Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 5G review - The powerful entry-level smartphone with a big price advantage

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 5G offers a lot for an entry-level smartphone. This starts with its bright 120-Hz AMOLED display and continues with its solid main camera and impressive connectivity, including 5G, NFC, an IR blaster, and storage expansion via a microSD card. Its lightweight, high-quality and IP64-certified case is also a highlight.

Xiaomi wants around $300 for its smartphone but at the time of writing, you can already get it for $250, and the trend continues to fall sharply. You can confidently purchase the Redmi Note 14 5G for this price, as not many competitors offer such a good overall package. However, we would have liked to have seen a power supply included as well as longer software support for the phone—curiously, you only get both with the even cheaper Redmi Note 14 LTE.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 5G is currently available to purchase on Amazon for around $255.

Anyone looking for affordable smartphones from Xiaomi will find what they are looking for in its Redmi series. There are currently five different models available, of which we have already taken a closer look at the Redmi Note 14 LTE, the Redmi Note 14 Pro, the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G and the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G.

Now comes our review of the remaining Redmi model: The Redmi Note 14 5G officially costs around $300 and is only available in a version with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. As the product name suggests, the Redmi Note 14 5G comes with a 5G module, unlike the Redmi Note 14 LTE. It also uses slightly more powerful hardware than the entry-level model.

In terms of its design, the Redmi Note 14 5G has adopted a lot from its predecessor and also features a slim and lightweight plastic case with narrower display edges. Subtly rounded corners and edges, a weight of 190 grams and good build quality ensure that the smartphone feels nice to touch and comfortable to use.

There are three matte color variants to choose from, namely Midnight Black, Lavender Purple and Coral Green. Our test device is the latter. In the black version, the back cover is uniformly black, while in Lavender Purple and Coral Green it is decorated with a four-part pattern. All four surfaces reflect light a little differently and glitter slightly.

Its frame is made of an aluminum alloy in the same color as its case, while the phone's display is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. There is a protective film installed on its screen ex works. The smartphone also offers protection against dust and splashes of water in accordance with IP64.

With our Angelbird AV Pro V60 microSD reference card inserted, the Redmi Note 14 5G didn't quite achieve the microSD data throughput rates of its predecessor, but it managed more stable transfer rates than the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G.

Xiaomi hasn't provided any information on the Redmi Note 14 5G's CO₂ footprint. Nevertheless, the device comes in virtually plastic-free packaging and the manufacturer promises a long service life for its smartphone.

On the one hand, this is achieved through protective measures such as an energy-absorbing foam and internal four-corner reinforcement to protect the phone from drop damage. Secondly, its battery is said to still retain over 80 percent of its initial capacity even after four years of use or 1,600 charging cycles, according to Xiaomi.

The Redmi Note 14 5G doesn't break any speed records with its WiFi 5 module. However, when connected to our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 reference router, data transfers were stable and reached a peak of around 370 MBit/s. Competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G and the Motorola Edge 50 Neo show that you can expect significantly faster Wi-Fi even in this price range.

When it comes to communication technology, the Redmi Note 14 5G features an NFC module and a 5G module, coming ahead of its cheaper sister model, the Redmi Note 14 LTE. It recognizes all the important 5G bands in the DACH region (where this test was carried out), such as bands 1, 3, 28, 77 and 78.

The Redmi Note 14 5G uses Google's standard app to make calls and delivers decent call quality. From time to time, we sounded a little tinny to the person on the other end of the line, and ambient noise wasn't always effectively suppressed. However, we noted no noise or dropouts during our test calls.

VoLTE and Wi-Fi calls can be activated in the phone's settings, but not eSIMs.

In our test lab, the phone's main camera sometimes had problems capturing colors accurately, even in optimal lighting. Compared to the reference colors of the ColorChecker test chart, there were major deviations in green tones and darker shades of gray. In 1 lux of residual light, the previously sharp test chart and the ColorChecker chart could only be partially recognized.

The EU scope of delivery of the Redmi Note 14 5G includes a USB-C cable, a SIM tool, a protective cover and two leaflets with a quick start guide as well as safety and warranty information. You'll have to take care of the matching 45-watt power supply yourself.

Xiaomi offers accessories such as power adapters, power banks and headphones in its online store. Xiaomi Care insurance cover can also be purchased for the Redmi Note 14 5G. This runs for 2 years and covers either accidental damage only or theft.

The Redmi Note 14 5G comes with a 12-month warranty in the EU, where this test was carried out.

Xiaomi relies almost exclusively on MediaTek processors for its current Redmi smartphones—only the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G is an exception with its Snapdragon 7s Gen 3. In contrast, the Redmi Note 14 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7025, which is slightly faster than the MediaTek Dimensity 6080 of its predecessor.

The Redmi Note 14 5G did well amongst the comparison devices in our test, but only ranked in the lower third when it came to performance. However, this shouldn't play a major role during everyday use, as the Xiaomi phone runs smoothly and only reaches its limits when tackling demanding apps.

The MediaTek Dimensity 7025 uses the Imagination IMG BXM-8-256 as a graphics unit, which, like the SoC, can be classified as a mid-range model in terms of its performance. However, it ranked somewhat below average compared to the competition during our test. Due to Vulkan incompatibility, most 3DMark tests didn't run on the smartphone.

The Redmi Note 14 5G did consistently well in the browser benchmarks and delivered a performance that is typical for its class. The predecessor model—the Redmi Note 13 5G—was significantly slower in some cases.

Thanks to its UFS 2.2 flash storage, the Redmi Note 14 5G is on par with the competition and boasts relatively short loading times for apps and games.

The Redmi Note 14 5G is equipped with stereo speakers. Although they clearly lack bass, they manage to reproduce mids and highs quite linearly. The small sound membranes convey voices well. With music, however, the sound lacks depth.

For a better sound experience, we recommend connecting external speakers or a headset to the smartphone, which can be done via its 3.5 mm jack or Bluetooth 5.3. Numerous Bluetooth codecs such as AAC, LDAC and various aptX and LHDC variants are supported.

Despite the MediaTek Dimensity 7025's moderate computing power, the Redmi Note 14 5G isn't one of the most frugal smartphones in its class. Overall, however, it runs more energy-efficiently than the Nothing Phone (2a) and the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G.

The Redmi Note 14 5G's 5,110 mAh battery drains comparatively quickly. During our realistic Wi-Fi test, the smartphone ran for around 13 hours, while playing a video in a continuous loop lasted almost 17 hours. With the exception of the Redmi Note 13 5G, this didn't bring the competition out in a sweat, some of which achieved significantly longer runtimes.

We had a 45-watt power adapter from Xiaomi at our disposal for our test. One full charging cycle took 70 minutes. If you only want to charge up to 80 percent, you'll have to wait 55 minutes.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 5G scored points in our test with its extensive features at a comparatively low price. Still, the entry-level phone would have benefited from longer software support in particular.