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MagyarFirst Xiaomi 14 Ultra tests and camera comparisons: Galaxy S24 Ultra currently does not stand a chance against Xiaomi's AI Ultra Zoom
At present, just under a week after the global launch, there doesn't seem to be a single Western Youtuber with a global Xiaomi 14 Ultra who has been able to gain experience with the new Leica camera (aside from first hands-on encounters at the Mobile World Congress). Everything that can be seen in these early tests and comparison photos comes from China and therefore also from the Chinese model. The screenshot below summarizes how this differs from the global model. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is currently available for preorder in Germany and many other European countries, but will not be delivered until March 19.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra in the hands of a talented photographer
If you want to see what the Xiaomi 14 Ultra can do when you play around with the advanced settings, the following video is a good place to start, which is unfortunately only available in Chinese (but on YouTube, so automatically generated EN subtitles are available, however accurate these might be). This is less about comparing the Leica camera to the predecessor or other smartphone cameras and more about drawing your interest to the many new features. For example, the variable aperture, which produces the pretty star effects on lights at a maximum of F/4.0, or the macro/close-up shots with the three cameras. You can also play around with the 'Extended Depth of Focus Switch' for the main camera, which allows users to take consistently sharp photos of close objects despite the 1-inch sensor.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra
As previously mentioned, there are not many reviews yet; the first international test in English comes from the Gizmochina website and here, too, a Chinese model was used, as the global models are simply not yet available. The conclusion here is that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is actually a Xiaomi 13S Ultra. The differences in the camera are limited, as the specs suggest. Direct comparisons in daylight show very similar results between the current Leica camera and that of its predecessor, but when it comes to pixel peeping, i.e. zooming in, a few differences can be seen.
Some features that are new to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra are also highlighted, namely the AI-supported Ultra Zoom (discussed below), the macro options already mentioned above or the improvements in portrait shots, where Xiaomi's new AI models also play a role. 4K120 slow-motion video recording was also tested (only with the main camera), as well as the now-possible changing of focal lengths during the recording of a 4K60 video.
The tester criticizes the occasionally too high exposure in auto mode and recommends the new EV button as an antidote, as well as the improved Pro mode, which now also allows presets to be saved. Shortly before the test video covers aspects such as display, performance and fast charging, Gizmochina also reviews the new photography kit, which is offered at a significantly lower price in China, but will be included with the smartphone for free, at least for preorders in Germany.
Before we turn our attention to the Ultra Zoom, let's briefly compare the 5x periscope telephoto capabilities of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which has become significantly brighter this year with F/2.5. Both photos were taken in Vibrant mode, although the photo from the Xiaomi 14 Ultra looks much more color-intensive
5x zoom
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) February 26, 2024
Xiaomi 13 Ultra vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra pic.twitter.com/iVwlilU4pb
AI 'Ultra-Zoom' improves zoom by more than 30x
Artificial intelligence has has brought a lot of improvements to smartphones this year. In the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, the 'AISP-System' ensures better results, especially for portrait shots and long-range zoom from 30x. Fortunately, the feature can also be switched off, as it sometimes works well and sometimes not at all, depending on the subject. The photos below, taken by a Weibo user with a Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Xiaomi 13 Ultra, show that this feature can be very useful for building elements, for example.
Detailed camera comparison between the 14 Ultra and 13 Ultra
Before we look at some comparison photos with Android devices, here are a few relevant screenshots from another test video (also from China, linked below), which compares all the cameras of the two Xiaomi flagships from 2023 and 2024. Here, too, the observed differences in daylight tend to be limited, but at night you can definitely see substantial progress. The infinitely adjustable aperture between F/1.63 and F/4.0 is also an advantage if you want the foreground and background to appear sharp in photos of close objects, for example.
Excerpts from the video below reveal the relevant differences. In many cases, however, the tester's results look very similar. Significant improvements can be seen in the 10x zoom, for example, while in the case of the 30x zoom with AI it depends very much on the subject. The fact that the selfie camera of the new Leica flagship also benefits from better algorithms is clearly reflected in the significantly sharper and more detailed images from the 5x telephoto at night or the brighter results in night mode. However, there is one outlier: we much prefer the two photos from the 75mm telephoto on the older Xiaomi flagship.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra against the Android competition
There are still hardly any videos that compare the Xiaomi 14 Ultra to Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max or the Android flagships of 2024, but Chinese leaker Ice Universe has already published some very revealing photos on X on this topic. The tester, who tends to be rather critical of Samsung, concludes in his previous posts (we have embedded a few directly below) that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra holds its own very well against the new competition from China, especially in landscape and building shots, and even has some advantages in this field. Clouds in particular look more three-dimensional on the Samsung flagship, so the South Koreans have made significant improvements here compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, at least with the current firmware version. The Galaxy S24 Ultra performs worse in comparison to Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Oppo Find X7 Ultra or the Xiaomi 14 Ultra at night, especially if you have red lamps in the photo, as the comparison below shows.
Main camera comparison
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) March 2, 2024
1.Xiaomi 14 Ultra Leica Authentic mode,
2.Xiaomi 14 Ultra Leica Vibrant mode
3.OPPO Find X7 Ultra
4. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra pic.twitter.com/W3GCAxNHiQ
To my surprise, the stereoscopic effect of Samsung S24 Ultra shooting clouds is the best. As the head of Samsung camera said.
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) March 2, 2024
Unfortunately, after we waited for a long time, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra latest firmware is still inaccurate in shooting red lanterns.Even Apple performed better than Samsung. I'm disappointed.
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) February 24, 2024
Xiaomi 5x，iPhone 15 Pro Max 5x，OPPO 6x，Samsung 5x pic.twitter.com/7ayYLmEbt9
Samsung loses dominance in ultra-zoom
So far, none of the candidates produce results that can be considered subpar. But when it comes to zoom shots (see below), the wheat is separated from the chaff. With its 10x telephoto and 100x space zoom, Samsung has had a lead in zoom shots with a high magnification factor for years, which it may well have to cede to its Chinese competitors in 2024. The Vivo X100 Pro already gave the Galaxy S24 Ultra a run for its money in some comparison photos, and some of the photos below are even more striking, showing clear advantages on the Chinese side despite very similar 5x sensor hardware.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Samsung S24 Ultra have 5x sensors with the same specifications, the former is IMX858, and the latter is IMX854, with specifications of 50mp 0.7μm
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) February 27, 2024
However, the gap in software algorithms is too big. Samsung needs to admit that it has fallen behind and the times… pic.twitter.com/tDXfp7A62T
30x zoom
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) February 27, 2024
Xiaomi 14 Ultra、OPPO Find X7 Ultra、vivo X100 Pro、S24 Ultra
Who won? pic.twitter.com/Kir4MWQvu2
Discursion: Samsung's zoom algorithm bug
This is apparently also due to the fact that Samsung currently uses different zoom algorithms, depending on whether text is visible in the image or not. Only when the Galaxy S24 Ultra sees text does it activate a more powerful algorithm that delivers significantly better results, as the comparison photos below show. The tester also explains the phenomenon in a video. Samsung could of course fix this problem at any time with an update, but currently it seems to be causing significantly poorer results for photos without text, at least for this tester.
Let me make a video to explain. pic.twitter.com/E4BCtC5dD6
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) February 27, 2024
Galaxy S24 Ultra: No chance against Xiaomi 14 Ultra at 60x zoom at present
The aforementioned "Samsung bug" in combination with the new ultra-zoom of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra appears to result in drastic differences at high magnification levels, depending on the subject. Even without AI processing activated, the 60x photo of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra looks better in the photos below; with Ultra Zoom activated, the Samsung flagship has no chance against Xiaomi, at least at the moment. Of course, Samsung could always improve this with firmware. It remains to be seen whether other testers will come to similar conclusions in the future. We will of course also inspect the Xiaomi 14 Ultra in the usual manner as soon as the test device arrives.
60x zoom
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) March 1, 2024
1.Galaxy S24 Ultra
2.Xiaomi 14 Ultra conventional algorithm
3.Xiaomi 14 Ultra AI enhanced algorithm.
I need to point out two points:
1. After turning on the AI enhancement button（Effective from 30x zoom and requires sufficient light.）, Xiaomi 14 Ultra will use AI to… pic.twitter.com/98ZqSLj2JT
Source(s)
Ice Universe, Gizmochina, Weibo via Kartikey Singh, Youtube (1, 2) via @devinarde
![Oppo Find X7 Ultra gets an impressive camera score on DxOMark (Image source: Oppo [Edited])](fileadmin/_processed_/5/9/csm_Oppo-Find-X7-Ultra-DxOMark_f81477b6cb.jpg)
![Xiaomi 14 scores well in the premium segment of DxOMark (Image source: Xiaomi and DxOMark [edited])](fileadmin/_processed_/7/a/csm_Xiaomi-14-DxOMark-Ranking_5b4a0fd485.jpg)
