The Redmi Note series has been known for striking a perfect balance between performance and affordability while being supremely eye-catching. However, with the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus, the series has again crossed the 30 grand mark just like its previous iteration. Naturally, tagging the phone as an affordable option for value-oriented customers has become even harder.
Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus
Rs 29,999
What Is Good?
- Gorgeous design
- Competent cameras
- Smooth 120Hz display
- Reliable battery life
- Consistent performance
What Is Bad?
- Bloatware apps
- Pricing could've been more aggressive
Considering the steep increase in pricing, the smartphone has automatically gathered an immense expectation of delivering terrific feature sets while slotting itself in the league of formidable phones like the Vivo T3 Ultra and the Realme GT 6T. Did Xiaomi account for this matter and build the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus well enough to emerge victorious in this tough battle? Find out in my review.
Pricing and Availability in India
The Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus is available via Flipkart and the brand’s website. You can also grab it from stores near you. Here’s a look at the pricing. The brand also offers bank discounts worth Rs 1,000 on various credit cards:
| Variant | Price |
| 8GB+128GB | Rs 29,999 |
| 8GB+256GB | Rs 31,999 |
| 12GB+512GB | Rs 34,999 |
Design and Build Quality
The Pro lineup of the Redmi Note series hasn’t made waves for its appearance for a while now. Considering this, Xiaomi started taking baby steps in glamorising the lineup with its 12th edition of the Note series. But they have switched up their game significantly with the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus.
The tapered edges and gorgeous camera island have played a major role in shaping this opinion. The duo has elevated the phone’s look to a level you expect from an upper mid-range phone. While the sleek curves make gripping the phone a comfortable experience, the latter embellishes the phone like a dapper tuxedo does to a man.
| Design | Specifications |
| Colour options | Sceptre Blue, Titan Black, and Phantom Purple |
| Weight | 210g |
| Thickness | 8.75mm |
| IP rating | IP68 |
| Port and Button placements | Bottom: SIM tray, primary microphone, USB port, and speaker grille
Top: Secondary microphone and speaker Right Side: Power button and volume button |
It is a minor niggle, however, the camera bump should’ve been trimmed in thickness as its protrusion caused me slight inconvenience while playing intensive games like BGMI.
What isn’t a niggle but a spot-on attribute of the phone is the weight distribution because lugging it around didn’t cause any exertion on my hand.
Colour is another key factor for any attractive design to achieve its title. The Note 14 Pro Plus in Sceptre Blue and Titan Black colours looks pretty, that said its Phantom Purple variant could easily be crowned for being enchanting.
Despite its sleek design, the Note 14 Pro Plus doesn’t feel fragile. Its sturdy frame suggests that it will accompany you on the journey of making memories for years. With the IP68 rating, using the phone beside a pool won’t worry you much.
Display and Audio
The Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus features a curved display, inheriting one of the best parts about the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus. While the screen’s curvature injects sophistication into the phone from the front, its crisp picture quality offers an amazing viewing experience.
I had a gala watching an episode of the Dandadan series on Crunchyroll due to how vibrant the episode appeared with spotless colour consistency. The cherry on top is with the HDR10+ and Widevine L1 certification, you too can have a terrific movie marathon night by watching movies and series at their best quality on streaming services like Netflix.
| Display | Specifications |
| Size | 6.67-inch |
| Type | AMOLED |
| Resolution | FHD+ (1200 x 2712) |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz |
| Peak brightness | Claimed: 3000 nits, Tested: 1649 nits |
| Minimum brightness | 21 nits |
| Display protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Other features | 100% DCI-P3 wide colour gamut and HydroTouch |
Indoors, I barely cranked up the brightness beyond the 40 per cent mark to play games, while I comfortably scrolled through my Instagram feed outdoors without straining my eyes under the direct sunlight.
The audio quality was pleasant since the stereo speaker emitted loud music even at half the volume with a fairly balanced sound signature.
Performance and Software
The Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus is the first phone to debut with the all-new Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 globally. While this is a boastful achievement, it also places an unwarranted amount of onus on you to execute the nascent technology down to the T. How you handle the technology will set an early impression on people’s minds, and they generally don’t let go of their first take because the first impression is the last.
| Hardware | Specifications |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 |
| RAM | Up to 12GB |
| Storage | Up to 512GB |
| Storage test | 43516 |
| CPU Throttling test | 84% of its maximum performance |
| Geekbench 6 | Multi-core: 3158, Single-core: 1158 |
| Software version | Xiaomi HyperOS based on Android 14 |
| Connectivity details | Dual SIM, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, NFC and IR Blaster |
| Number of Software Updates | 3 years of OS updates with 4 years of security patch updates |
While Xiaomi has preserved the image of the new chipset, Vivo T3 Ultra, the Realme GT 6T, or even the Poco F6, especially with the recent price drops can offer fierce competition.
Keeping benchmarks aside, the phone effortlessly managed my routine tasks while hardly encountering hiccups. To give you a context, my routine tasks consist of social media surfing, calling, texting and binge-watching content.
Moreover, I played BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile to test its gaming calibre. During gameplay, the games seldom put any load on the phone while operating at a low graphical setting and ran smoothly with frame rates hovering around 60 fps. That said, it faltered a bit, especially while running Call of Duty: Mobile at its peak graphical setting with some frame drops reaching up to 45 fps. Later, this issue didn’t appear again in subsequent rounds of matches and the game continued running at 60 fps.
The Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus runs on Xiaomi HyperOS, based on Android 14. The software has an amazing harmonious relationship with the processor, so much so that I never felt the phone needed to be faster since each animation was pretty smooth. Beyond this, the OS provides many customisation options and some useful AI features, like Circle to Search, an AI speech interpreter, and an AI translation tool, to name a few.
Unfortunately, the phone isn’t freed from HyperOS’s bloatware side as it has preinstalled apps with some bloatware you can disable but can’t uninstall.
Camera
The camera island on the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus’s rear houses a triple camera setup, and all three cameras performed admirably in my testing.
| Camera | Specifications |
| Primary Camera | 50-megapixel Light Fusion 800 with OIS, ƒ/1.6 |
| Secondary Camera | 8-megapixel, ultra-wide |
| Tertiary Camera | 50-megapixel, 2.5x zoom |
| Selfie Camera | 20-megapixel |
| Video recording capabilities | Up to 4K at 30 fps, EIS/OIS |
The primary camera is adept at taking appealing, detailed photos with great vibrancy. Aside from this, the HDR is processed almost accurately in these images so you can post them straight to your social media with some tweaks here and there.
The telephoto camera is the next camera you can rely on for your social media game. That’s because, besides its usual duties, it can take some captivating portrait shots.
However, underlying issues hold this camera from attaining greatness: it struggles to tune colour temperature optimally for certain weather conditions, and you will be driven to keep the phone steady while using it.
The ultra-wide camera is similar to the other two cameras, though it captures relatively less detail due to its lower-resolution sensor. Furthermore, its images come out underexposed owing to its smaller aperture size.
The low-light performance of the primary and telephoto cameras was satisfactory, and I had fun taking my cousin’s photos for his next profile picture with these two cameras. These images were close to natural colours.
I noticed a few downsides: some noises occasionally sneaked in while the slower shutter speed blurred images in dimly lit situations due to sudden movements. The photos from the ultra-wide camera were pleasing, but it also showed its behaviour in daylight here.
Speaking of selfies, the front camera can capture great shots with nearly accurate skin tone.
Battery
With its massive 6,200mAh battery, it was almost a child’s play for the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus to last a moderate day of usage, consisting of gaming, photoshoots, scrolling across Instagram feeds, and more, with some capacity remaining for the next day.
| Battery | Specifications |
| Battery | 6,200mAh |
| Charging Adapter | 90W fast charging, charger-in-the-box |
| Charging Time | 54 minutes |
| PCMark battery test | 15 hours and 25 minutes |
During our PCMark Battery Test, the Note 14 Pro Plus lasted 15 hours and 25 minutes, which can empower the brand to brag about, but not enough to outmatch the Vivo T3 Pro, our reigning champion which clocked in 5 hours and 35 minutes more with lesser capacity. Another thing to highlight is that the Vivo T3 Pro is priced relatively lower.
The 90W charger takes almost an hour to charge the battery completely.
Verdict
A lot is in favour of the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus as your next phone: It offers a superb display with great speakers for an indulgent movie experience. Its reliable battery ensures no interruption in your several attempts to get the chicken dinner in BGMI. Its competent camera will assist you in capturing your memories beautifully. Above all, you can reap these benefits from a phone with such a captivating exterior.
However, you need to take note of its kryptonite before purchasing: While the software has smooth animation and functions pretty well, it has bloatware that may annoy you with spammy notifications. But the bigger highlight is its pricing. This setback alone will make the phone’s performance seem underwhelming as it doesn’t match the standard experience you get in other phones within a similar price range.
The Vivo T3 Ultra is another good option if you want a performance-centric phone with good optics, at a similar price. The Realme GT 6T and Poco F6 can also be considered if you want a more affordable option. For a clean UI experience, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro can be a great choice.
