Hi there, please join me as we discuss the curious case of the Redmi Note 14 4G. This one promises to be interesting for several reasons. Some of which you probably already know and others you will soon find out.
The Redmi Note series which took the world by storm in 2019 and has continued to be very popular ever since is not a singular identity but a series of phones. This is something I have been trying to explain to everyone. This is especially true for those who assume (incorrectly) that all Redmi phones are the same.
Redmi Note devices
The Redmi Note devices are the zenith point of the Redmi series and they’re split into 2 main categories. These are:
- Redmi Note (vanilla)
- Redmi Note Pro
The vanilla Redmi Note is the more popular one and is this one that is most likely to be pushed by the company. It used to be a lower mid-ranger whilst the Redmi Note Pro used to be an upper mid-ranger. There was a clear delineation between the vanilla Note and the Note Pro.
However as tech specs continued to improve and Redmi stagnated, vanilla Redmi notes fell from lower mid-range into the budget category while the Note Pro dropped from upper midrange into lower mid-range.
Remember smartphones are arranged generally according to the following tiers:
- Flagship
- Flagship killer
- Premium Midrange
- Upper Midrange
- Lower Midrange
- Budget
- Entry level
See: How Smartphones are named?
Even though performance wise, the vanilla Redmi Note dropped into the budget category, they still retained many Midrange features such as stereo speakers, AMOLED displays and high resolution cameras.
This is what has blinded many people to the fact that they’ve not really improved much.
Since the Redmi Note 11, vanilla Redmi Notes have been using the same templates with some minor improvements here and there from camera resolution to charging speed but it’s essentially the same phone.
So colour me surprised when I saw the specs of the Redmi Note 14 4G. The weaker one, the vanilla one.
Redmi Note 14 4G key specs
- Body: Aluminum frame, plastic back, 196g, IP54 water splash and dust protection
- Display: 6.67″ 1080p AMOLED, 120Hz, 395ppi, 1800nits, Gorilla Glass 5
- Processor: MediaTek Helio G99
- OS: Android 14, HyperOS
- Camera: 108MP + 2MP + 2MP
- Selfie: 20MP
- Video: 1080p@60fps
- Sound: stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack, Dolby Atmos
- Comms: 4G, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, NFC, IR blaster, USB C (2.0)
- Sensors: Under display fingerprint sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, proximity sensors, light and ambient sensors, compass
- Battery: 5500mAh
Performance
The Redmi Note 14 4G is miles ahead of the Redmi Note 13 4G. This is the first time that I have actually seen an improvement in years and you want to know the best part. It could very well be priced with the same amount as the older Redmi Note 13 4G.
The leap from Snapdragon 685 to MediaTek’s Helio G99 is actually commendable. The performance is going to be a lot better. I know that there’s the usual group who will complain about the switch from Snapdragon to MediaTek but they’ll be ignored as usual.
This move alone has returned lower mid-range performance back to the vanilla Redmi Note series. However after that, not much was improved upon.
Body
There’s an aluminum frame now to help with durability but I don’t think most people even realize that the frames of their phones were made with hardened plastic.
It is only Zack of JerryRigEverything that goes about trying to bend phones.
I know that there’s real life cases of phones being put in back pockets and sat on. The real victim in scenarios like this will mostly likely be the screen (not the frame) but all improvements are welcome.
Software
Next up is Android 14 and Hyper OS. As usual, software will be software. Software is usually the same across the board. What really matters is how well the processor on board can handle the software and with the Helio G99, that case is settled.
Cameras
As for cameras, they’ve kept the old 108MP main sensor but dropped the 8MP ultra wide for a 2MP depth sensor. To compensate, they increased the resolution of the selfie camera to 20MP from 16MP.
Battery and charging
The battery remains the same old 5000mAh with 33W of fast charge.
Sound
They kept the stereo speakers and even added Dolby Atmos as well.
Pricing
It is rumoured that the vanilla Redmi Note 14 4G will be selling for around the same price that the old Redmi Note 13 4G used to sell for. This raises a lot of questions.
The Redmi Note 13 Pro 4G with nearly identical specs sold for over 350k. The Redmi Note 14 Pro 4G is rumoured to be selling for around the same amount. However, the Redmi Note 14 4G with very similar specs is selling for 100,000 less.
So basically Redmi are expecting you to pay 100k for extra camera resolution, 15W extra fast charge and IP64. Apparently, Redmi is just assigning prices, not based on specs or quality but arbitrarily.
Conclusion
So yeah. The Redmi Note 14 is a good upgrade on the older Redmi Note 13 4G and is on par with the Redmi Note 14 Pro 4G.
This is the only phone in the 14 series that is decent or even worth recommending. The Redmi Note 14 Pro 4G is simply overpriced. I would never advise anyone to buy a Helio G99 phone for over 250k much less 350k. That’s it.
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