Great, if found at a discount

Introduction

The Redmi Note series is known for delivering high-end specs at budget-friendly prices, and for 2025, the Note 14 series is doing it yet again.

Today I’m looking at the Redmi Note 14 Pro, which sits above the standard Note 14 and below the Note 14 Pro+. It’s much more affordable than the Plus version, but has a more well-rounded spec sheet than the non-Pro model. Could it be the sweet spot?

There are clear upgrades over last year’s model, including an improved IP rating, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, a brighter display and a newer, speedier chipset. However, it also charges more slowly and has no headphone socket. Is it the right choice for you? Let’s find out.

Design 

• 162.3 x 74.4 x 8.4 mm, 190g
• Plastic frame and rear
• IP68 rated

While the naming conventions might lead you to believe that the Redmi Note 14 Pro is smaller than the Pro+, the two devices are almost the exact same size, and they have the same size screen as last year’s model, too.

Elsewhere, however, the two phones look quite different, and they’re constructed differently, too. The Note 14 Pro has a plastic frame and rear panel, while the Pro+ has an aluminium frame and glass rear for a more premium feel.

When it comes to durability, I feel like the plastic-backed model might fare better when dropped, but that’s not something that I have put to the test, thankfully. 

The Note 14 Pro is available in three colours for the global market. I have the Coral Green option in for testing, but you can also choose Lavender Purple or Midnight Black.

The Coral Green version has a two-tone dual-texture design, wherein one side of the phone is glossier than the other. It’s a fairly subtle effect, but it looks and feels quite nice. If you opt for the Lavender Purple version, you’ll get a vegan leather rear panel, whereas the Black model has an understated velvety matte back without the two-tone effects.

Redmi has upped the dust and water resistance for this year, and the phone now benefits from an impressive IP68 rating, which was only available on last year’s Pro+. This means it can withstand dunks in fresh water and is fully immune to dust ingress. If you’ve got a bit of an adventurous streak, this phone should be able to handle it.

The downside to this, though, is that it means the headphone socket was removed. Not uncommon these days, but it was still there on the Redmi Note 13 Pro, and I’m sure some users will mourn its passing.

Screen 

• 6.67-inch 120Hz 1220×2712 OLED
• Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support
• 3000 nits peak brightness

As mentioned earlier, you get the same 6.67-inch screen size as the 13 Pro, and the specs are identical to the 14 Pro+ screen, too. This year, it’s covered with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which means it should be more resistant to scratches and cracks in the long term.

It’s still a 120Hz OLED with a 1220×2712 resolution, but it’s much brighter than last year, now able to reach 3000 nits at peak. This means that HDR content looks incredible on this display, and it fares well in harsh sunlight too.

You also get Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support. Content from apps like Netflix and Prime Video looks wonderful on this display, it’s perfect for continuing your binge session on your commute.

The screen has sweeping curves on the right and left-hand sides, which makes the phone feel slimmer than it actually is, and also makes gesture controls feel super smooth.

I can’t help but think it looks a little dated, though. Most phones are either opting for quad-curve screens or flat displays these days, and there are benefits to each. If a slim-feeling phone is a priority, then this design wins out.

There’s an optical under-display fingerprint scanner, and it has been perfectly reliable throughout my testing, if a little slower than ultrasonic readers.

Cameras 

• 200MP main camera (1/1.4-inch sensor)
• 8MP ultrawide (1/4-inch)
• 2MP Macro
• 20MP selfie camera

The camera hardware is mostly unchanged from last year’s model, but the selfie camera has seen an upgrade. It’s now a 20MP unit, up from 16MP, and it has a slightly wider f/2.2 aperture, up from f/2.4. In real-world terms, though, the image quality isn’t too different.

This means you get an impressive 200MP main snapper with a relatively large 1/1.4-inch sensor, along with a less impressive 8MP ultrawide and a pretty useless 2MP macro camera. The ultrawide lacks autofocus, which limits its usability and the macro camera is just too low resolution.

For the best results, you’ll want to stick to that main camera as much as possible. It resolves the most detail, and it performs much better in low-light situations. It can also focus relatively close up, and if you use the 2x button to punch in, you’ll get better macro shots using the main camera rather than the dedicated macro lens.

In theory, the 200MP resolution should allow for better digital zooms, but in practice, it’s not too great. Shots at 2x look wonderful, and 3x is decent too, but if you get up to 10x and above, the image starts to fall apart. If you love zoom, you should look at a phone with a dedicated telephoto, as this high-res main sensor can’t really keep up.

That said, I was pretty happy with the shots from the main and selfie cameras. They produce lovely, realistic colours in the daylight, the dynamic range is excellent, and the details are sharp. The main camera does pretty well in the dark, but the selfie camera is a little prone to motion blur – something that’s true on most flagships as well.

When it comes to video capture, the main camera can record at up to 4K 30fps, but the selfie and ultrawide cameras can only record at 1080p. So, if you want to take advantage of all the lenses, you’ll need to stick to 1080p. In 4K, you’ll be stuck on the main camera, but you can digitally zoom up to 6x. 

Performance 

• MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultra
• 8GB / 12GB RAM, 256GB / 512GB storage
• Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos

The Redmi Note 14 Pro is available in two varieties: one with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and one with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. I have the base model in for testing, which is likely to be the most popular model due to its affordability.

It’s powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultra, a slightly overclocked version of the same mid-range chip that powers the much cheaper CMF Phone 1. Of course, it’s not going to top any benchmark charts, but it should provide ample power for casual users.

My experience was mostly smooth, and the phone didn’t feel underpowered while performing daily tasks like answering emails or browsing social media. Occasionally, though, the lack of horsepower would be more apparent. If you’re multitasking or swiping around quickly, you will notice the odd stutter and lag in animations, It’s definitely not the right choice for power users.

As you’d expect, that translates to mediocre gaming performance, too. More demanding titles like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves only run smoothly on low graphics presets, but less challenging titles like Mario Kart Tour perform much better.

So, as always, it depends on the games you like to play. But if you’re at all competitive, then you should look for something with a bit more grunt.

Software 

• HyperOS, based on Android 14
• Circle to Search and Gemini
• New AI features

The Redmi Note 14 Pro runs HyperOS, and if you’ve used a recent Xiaomi, Poco or Redmi device, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect. Even if you’re coming from Xiaomi’s older MIUI, you’ll feel right at home, as it functions in mostly the same way.

HyperOS is a heavily customised version of Android 14 that takes a few design cues from Apple’s iOS. The quick-settings shade, in particular, has an Apple-y vibe, and the notifications shade is separated and accessed by a swipe from the left side of the screen. It can take some getting used to if you’re coming from a more traditional Android OS like the Pixel UI.

The OS benefits from all of Google’s latest additions, which means you can use Circle to Search to quickly find information about anything on your screen, and you can set Gemini as your default voice assistant. Neither of these features are too exclusive any more, but they’re both fantastic tools, and I’m happy to see them available on more affordable devices.

Of course, Redmi has added some additional AI features of its own. Most of them are focused on image editing, and you’ll find the usual tricks like object removal, beautification and portrait blurring. There are also a few more advanced options, like the ability to remove backgrounds, FOV expansion and AI-powered automatic video editing.

So, there’s plenty to like about HyperOS, but unfortunately, there are downsides, too. There’s quite a lot of bloatware pre-installed, and getting rid of it all is a little time-consuming. It’s not out of the ordinary in this price bracket, but having just tested the Nothing Phone 3a, which is essentially bloat-free and only costs slightly more, I wasn’t too happy to see it.

Advertisements are also baked into some of the system apps, like the theme selector and file browser. It’s nothing new; we’ve seen this on Redmi devices for years, but I’ll continue to grumble about it until they go away.

Battery life 

• 5110 mAh battery
• 45W wired charging
• No charger in the box

The Redmi Note 14 Pro has a 5110 mAh battery, which is a tiny increase on last year’s 5100mAh capacity, but it doesn’t rival the likes of the Realme 14 Pro+ with its capacious 6000 mAh cell.

Still, while it may not win the numbers game, the real-world results are fantastic. The combination of an efficient chip and well-optimised software means that it’s fairly easy to achieve two days of use on a charge.

As always, it depends on how you use your phone. Shooting videos and playing games are particularly battery-intensive, so if you’re doing lots of that, you might find it doesn’t last as long. On the other hand, if you use it more conservatively, you might find you get even longer.

The phone supports up to 45W fast charging with the appropriate wall adapter, but there’s no charger included in the box, just a USB-C cable. Oddly, it’s a downgrade compared to the Note 13 Pro’s 67W charging, and of course, it’s a heck of a lot slower than the 14 Pro+’s 120W speeds.

I tested using the charger that came with my Xiaomi 14, and it took about an hour and 40 minutes to fully charge from flat. It’s definitely not a chore to live with, but it’s far from the quickest you’ll come across. There’s no wireless charging on this one, but at this price, that’s nothing unusual.

Should you buy it?