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Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Introduction: With the recent global release of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, enthusiasts searching for the ultimate cameraphone now have another compelling option to consider. Leveraging its lineage of camera excellence, Xiaomi has introduced subtle yet impactful enhancements to its telephoto capabilities, setting the stage for a fierce competition in the smartphone photography arena.
Comparison: In the realm of zoom capabilities, the latest flagship offering from Samsung, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, has undergone a significant generational shift. By replacing the previous 10x zoom unit with a larger-sensor 5x one, Samsung has intensified the rivalry with Xiaomi, rendering a comparison between the two all the more pertinent.
Size comparison
Xiaomi 14 Ultra (6.35 x 2.96 x 0.36 in)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
(6.39 x 3.11 x 0.34 in)
Both of these are very large phones, but they take different approaches to size, proportions, and styling. The Xiaomi has more fluid shapes – its corners are more rounded, the display has a slight curvature around its entire perimeter, and the frame flows into the back – overall, it does a lot to mask its size. There’s no masking that camera bump though – the huge circle may be there out of necessity to fit all the hardware, but Xiaomi’s embraced that and turned it into a stylistic element too.
The Galaxy, on the other hand, has about all the styling of a concrete tile. It’s large, yes, but it’s also flat on both sides and has sharp corners making you feel every bit of its size and weight. The relatively more modest camera hardware doesn’t need quite as much thickness and you get thinner separate lens rings.
Both handsets are IP68 rated for dust and water resistance, but neither goes beyond the IPX8’s standard requirement (1.5m, 30 minutes) – only iPhones offer more.
While the sealing should be as good on both, the materials used are different. Samsung has a titanium exposed frame (and an aluminum skeleton underneath), while Xiaomi uses just aluminum. There’s a titanium frame version of the 14 Ultra too, but that’s China-only.
Not all glass is created equal either. The Galaxy S24 Ultra uses Corning’s latest Gorilla Armor (so far exclusively) on both the display and the back panel. This exclusive glass has one more extra virtue other than its improved durability, but more on that in the next section.
The Xiaomi’s display is protected by a proprietary solution called Xiaomi Shield Glass, which they say offers 10 times better drop resistance than the Xiaomi 13 Pro (Gorilla Glass Victus).
Each of our Ultras has a unique accessory that sets it apart from the other one, but also from any other competing offerings. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, in true Galaxy Note fashion, comes with an S Pen inside that can be used for taking notes and as a remote shutter release. All S24 Ultras have that.
The Xiaomi Photography Kit, on the other hand, is an optional item that comes at an extra cost (€200). It adds a few physical controls, a hand grip, and some extra battery, and the whole ensemble looks and feels like an actual camera – at least as close as you can get to that with a smartphone.
Display comparison
Xiaomi 14 Ultra 120Hz
pixels
ppi
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 120Hz
pixels
ppi
You wouldn’t expect anything other than greatness from these two displays and that’s what you’d be getting. Both offer a high resolution (1440p) and a high refresh rate (120Hz maximum, very adaptive), as well as brightness to spare. The Galaxy was brighter in our testing (1,447nits vs. 1,281nits in auto, 755 vs. 710 in manual), though it shouldn’t be a readily observable difference in the real world.
What’s fairly evident is the reduced reflectivity of the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s display glass. One of the two major developments ushered in by Gorilla Armor, the less reflective facade should help reduce the brightness needed to achieve the same perceived ‘readability’ and thus maybe contribute to better endurance.
The Galaxy’s display isn’t flawless though, and at very low brightness it exhibits a very fine graininess as the different colored subpixels can’t be made to light up uniformly at those very low levels. We would by no means call it a dealbreaker, but if you often use your phone in dark environments (and thus at low brightness levels) and you like to fixate on imperfections, you may find it hard to fully enjoy the S24 Ultra.
Battery life
Both phones have 5,000mAh capacity batteries, and with the same chipset inside and similar display specs, you’d expect comparable battery life. The reality is different though, and the Xiaomi isn’t as efficient at converting capacity into longevity.
While the 14 Ultra lasted almost precisely as long as the S24 Ultra in our web browsing test, the Galaxy was notably better in the other three disciplines, with an almost 40% advantage in gaming and nearly 30% longer video runtime. The 25% advantage in voice calls is less important, but it’s there too.
Charging speed
The Xiaomi is quick to strike back and scores a victory for charging speed – it may not last as long but it charges almost twice as fast. A half-hour charging session from flat will get you to 93% on the 14 Ultra, when using its supplied adapter.
The Galaxy, on the other hand, will be at 70-ish percent at the 30-minute checkpoint, if you use the Samsung 45W adapter, which is sold separately. Any other adapter will be slower, and in our experience that includes even good third-party USB Power Delivery options (not a lot slower with those, but slower nonetheless).
Xiaomi 14 Ultra 52%
93%
34min
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 39%
69%
65min
The Xiaomi will also win in a wireless charging speed race though we haven’t really tested that to tell you numbers from experience. Xiaomi says 46 minutes with their “80W Adaptive Wireless Charging Stand” and we have reason to believe that the real number won’t be too far off from their claims. The Samsung, meanwhile, is capped at 15W.
Both phones are able to charge other devices either wirelessly or over a cable.
Speaker test
Both phones feature stereo speaker setups with slight differences in their implementation. A bottom firing ‘main’ speaker is joined by a second one that also serves as an earpiece – but while the Xiaomi will also send some of the opposite channel to each speaker, the Galaxy will strictly maintain separation.
In our testing, the numbers assigned a ‘Very Good’ rating for loudness to both phones. Both sound great to our ears, but the Galaxy has the upper hand with a livelier midrange and a bit more bass.
