to let it capture a non-shaky image or use a tripod of some sort.

In daylight, the photos turned out well. Even with enough artificial lighting, the photos look appealing and preserve better details. The ultrawide camera isn’t up to the mark, and its low-light performance isn’t great too. But again, with enough lighting, you may end up taking a great shot. 

With human subjects, the camera does a great job of clicking good-looking photos, but there are some inconsistencies. This means if you click a photo of the same person again and again, you will see different results each time. Some clicks are great, while others tend to soften the skin tone. Selfies turned out just fine, but again, didn’t carry a lot of detail.

As for the video performance, the phone can shoot up to 4K resolution videos at 30fps. But if you want a steady video, i.e., with OIS-enabled, you need to shoot at 1080p 30fps. The video stabilisation is good, but the overall video performance is just what you’d expect with a budget smartphone. 

Redmi Note 14 Pro performance, software, and battery

Coming to the performance bit, the device is powered by a 4nm-based MediaTek Dimnensity 7300 Ultra chipset. It has 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. In our day-to-day usage, we did not face any major stutters or lags. Scrolling on apps like Instagram and YouTube was a good experience. 

However, sometimes some animations do not load properly. For instance, when you unlock your smartphone after a long time, it may skip the animation that takes you to the home screen. But that’s probably a HyperOS issue and not a hardware one.

As for the raw performance, I played Genshin Impact on the device for some time, and it was a playable experience at 30fps. The device can also easily handle BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile, but with medium to high settings. The phone does get a little warm, but that’s only with extended periods of usage. 

In terms of battery, the device houses a larger 5,500mAh cell – 400mAh larger than the Note 13 Pro. While the size has increased, the fast-charging speeds have been reduced from 67W to 45W.

The larger battery definitely helped me get through the day with ease, even after playing games and watching movies for a few hours. The 45W fast charging may feel slightly slower when compared with the predecessor, but it is still fast. It took less than 30 minutes for the battery to charge from 20 per cent to over 85 per cent.

Now, let’s talk about HyperOS and the Android operating system. Unfortunately, the Redmi Note 14 Pro runs on HyperOS 1.0 based on Android 14 OS, which is slightly odd now considering it’s been months since the Android 15 release. However, Redmi has promised three years of OS upgrades and five years of security updates, which means it will get Android 15 sometime later. 

ALSO READ: Redmi Note 14 series hands-on and first impressions

HyperOS, as mentioned above, has its own issues with a bit of inconsistency while loading up animations. However, it’s overall a smooth UI and has many useful features, like dual apps, for instance.

That said, there is also some bloatware preinstalled, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Bubble Shooter, and Snake Zone.io to name a few. But the good news is that these can be uninstalled – a tedious process, but we’re still glad the option is there.

Redmi Note 14 Pro extras

Apart from this, the device offers decent haptic feedback when typing, unlocking the phone, or pressing the on-screen keys. The device also has a stereo speaker setup, which can get as loud as a mini speaker. Despite its loudness, it’s still clear, which is a great thing for those who plan to do group movie watching sessions. 

As for other extra features, the device also has an IR blaster, allowing you to control your home appliances. I was easily able to control my Smart AC and TV at home, thanks to this feature. The smartphone also has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, but I wasn’t able to test it thoroughly in my little time with the device. But it’s great to have it. 

Unboxed Take: Who should buy the Redmi Note 14 Pro?

Now, let’s come down to the most important question. Who should buy the new Redmi Note 14 Pro? The answer to this is clear. Those who are looking for a smartphone with a fresh design, crisp display, decent cameras, good performance, and an all-day battery life without blowing too much cash can go with the new Redmi Note 14 Pro. 

However, if you are someone who’s doesn’t like bloatware or aren’t too keen on using the extra features of HyperOS, then you can look out for some alternatives in the range. These include the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus for its unique design or the OnePlus Nord CE 4 for a better software experience. 

For all the above reasons, we rate the Redmi Note 14 Pro 4/5. For more such in-depth reviews, make sure you stay subscribed to Unboxed by Croma.