2024's top Xiaomi smartphones

While its big brother the Xiaomi 14 Ultra might be the most expensive Xiaomi phone of the current gen, we think the Xiaomi 14 is the best for most. With fantastic cameras, a sleek design, and a much lower price point than the 14 Ultra, this thing is a very impressive bit of kit.

While the fantastic triple 50 MP camera set-up allowing you to capture extremely high-quality photos is the main draw of the Xiaomi 14, it’s also an incredibly rapid charger, going from 0-100% in under half an hour. That’s ridiculously fast, even by today’s standards, and it holds its charge just as well, so you can concentrate on taking fantastic snaps for your social media.

It’s hard to find a downside to the Xiaomi 14, though there are a couple of things to point out. For one, Xiaomi’s HyperOS operating system takes a bit of time to get used to, especially if you’re usually an iOS user. Secondly, there’s a bit too much bloatware for our liking, though this is nothing an app-deleting spree can’t sort out. For the in-depth lowdown, see our Xiaomi 14 review.

Despite swapping out the Snapdragon chip of the regular Xiaomi 13 series for a MediaTek 9200+ alternative, the Xiaomi 13T handles games like a champ and is easily capable of running popular games like Honkai Star Rail, Asphalt 9, and more. Combine this with a gorgeous AMOLED screen offering extremely vivid visuals, and gaming is a real treat on the 13T, with streaming just as good.

Still, the real stars of the show here are the cameras. The 13T Pro is a perfect showcase for the Xiaomi and Leica co-engineered cameras, offering incredibly detailed shots even when compared to big hitters like the Google Pixel 7 Pro. The picture editing software isn’t as developed as Google’s, but from a capture quality perspective alone, this smartphone is one of the best.

It’s hard to suggest any caveats here, but it is worth mentioning that we’re not massive fans of the MIUI 14 Android skin, which can make navigating your phone feel a little clunky. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on the brand in that regard, as a replacement is coming soon in the form of the HyperOS software, which promises to offer a more fluid experience. Like many modern Androids, there’s no headphone jack, so you’re going to need Bluetooth headphones to listen to audio.

To find out more, read our Xiaomi 13T Pro review. Alternatively, the Xiaomi 13 is still a very powerful phone with great performance for a slightly lower price point – though you do miss out on a few of the flashier features. It all depends on how much you want to spend.

The Poco X6 Pro is an excellent value option capable of keeping up with some of the top dogs. A dedicated gaming phone targeted at wannabe pro mobile gamers, the Poco X6 Pro is powered by the Dimensity 8300 Ultra chipset, resulting in super speedy load times and buttery smooth performance, even in the most demanding games.

Of course, to live up to this performance, you’ve gotta have a good display, as well – and the Poco X6 Pro delivers here, too. With fantastic resolution (1,220 x 2,712px) and the unexpected but welcome addition of Dolby Vision, its 6.67-inch is extremely bright and crisp. This means you can enjoy all your favorite movies, tv shows, and games in high detail, regardless of whether you’re on your couch or out in the sun.

Unfortunately, the Poco X6 Pro’s camera falls a little short, with 64MP main, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro back cameras and a 16MP front camera, so don’t expect it to snap any award-winning photos. But if you’re just hoping to catch a cute picture of your pet or a couple of selfies with friends, you’ll be fine.

In terms of juice, the Poco X6 Pro has a sizeable 5,000 mAh battery and a hyper-fast charger, meaning it can go from 0% to 100% in just under 50 minutes, and that battery can last for several days depending on use. For example, if you’re just using the phone for calls and messages along with the odd photo, it can easily last about two or three days without a top-up, and, from our testing, it can last at least four hours of non-stop gaming without needing a charge.

However, one of the main downsides of the Poco X6 Pro is that it isn’t compatible with wireless charging, so if that’s a deal breaker for you, you’ll have to look elsewhere. For more details on this device, be sure to check out our full Poco X6 Pro review, where we dive into all the specifics and our experience with it.

If you’re looking for a solid budget Xiaomi phone, look no further than the Poco C65. This affordable little gem boasts an impressive camera, solid battery life, and decent performance, as well as one of the best builds we’ve seen on a budget device, with it feeling surprisingly high quality in your hand.

One of the highlights of the Poco C65 is its impressive battery life. Even if you’re spending a couple of hours gaming on it, it can easily last 24 hours without needing some extra juice, and even longer if you’re only using it for browsing, texting, and calls. This is welcome, because, unfortunately, the charging speeds are somewhat disappointing, with it taking around two and a half hours to get to 100%. It doesn’t support wireless charging, either, but considering the price, that’s to be expected.

The biggest surprise with the Poco C65 is its 50MP primary camera. While it definitely isn’t going to change the world, in our experience, it’s one of the best cameras we’ve seen on such a budget device, especially when shooting landscapes and buildings. The 2MP macro camera is also decent, allowing some pretty detailed shots, and its 8MP selfie camera is more than capable of snapping Instagram-worthy shots of you and your friends. Things aren’t great in low lighting, but that’s pretty standard when it comes to budget phones, too.

The Poco C65 has a 90Hz 6.74-inch IPS LCD display with a brightness of 600 nits. While this might not be the most impressive calibration for any tech heads out there, it’s really not bad for the price. You can certainly enjoy crisp visuals in casual mobile games and watch HD videos on YouTube or Netflix without any issue, and its brightness is pretty standard for this price point. However, as it’s an LCD screen rather than OLED, it’s not quite as vivid as mid-range competitors, and its brightness may not be the best on a sunny day.

Unfortunately, the Poco C65’s performance can be a bit of a mixed bag due to its older MediaTek Helio G85 chipset. It has no issues keeping up with your standard day-to-day use, be it browsing the web, making calls, sending texts, or playing casual games like Candy Crush. However, it just can’t keep up with its more expensive competitors when it comes to more demanding games like Wuthering Waves or Genshin Impact – though you can improve the experience a little by turning off the default refresh rate in the settings and changing it to 60Hz.

Overall, while the Poco C65 isn’t going to stand up against mid-range counterparts, it’s still a very solid budget phone for a very good price. If you want to know more, head over to our in-depth Poco C65 review.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 is an entry-level workhorse that has a AMOLED display better than some mid-range devices we’ve tested. It also boasts 6GB of working memory and 128 GB of internal storage, plus a slot for a Micro SD card, meaning you’ve got plenty of space for all your favorite photos and apps.

It houses a Snapdragon 680 processor, which allows it to perform well for everyday tasks and it can comfortably run most mobile apps and games, though you’ll have to put up with longer loading times at launch.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11’s quad camera is typical of mid-range and budget handsets. It captures sharp pictures in daylight, but its ultra-wide angle photos often come out blurry and we find that it struggles in low light.

The charging speeds could be better, and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 doesn’t offer 5G support, but if you’re looking for an affordable device that can meet most of your everyday needs, it serves this purpose very well.

Following its global release in February 2024, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is easily the best new Xiaomi phone. It packs some incredible performance with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, as well as a host of useful AI features to keep up with the other big names like Apple and Samsung, and, as we’ve come to expect from Xiaomi, the cameras are some of the best around. It’s the complete package.

While we still haven’t had the chance to review the phone fully, we spent plenty of time with it at both the Xiaomi 14 Ultra launch and during MWC 2024, and it left us very impressed. It’s got a comfortable form factor for day-to-day use and gaming, and sports an elegant design that is sure to get people’s attention.

There are almost no caveats to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, it’s just that good. However, as it’s Xiaomi’s premier device of 2024, it is quite expensive. It’s also worth saying that the photography features are so comprehensive that they might be slightly overwhelming for some, but that really depends on your experience with previous Xiaomi phones or high-end cameras.

If you’re looking for a mid-range phone, the Xiaomi Redmi Note Pro+ has a fantastic AMOLED display, great cameras for the price, and super-fast charging. Its MediaTek Dimensity 1080 processor finds a balance between stable performance and efficiency, while its hefty 5,000 mAh battery and 120W ultra-fast wired charging makes sure you’ve always got juice. That battery size is in line with other flagships, but the Note Pro+ is more efficient with its usage, while 120W charging speeds are rapid, well in excess of that on offer from even flagships like the Google Pixel 8 and Samsung Galaxy S24.

The main selling point for the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is its 200MP main camera, which allows well-balanced and sharp daytime photography. Elsewhere, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens and 16MP selfie camera are average in this price category but offer some sharp shots nonetheless.

If you want a mid-range phone that offers value for money, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is a great choice. It suffers some flaws in terms of software and excessive bloatware, but it’s more than capable of meeting your day-to-day needs.

The Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro is a powerful device designed for a pro mobile gaming experience. It boasts a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset which means you can expect some great performance, as well as a fast and responsive 6.67” 144Hz OLED display bright enough for outdoor use, and a maximum 16GB RAM with 256GB internal storage (for a price) – though the cheaper version still has plenty of space for the best mobile games. The main 108MP camera also has AI processing and HDR support, both of which help you to snap sharp and detailed photos.

The phone features built-in, programmable magnetic triggers, customizable LED lighting on the rear, and a futuristic design made up of bold lines that fall in line with the popular gamer aesthetic.

Unfortunately, the battery comes in at a slightly lower capacity than some of its competitors, sitting at 4,650 mAh as opposed to the 5,000 mAh battery of other options on this list. Luckily, the ultra-fast 120W charging speed allows you to charge the device in as little as 18 minutes.

The main downside to the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro is how hot it gets during prolonged play sessions. This can have a pretty hefty impact on performance, as well as making the device uncomfortable to hold, so you may need to invest in an external cooler – which certainly isn’t preferable with a pricey handset like this.

If your top priority is battery capacity and charging speeds, the Xiaomi 11T Pro is one of the best options on the market. Sure, newer devices come with improved specs in other areas (specifically the chipset, RAM, and storage) but thanks to a whopping 5,000mAh battery capacity and Xiaomi’s HyperCharge, the 11T Pro’s battery life and charging are pretty much unbeatable.

These staggering battery specs make the phone extremely reliable and flexible, and it can go for days on end without charge depending on use. Equally, because of how quickly it charges, even a small 10-minute charge while you’re on the go will bring your battery life up to a usable level. So, this isn’t the best Xiaomi phone if you’re looking for something versatile that can keep pace with your busy, active life, and that makes it a great choice.

It also offers some pretty respectable and smooth performance thanks to its Snapdragon 888 chipset and is an affordable little piece of kit. Unfortunately, its storage is quite limited, but if you can overlook that, then it’s a solid option, especially if you spend a lot of time out and about.