Xiaomi 14 Extremely vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely

With the current world launch of the Xiaomi 14 Extremely, these on a quest for the last word cameraphone are offered with another choice. Coming from a lineage of digicam excellence, the Xiaomi builds on it with seemingly minor however, in reality, tangible enhancements within the telephoto capabilities.

Additionally within the zoom division is the place the most recent top-end Samsung made its most vital generational change. The Galaxy S24 Extremely changed the outdated mannequin’s 10x zoom unit with a larger-sensor 5x one, making a comparability with the Xiaomi all of the extra pure.

The Galaxy is kind of presumably essentially the most smartphone you possibly can have to start with, camera-centric or in any other case, so the Xiaomi must do extra than simply be an superior picture-taking machine so as to compete. Let’s examine the way it stacks up.

Desk of Contents:

For starters, you possibly can examine the entire specs sheets or immediately proceed with our editor’s evaluation within the following textual content.

Measurement comparability

Each of those are very giant telephones, however they take totally different approaches to measurement, proportions, and styling. The Xiaomi has extra fluid shapes – its corners are extra rounded, the show has a slight curvature round its total perimeter, and the body flows into the again – total, it does loads to masks its measurement. There is no masking that digicam bump although – the large circle could also be there out of necessity to suit all of the {hardware}, however Xiaomi’s embraced that and turned it right into a stylistic factor too.

The Galaxy, however, has about all of the styling of a concrete tile. It is giant, sure, however it’s additionally flat on each side and has sharp corners making you’re feeling each little bit of its measurement and weight. The comparatively extra modest digicam {hardware} would not want fairly as a lot thickness and also you get thinner separate lens rings.

Each handsets are IP68 rated for mud and water resistance, however neither goes past the IPX8’s commonplace requirement (1.5m, half-hour) – solely iPhones supply extra.

Whereas the sealing needs to be nearly as good on each, the supplies used are totally different. Samsung has a titanium uncovered body (and an aluminum skeleton beneath), whereas Xiaomi makes use of simply aluminum. There is a titanium body model of the 14 Extremely too, however that is China-only.

Not all glass is created equal both. The Galaxy S24 Extremely makes use of Corning’s newest Gorilla Armor (thus far solely) on each the show and the again panel. This unique glass has another additional advantage apart from its improved sturdiness, however extra on that within the subsequent part.

The Xiaomi’s show is protected by a proprietary answer referred to as Xiaomi Defend Glass, which they are saying gives 10 instances higher drop resistance than the Xiaomi 13 Professional (Gorilla Glass Victus).

Every of our Ultras has a singular accent that units it other than the opposite one, but additionally from every other competing choices. The Galaxy S24 Extremely, in true Galaxy Observe style, comes with an S Pen inside that can be utilized for taking notes and as a distant shutter launch. All S24 Ultras have that.

The Xiaomi Images Package, however, is an elective merchandise that comes at an additional price (€200). It provides a couple of bodily controls, a hand grip, and a few additional battery, and the entire ensemble seems to be and appears like an precise digicam – at the very least as shut as you may get to that with a smartphone.

Show comparability

You would not anticipate something apart from greatness from these two shows and that is what you would be getting. Each supply a excessive decision (1440p) and a excessive refresh price (120Hz most, very adaptive), in addition to brightness to spare. The Galaxy was brighter in our testing (1,447nits vs. 1,281nits in auto, 755 vs. 710 in handbook), although it should not be a readily observable distinction in the true world.

What’s pretty evident is the decreased reflectivity of the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s show glass. One of many two main developments ushered in by Gorilla Armor, the much less reflective facade ought to assist cut back the brightness wanted to realize the identical perceived ‘readability’ and thus perhaps contribute to higher endurance.

The Galaxy’s show is not flawless although, and at very low brightness it displays a really high quality graininess because the totally different coloured subpixels cannot be made to gentle up uniformly at these very low ranges. We might not at all name it a dealbreaker, however in the event you typically use your cellphone in darkish environments (and thus at low brightness ranges) and also you prefer to fixate on imperfections, you might discover it onerous to completely benefit from the S24 Extremely.

Battery life

Each telephones have 5,000mAh capability batteries, and with the identical chipset inside and related show specs, you’d anticipate comparable battery life. The fact is totally different although, and the Xiaomi is not as environment friendly at changing capability into longevity.

Whereas the 14 Extremely lasted nearly exactly so long as the S24 Extremely in our internet shopping take a look at, the Galaxy was notably higher within the different three disciplines, with an nearly 40% benefit in gaming and practically 30% longer video runtime. The 25% benefit in voice calls is much less essential, however it’s there too.

Charging pace

The Xiaomi is fast to strike again and scores a victory for charging pace – it might not final as lengthy however it costs nearly twice as quick. A half-hour charging session from flat will get you to 93% on the 14 Extremely, when utilizing its provided adapter.

The Galaxy, however, will likely be at 70-ish p.c on the 30-minute checkpoint, if you employ the Samsung 45W adapter, which is bought individually. Another adapter will likely be slower, and in our expertise that features even good third-party USB Energy Supply choices (not loads slower with these, however slower nonetheless).

The Xiaomi can even win in a wi-fi charging pace race although we’ve not actually examined that to inform you numbers from expertise. Xiaomi says 46 minutes with their “80W Adaptive Wi-fi Charging Stand” and we have now purpose to imagine that the true quantity will not be too far off from their claims. The Samsung, in the meantime, is capped at 15W.

Each telephones are capable of cost different gadgets both wirelessly or over a cable.

Speaker take a look at

Each telephones characteristic stereo speaker setups with slight variations of their implementation. A backside firing ‘major’ speaker is joined by a second one which additionally serves as an earpiece – however whereas the Xiaomi can even ship among the reverse channel to every speaker, the Galaxy will strictly keep separation.

In our testing, the numbers assigned a ‘Very Good’ ranking for loudness to each telephones. Each sound nice to our ears, however the Galaxy has the higher hand with a livelier midrange and a bit extra bass.

Efficiency

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powers every of those telephones, as is to be anticipated from 2024 Android flagships. The Galaxy’s storage choices begin at 256GB and go as much as 1TB, with all of them having 12GB of RAM. The Xiaomi is simply accessible globally in a 16GB/512GB configuration (12GB/256GB model in addition to a 16GB/1TB one are bought in China).

Benchmark efficiency

Benchmark efficiency may be very related between the 2 and each submit predictably excessive numbers – neither is an underachiever.

The Xiaomi is notably higher at dealing with sustained load, although – in our testing it received a 68% vs. 48% stability ranking within the 3DMark Wild Life Stress take a look at and in addition confirmed markedly higher ends in the CPU Throttling take a look at.

Sustained load outcomes: Xiaomi 14 Extremely • Galaxy S24 Extremely

Then again, the Galaxy may rating some factors for its software program. Samsung guarantees 7 years of main OS updates in addition to safety patches for a similar interval. Xiaomi says the 14 Extremely will get 4 OS releases and an additional yr on prime of that for safety patches.

Moreover, Samsung’s shut collaboration with Google means the Galaxy is getting leading edge AI options and performance. Xiaomi’s HyperOS must also be becoming a member of the AI bandwagon, no matter that entails, however we’ve not but seen the promised options applied.

One other apparent benefit for the Galaxy is its S Pen. The unequalled stylus expertise might be purpose sufficient to choose the S24 Extremely due to its advantages for productiveness, inventive pursiuts, or distant operation.

Digicam comparability

There is a pretty pronounced distinction in approaches in terms of imaging between these two. Xiaomi has been on the forefront with {hardware} and was among the many early adopters of ‘one-inch’ sensors, and that is now their third Extremely with a sensor this huge. For this iteration they’ve added a constantly variable aperture on the primary digicam to steadiness issues between gentle gathering and depth of area. Additionally new this time round are the lenses for his or her telephotos (identical sensors as final yr), which at the moment are able to some extraordinarily shut focusing. Level being that Xiaomi cameras have some industry-leading {hardware}.

Xiaomi 14 Extremely digicam specs

• Huge (major): 50MP Sony LYT-900 (1″, 1.6µm – 3.2µm), f/1.63-f/4.0, 23mm, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 4K@120fps
• Ultrawide: 50MP Sony IMX858 (1/2.51″, 0.7µm-1.4µm), f/1.8, 12mm, PDAF; 4K@60fps
• Telephoto 1, 3.2x: 50MP Sony IMX858 (1/2.51″, 0.7µm-1.4µm), f/1.8, 75mm, PDAF (10cm – ∞), OIS; 4K@60fps
• Telephoto 1, 5x: 50MP Sony IMX858 (1/2.51″, 0.7µm-1.4µm), f/1.8, 120mm, PDAF (30cm – ∞), OIS; 4K@60fps
• Entrance digicam: 32MP OmniVision OV32B40 (1/3.14″, 0.7µm-1.4µm), f/2.0, 22mm, fastened focus; 4K@60fps

Samsung has some succesful {hardware} in its Extremely too, after all, however it does really feel a bit of stale (or merely unexciting?). The principle digicam has been reused from the earlier era, and its sensor is on the small facet for a 2024 cameraphone. The above applies to the ultrawide and the 3x telephoto as nicely, solely they’re now three years outdated, not two. The one new piece of package is the 5x telephoto that kind of matches Xiaomi’s 5x, going by the numbers.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely digicam specs

• Huge (major): 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP2 (1/1.3″, 0.6µm-2.4µm), f/1.7, 23mm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; 8K@30fps, 4K@120fps
• Ultrawide: 12MP Sony IMX563 (1/2.55″, 1.4µm), f/2.2, twin pixel PDAF; 4K@60fps
• Telephoto 1, 3x: 12MP Sony IMX754 (1/3.52″, 1.12µm), f/2.2, 67mm, PDAF, OIS; 4K@60fps
• Telephoto 2, 5x: 50MP Sony IMX854 (1/2.52″, 0.7-1.4µm), f/3.4, 111mm, PDAF, OIS; 4K@60fps
• Entrance digicam: 12MP Samsung ISOCELL S5K3LU (1/3.2″, 1.12µm), f/2.2, 26mm, twin pixel PDAF; 4K@60fps

Picture high quality

Regardless of all of the variations in {hardware}, the 2 telephones really produce fairly related finish outcomes, broadly talking. In daylight, there is no definitive winner in terms of sharpness and element when photographs from the ultrawides or the first cameras. Perhaps, simply perhaps, the three.2x telephoto is barely crispier on the 14 than the 3x is on the 24, however it’s hardly a deciding issue. Equally, the 5x could possibly be perceived as sharper on the Xiaomi, however we might pin that on the additional distinction, moderately than precise element benefit.

Certainly, there are delicate variations in colour rendition and distinction on the opposite cameras. The Xiaomi tends to supply barely extra expressive pictures, with a tiny bit extra distinction and saturation, however it’s not essentially an goal benefit for one or the opposite.

Xiaomi 14 Extremely daylight picture samples: 0.5x • 1x • 3.2x • 5x

Galaxy S24 Extremely daylight picture samples: 0.6x • 1x • 3x • 5x

Xiaomi 14 Extremely daylight picture samples: 0.5x • 1x • 3.2x • 5x

Galaxy S24 Extremely daylight picture samples: 0.6x • 1x • 3x • 5x

Relating to the “made-up” focal lengths, we might say that the Xiaomi has the higher hand on the 2x zoom stage – the Galaxy’s 200MP sensor would not seem to shine right here both.

2x samples: Xiaomi 14 Extremely • Galaxy S24 Extremely

At 10x the Xiaomi additionally has a minor edge, although it could possibly be the additional distinction talking, moderately than precise additional element.

10x samples: Xiaomi 14 Extremely • Galaxy S24 Extremely

Each telephones supply good close-up taking pictures capabilities, whether or not it is with the ultrawide cameras or the telephotos. The telephotos, specifically, are most fascinating, although, as a result of they allow you to seize high quality element in small topics with out getting your cellphone up in them, throwing shadows or disturbing critters.

The Xiaomi is the undisputed winner at 3x, providing a more in-depth focusing distance and a better replica ratio, but additionally total a lot better high quality.

At 5x, the 2 telephones have the same minimal focusing distance, whereas the Galaxy has a barely larger replica ratio. Nonetheless, we might say Xiaomi’s picture high quality is a bit larger on this state of affairs.

Shut-up samples: Xiaomi 14 Extremely 3x • Galaxy S24 Extremely 3x • Xiaomi 14 Extremely 5x • Galaxy S24 Extremely 5x

The Galaxy is the higher choice for selfies, we reckon. The Xiaomi’s 32MP selfie digicam solely works at nominal decision and even in the event you downscale the photographs your self to 12MP, it nonetheless would not fairly match the Samsung’s sharpness and element. The Galaxy additionally has a livelier colour output, and its autofocusing functionality permits you to shoot weirder angles. The 14 Extremely does have a noticeably wider area of view although, which can be your factor.

Selfie samples: Xiaomi 14 Extremely • Galaxy S24 Extremely

In low gentle, each telephones will get you nice photos, however as soon as once more, there will likely be variations in method. The Galaxy opts for a bit of extra grain, which comes with higher element, whereas the Xiaomi tends to supply smoother pictures – cleaner, however with that little bit much less high quality texture. Considerably surprisingly, the Xiaomi cannot beat the Galaxy at 3x, the place it has a major sensor measurement benefit. Dynamic vary is superb on each, although the Galaxy will are typically extra wanting to protect highlights than the Xiaomi.

Xiaomi 14 Extremely low-light picture samples: 0.5x • 1x • 3.2x • 5x

Galaxy S24 Extremely low-light picture samples: 0.6x • 1x • 3x • 5x

Xiaomi 14 Extremely low-light picture samples: 0.5x • 1x • 3.2x • 5x

Galaxy S24 Extremely low-light picture samples: 0.6x • 1x • 3x • 5x

Video high quality

Each telephones are competent video cameras as nicely. Each will get you 4K at 24, 30 and 60fps from all cameras (minus 4K24 on the Xiaomi’s selfie digicam), and each major rear cameras can even do 4K120. The Galaxy can document in 8K too, at 24 and 30fps, with its major digicam and its 5x telephoto – a functionality that the Xiaomi matches, but additionally extends to the three.2x and the ultrawide.

Daylight video high quality is superb on each, with little to separate them by way of high quality. Stabilization can be onerous to fault on both cellphone.

Xiaomi 14 Extremely daylight video samples: 0.5x • 1x • 3.2x • 5x

Galaxy S24 Extremely daylight video samples: 0.6x • 1x • 3x • 5x

In low-light, the Galaxy’s ultrawide has the higher hand, providing higher dynamic vary and noise discount. The Xiaomi counters with superior telephoto footage at each zoom ranges.

Xiaomi 14 Extremely low-light video samples: 0.5x • 1x • 3.2x • 5x

Galaxy S24 Extremely low-light video samples: 0.6x • 1x • 3x • 5x

Verdict

One could be forgiven for initially pondering that this dilemma will likely be selected the cameras, however ultimately, it seems that is not going to be the case. Or, moderately, the rear cameras of the 2 telephones are so intently matched of their efficiency (if fairly totally different in {hardware}), that in the event you’re trying solely from an imaging standpoint, choosing one over the opposite is not solely an goal resolution. Positive, there are a few standout variations that may assist – the Xiaomi is notably higher at closeups with its telephoto cameras, whereas the Galaxy has the higher hand within the selfie division – however total, these are remarkably succesful picture- and video-taking gadgets, each of them.

The perfect cameraphones are additionally typically the very best telephones altogether, and nowhere is that this more true than within the case of the Galaxy S24 Extremely. Versatile past comparability, the most recent top-tier Galaxy stays the one moderately viable choice with a stylus, and the S Pen is not simply good as a result of it has no competitors – it is good as a result of it gives true utility for work and play.

Samsung’s One UI is undoubtedly essentially the most feature-packed tackle Android and in the event you’re one to carry on to your handset for so long as it should final, the most recent era’s 7-year replace coverage will likely be a serious promoting level. The Galaxy must also supply longer battery life than the Xiaomi, presumably due to a extra frugal show.

The 14 Extremely is not with out its personal benefits, although. What it lacks in longevity, it makes up for in charging pace, each on a cable and wirelessly. It additionally aced out thermal testing benchmarks, an space the place the Galaxy wasn’t practically as secure.

And the place the Galaxy has the S Pen, the Xiaomi has the Images package. You would possibly scoff at this €200 additional buy, however after the picture high quality tie, it is like a profitable objective in additional time. We reckon that if it provides additional enjoyment to the method of taking equally nice photos, it seems like an attractive proposition.

All issues thought-about, the Galaxy S24 Extremely feels just like the extra well-rounded providing and a greater worth for cash. By present market charges, the 2 are about the identical worth (whenever you match the Xiaomi’s 512GB storage on the Galaxy) and also you simply get extra outright with the Samsung. You may even save a bit of by choosing the bottom 256GB spec. However we might perceive in the event you’d choose the Xiaomi.