Xiaomi has been at the forefront of smartphone innovation for the past couple of years. From ultra-fast charging to waterfall displays, and display-equipped camera bumps, Xiaomi has it all. And what's even more impressive is the fact that the company has managed to do so in a very price-conscious way!
The company also stemmed two separate model lines under the Xiaomi brand, the Redmi, and Poco, both offering slightly different experiences in the budget to midrange category. It seems that Xiaomi wants to cover every imaginable market niche, and we're impressed to say that the company is doing a great job executing this plan.
So today we’re gonna make a list of the best Xiaomi phones you can get in 2024. The company caught many people off guard, announcing the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and keeping the Pro version China-only, so we finally got to have a proper Ultra phone. Is Xiaomi the new Huawei? Who knows, but better be ready! With so many Xiaomi models out there it's very hard to navigate and find the best ones. We're here to help! Let's go!
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra comes with some very cool photography accessories
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the latest model from the Chinese company, and this time around, it's available globally! There's a lot to like about this ultra-premium flagship, and for a deep dive you should check out our full review. But long story short, if you want a Galaxy S24 Ultra alternative, and you're not afraid to pay a little extra, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a great choice.
Now onto some specifics! First, the camera system on this phone is exquisite. It features the new 1-inch Sony LYT-900 sensor, and furthermore, it sits under a Leica lens with a variable aperture, which can go from f/1.63 to f/4.0 in seamless steps of 0.01. To further stress on the "camera" side of this phone, Xiaomi offers a Photography Grip accessory, with a grip that doubles as a 1,500 external battery, and also has a shutter button and a jog dial, transforming the Xiaomi 14 Ultra into a point-and-shoot camera.
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The phone is not just a camera, it comes with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, plenty of storage options (including 16GB/1TB), a fancy leathery back, and a titanium option as well. The bad news is that all this doesn't come cheap. The phone starts at 1,499 euros and you need to put some effort in to get one to the US. Nevertheless, it's the best Xiaomi phone at the moment!
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
What we like
Very stylish camera-like design
Excellent camera, feature-rich app
Fast performance, doesn't throttle
What we don't like
HyperOS is fleshed out but is still an acquired taste
Design may be bulky for some
Pricey, not available worldwide
7.4
PhoneArena Rating
7.4
Price Class Average
Battery Life
6.5
7.7
Photo Quality
7.8
7.2
Video Quality
6.8
6.4
Charging
9.1
7.3
Performance Peak
7.5
7
Performance Daily
7.6
7.6
Display Quality
7
7.9
Design
9
8
Wireless Charging
8.1
7.2
Biometrics
7
7.4
Audio
8
8
Software
6
6.4
Why the score?
This device scores average for this price class, which includes devices like the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, Huawei Pura 70 Ultra and Sony Xperia 1 VI
The Xiaomi 13T features a very stylish design, along with some flagship-grade specs
Flagship phones are pretty expensive nowadays, pushing that $1,000 mark easily, but there are models that shine like rare diamonds hidden from plain view. Xiaomi's T-series lineup consists mainly of those kinds of devices, and the new Xiaomi 13T is no exception.
The price of this phone is around 649 euros, about twice as cheap as some other modern flagships, and it comes with very few compromises. First, it sports a very good OLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate and a very respectable peak brightness of 2,600 nits. You can also get up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage for the Pro model, in terms of memory configuration.
The Xiaomi 13T supports 67W fast charging, while the Pro version boasts rapid 120W charging, allowing the Pro's battery to go from 0 to 100% in just 19 minutes. Both the 13T and the Pro models feature big 5,000mAh batteries.
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra was a great phone when it launched... in China. Everyone wanted to get their hands on the device, and even we had trouble securing a unit (hence the preview state of our encounter with the 12S Ultra). Xiaomi listened and officially announced that the next Ultra, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, will be launching globally... at some point.
The 13 Ultra has it all, the fastest Snapdragon on the market, an amazing display, great design, and four, we repeat, four 50MP cameras on the back, one of which sits atop Sony's 1-inch IMX989 sensor. We're testing the phone as we type this, so stay tuned for the full review, but one thing is clear. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is the best Xiaomi phone at the moment.
When Xiaomi launched the 12S Ultra, everyone lost their minds over the 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor, made specifically for smartphones. And while the phone was clearly much more conservative with the post-processing algorithms (check out our camera comparison), the potential was there.
Now that the Xiaomi 13 series is officially out there and coming to global markets (the 12S Ultra was China-only, sadly), we have another camera phone to drool over. The Xiaomi 13 Pro features the same huge 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor, and judging by the sample shots, it clearly helps with details and low-light shots.
Now, this model is no slouch in the hardware department either, with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor—the best Qualcomm has to offer at the moment. This phone is a great alternative to your regular iPhones and Galaxies, and can even rival the Sony Xperia Pro-I for the camera crown.
You want a huge AMOLED display with a high refresh rate, you want fast charging, and you want a great looking device with enough power to slice through every task? Look no further - meet the Xiaomi 13 Lite - one of the best budget proposals of 2023!
For around $499 you'll get all of the above and then some. This phone comes with a case and a charger in the retail box, runs on Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 which is a great upper-midrange chipset, and also supports 67W fast charging (with the said charger).
The phone features flat edges and matte finish on the back (it's frosted glass), and looks stunning considering the asking price. The main camera is a 50-megapixel one, a Sony IMX 766 sensor with an aperture of f/1.8. The other cameras are an 8MP ultra-wide and a 2MP macro.
There's nothing lacking in this device, and sure - it might not challenge your regular iPhone 13 or Galaxy S22 but then again, it's a fraction of the price of these phones. It's one of the best budget smartphones of 2023!
Xiaomi continues to impress with the latest 12 series flagship devices. Granted, we're still waiting for the Ultra model but even the Xiaomi 12 Pro is worthy addition to our best Xiaomi phones list. The phone features a great package again, including the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, an excellent 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with dynamic refresh rate that goes between 1 and 120Hz (10-bit E5 panel made by Samsung actually), super-fast charging, premium build and more.
"With its starting price of $999 for the 8GB/256GB version of the phone and considering its decidedly flagship features, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is up there with the very best flagships." This quote is taken straight from our Xiaomi 12 Pro review, and speaks for itself. If you want to delve into more detail, check the whole thing.
And while the Xiaomi 12 isn't the most affordable flagship out there, it certainly is one of the best looking and the one with most features on board. Now we're waiting for the Ultra to launch and take the number one spot. It won't be long.
This "longest name" champion is actually one of the best deals this year. It is certainly one of the cheapest phones to feature a 120Hz OLED screen, and there are more bells and whistles to absolutely justify your £449 (~$563 with direct conversion). That's right! The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is extremely affordable, without making too many sacrifices.
Alongside the great 6.7-inch AMOLED display you're getting Xiaomi's 120W fast charging (0-100% in 20 minutes or so), decent battery capacity (5,000 mAh), surprisingly stylish design, good audio and haptics, and solid performance out of the MediaTek Dimesnity 1080 chipset.
The camera system is also pretty nice (it features a 200MP main sensor), and gets the job done most of the time. Again, given the price, this phone has a lot to offer. Check out the review for more information.
Xiaomi has outdone itself with the Mi 11 Ultra. Granted, the second display in the humongous camera bump on the back may not be as useful as it looks, but it's very cool for sure. The phone looks and feels great thanks to the ceramic back (no scratching on this one, just don't drop it!), and the display is really, really good. It's a 6.81-inch OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate (even at QHD+ resolution).
The Mi 11 Ultra is a true flagship device in any way imaginable and comes with top-notch specs. There’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset powering the phone, with 8/12GB of RAM and 256/512GB of internal storage. This phone is one of the fastest Android devices in 2021!
No corners have been cut in the camera department either. The Mi 11 Ultra comes with a large 1/1.12″ Samsung-made quad-Bayer sensor - one of the biggest sensors fitted on a smartphone ever. The ultra-wide and 5X telephoto both clock in at 48MP and have smaller 1/2” sensors. You can get up to 120x zoom with clever software algorithms but even the 5x periscope is quite nice.
If you're not afraid of big and heavy phones, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra might just be the best Xiaomi phone for you. The best thing about Xiaomi though is that the company has smartphone models covering every inch of the marketplace, so you'll definitely find yours in there. Moving on!
The vanilla Xiaomi Mi 11 tones things down a notch. The screen is still really good - it's a 6.8-inch OLED with a 120Hz refresh rate and QHD+ resolution. Bright and clear, it's even more natural and generally warmer than the panel found in the Ultra.
Just like the Ultra, the Mi 11 relies on the Snapdragon 888 SoC to move things around and it's plenty fast at that. Synthetic benchmarks are quite coherent throughout the Mi 11 range, so if speed is what you need, any Mi 11 device would do the trick.
The camera system is the area where the Mi 11 falls a bit short, at least in comparison to the Mi 11 Ultra. The phone uses the same 108MP that was found on last year’s Mi 10 but with a main aperture of F1.9 whereas last year’s flagship utilized an F1.7. There’s also an ultra-wide camera and a macro shooter at the rear, but no telephoto. Apart from the lack of dedicated telephoto, the two main cameras produce really pleasant pictures, so not much of a downgrade after all.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 is also significantly cheaper than the Ultra and will appeal to people who want something a bit lighter (compared to the Ultra) as well. Last but not least, the Mi 11 has a premium build and also looks stunning in Horizon Blue.
We're in the Poco territory now! Speaking about "good for the money" phones, we just can't let this one out. It sticks to the original Poco Phone idea of an affordable flagship and also improves on the Poco F5. Not only that, but the Poco now proudly sports the "Pro" moniker in its name.
This model elevates the Poco experience bringing the best display in the series, a powerful chipset, premium design, and... wait for it... a much more expensive price tag. All those improvements come at a cost, but the Poco F5 Pro is still a very good value proposition, even at $449.
Xiaomi has been striving to offer a wide range of devices catering to diverse usage scenarios and customer preferences. This commitment has undoubtedly contributed to the recent rice in popularity of Xiaomi phones.
If you're in search of the ultimate Xiaomi smartphone, you're sure to find one amidst the amazingly wide product range the company has to offer. With numerous models and variations to choose from, from camera phones, through midrange bang-for-your-buck devices, to ultra-affordable phones, finding the perfect Xiaomi phone for your needs is practically assured.
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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