Xiaomi 14 Ultra design upgrades and color options pop up in new leak

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is tipped to launch as an improved version of its predecessor with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and perhaps even better rear cameras. To that end, it will also even look like an updated version of the 13 Ultra, according to a new leak.

The 13 Ultra is a large phone made even bigger by a "streamlined raised design" ostensibly intended to look like a Leica-style grip blending with its round rear camera hump. Now, it is said to be back for a second generation in the 14 Ultra.

The unusual "micro-curved" rear panel sort of looked stuck on to the back of the 13 Ultra thanks to the way the chunky, rounded mid-frame was designed. However, that feature has all but disappeared in the upcoming 14-series flagship according to typically reliable leaker Digital Chat Station, who seems to intimate that the 14 Ultra's rear panel will extend further backwards to thinner side rails instead.

On that note, the famous leaker indicates that the 14 Ultra might be available in "blue glass, orange silicon, and black silicon" in a new Weibo post on the subject. That apparent choice of words might suggest an entirely new rear panel material - or, more likely, is a failure of Google Translate to pinpoint a more predictable term like "vegan leather".

Nevertheless, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is now backed to launch as a more "holistic" super-flagship smartphone, regardless of finish.