Xiaomi 14 vs iPhone 15: Which is the best compact phone?
Have a budget of around Rs 70,000? Don't get confused between the new Xiaomi 14 and Apple's iPhone 15. Read along and make the right choice.
Pranav Sawant
Published:Mar 08, 2024, 14:00 PM | Updated: Mar 08, 2024, 14:00 PM
Xiaomi 14 vs iPhone 15
Xiaomi has launched the all-new Xiaomi 14 compact flagship in the Indian market. The smartphone features a compact form factor and has Leica co-branded cameras. It is priced at Rs 69,999 and comes in three colour options, but how does it fare in front of the most popular compact phone in the under Rs 1 lakh premium range - iPhone 15? Let's find out.
Design
Apple's iPhone 15 comes with the standard iPhone design featuring a glass back and aluminium framing. The Xiaomi 14 has a design with a boxy camera island and a clean back. It also gets the same glass and aluminium build. Both have flat screens and rounded corners and are easy to grip. So design-wise, it's a personal preference.
Display
Xiaomi 14 features ultra-thin screen bezels. It sports a 6.36-inch 12-bit LTPO flat AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 3000 nits of peak brightness. The iPhone 14 also has a 6.1-inch bright 2000 nits screen with slim bezels, but it lacks high refresh rate. Rather, it gets a 60Hz refresh rate, which may feel sluggish to some. However, it has a Dynamic Island which can be useful.
Camera
Both the Xiaomi 14 and iPhone 15 boast excellent cameras. However, the iPhone 15 lacks a telephoto lens. The Xiaomi 14 has a 50MP main + 50MP telephoto + 50MP ultra-wide lens. The iPhone 15 only has two 12MP lenses for wide and ultra-wide shots. Furthermore, Xiaomi 14 can shoot 8K videos and has Leica's camera prowess, making it a better buy for those who want vibrant images. Video-wise, the iPhone may take a step further with its natural processing.
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Performance
Xiaomi 14, at least on paper, takes the lead in this category. It is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which is slightly more powerful than the a-year-old Apple A16 Bionic chipset. Also, Xiaomi 14 has more RAM and storage for the price. However, the real-world difference may not be much since both chips offer snappy performance.
Battery
In this department, the Xiaomi 14 again takes the lead as it packs a bigger 4,610mAh battery as opposed to 3,349mAh inside the iPhone 15. It also gets faster 90W wired and 50W wireless charging. The iPhone 15's charging is no way near and it only supports 15W wireless fast charging.
Software
Apple's iPhone 15 is expected to receive 4-5 years of OS and security updates. Xiaomi hasn't revealed about the software support for the Xiaomi 14, but it is expected to get around 4 years of support. It runs on Android 14 out of the box with HyperOS on top. Now, whether to choose iOS or Android is up to you.
Conclusion
Overall, the Xiaomi 14 offers a lot for the price. You get high refresh rate screen, a dedicated telephoto camera, the latest chipset, and faster charging. iPhone 15 lacks a high refresh rate and doesn't have anything extra to offer, it gives you just what you need and not the best like the Xiaomi 14. That said, Xiaomi 14 offers a better value for the price than iPhone 15. However, if you want an iPhone, then the iPhone 15 at around Rs 70,000 is your only choice.