Xiaomi 14 Civi First Impressions

Xiaomi 14 Cinematic Vision (long for Civi) is the company’s first smartphone, co-engineered with a Leica tagline at a price point that was tough to imagine at this price earlier. Gadgets 360 was the first publication that reported about the launch of Civi in India last month. But before diving into 14 Civi, let’s talk about Xiaomi’s tryst in the premium smartphone segment. The first attempt to crack the premium segment in India was led by the Xiaomi 12 Pro in 2022, followed by the Xiaomi 13 Pro, the first in the company’s line-up to come with the Leica collaboration. But both these smartphones were priced above Rs. 60,000 in India. If you look at the company’s current line-up, there’s a huge gap between the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ and Xiaomi 14. And that’s where the Xiaomi 14 Civi launch makes all the more sense.

Before diving into our first impressions, let’s talk about the prices. Xiaomi 14 Civi price in India is set at Rs. 47,999 for the 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. The 8GB RAM + 256GB storage is priced at Rs 42,999. The smartphone goes on sale in India starting June 20, 2024, at 12:00 PM IST and will be available across Mi.com, Flipkart and select offline retailers across India. 

Xiaomi 14 Civi: The package

Looking at Xiaomi’s 14 Civi spec sheet hints that the company tried its best to put in everything a smartphone enthusiast can think of at this price point. Right from the top-of-the-line chipset, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor and the Leica Vario Summilux camera setup feature a 50-megapixel primary camera accompanied by a 50-megapixel telephoto camera and 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. Of course, thanks to being co-engineered with Leica, the 14 Civi gets all the bells and whistles one expects in the camera division, including two photographic styles – Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant looks and much more. The Xiaomi 14 Civi is also the only smartphone currently in the Indian market to offer dual selfie cameras – a dual 32-megapixel setup at the front.

Xiaomi 14 Civi features a 6.55-inch quad-curved AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate

At 7.4mm thickness and 177 grams weight, the Xiaomi 14 Civi is among the slimmest and most lightweight smartphones at this price point. To add some context, the Pixel 8a is 8.9mm thick and weighs 188 grams. On the other hand, iQOO 12 is 8.1mm thick and weighs 198.5 grams. The OnePlus 12R, priced under Rs. 50,000, is 8.8mm thick and weighs 207 grams. Coming to the display, the 14 Civi at 6.55-inch sits perfectly between Xiaomi 14’s 6.36-inch and 14 Ultra’s 6.73-inch displays. It gets a 120Hz refresh rate, 3000nits peak brightness, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+. The 14 Civi packs a 4700mAh battery with a 67W fast charging adapter in the box.

Xiaomi 14 Civi (on the left) and Xiaomi 14 (on the right) size comparison

Xiaomi 14 Civi: Initial thoughts

While the Xiaomi 14 Civi appears to tick many right boxes on paper, the real test is yet to come. We will thoroughly test this device and provide you with a review in the coming days. Stay tuned for our verdict, where we’ll delve deeper into the performance, camera capabilities, battery life, and more.

With metal frames, the 14 Civi feels solid in the hands, and thanks to its dimensions, it is comfortable to use with just one hand. It comes in Cruise Blue, Matcha Green and Classic Matte Edition, which we got for our review. It’s worth mentioning that Xiaomi’s attention to detail for each colourway is fantastic.

Xiaomi 14 Civi sports a triple camera setup at the back

The curve design is perfect for one-handed usage, and much like the 14 Ultra, the Civi gets the company’s quad-curve display with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. For camera housing placement, the Civi is more identical to the bigger sibling, 14 Ultra.

Shot using Xiaomi 14 Civi main lens

Thanks to the Leica collaboration, the 14 Civi gets tons of camera modes, including Portrait mode with Leica’s true styles. We will dive deep into cameras in our review.

Xiaomi 14 Civi supports 3000nits of peak brightness and comes with Dolby Vision and HDR10+

It runs on HyperOS based on Android 14, which Xiaomi’s most new phones are launching with. In the limited time we have spent with Xiaomi 14 Civi, it looks snappy when it comes to everyday tasks and multitasking. Gaming is handled smoothly as we tried some sessions of BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile. The display is bright and good for all your multimedia needs. The cameras are the main attraction, and we will reserve our verdict for the review. Initial impressions of the camera put it right next to its other siblings – Xiaomi 14 and 14 Ultra in terms of overall quality. The dual selfie cameras on the Xiaomi 14 Civi will likely bring back the days when phones had dual cameras at the front. The 4700mAh battery with 67W fast charging support seems a good addition. However, does it offer the best battery life in this segment? Well, we will have to test that, so we will reserve the verdict on the battery.

Xiaomi 14 Civi sports a circular camera housing the back identical to the bigger sibling, Xiaomi 14 Ultra

Overall, the Xiaomi 14 Civi is a solid contender in the sub-Rs. 50,000 segment. With the kind of spec sheet and features list, we believe Civi should be able to outshine the competition comfortably. It’s always good to see new entrants challenging the best smartphones in the segment because we can expect fireworks, which benefit consumers, too. Now, time will tell how hot the sub-Rs. 50,000 smartphone segment will be in the coming days. Till then, stay tuned for our Xiaomi 14 Civi review.