Xiaomi 14: The world's first Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 smartphone has arrived

Earlier this week, Qualcomm announced its latest flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Xiaomi also took to the stage during the event to confirm that its next flagship phone, the Xiaomi 14 series, will be the first to use the new chipset, and for those eager to get their hands on the device, the Xiaomi 14 series have been officially announced!

There are two phones in the lineup (for now) which includes the base Xiaomi 14 and the more expensive and feature rich Xiaomi 14 Pro. Both phones will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, so in terms of performance, both these devices are more or less identical.

One of the more obvious differences would be its design. The Xiaomi 14 looks like your typical smartphone with flat edges and an edge-to-edge display, while the Xiaomi 14 Pro has opted for a sleeker look with a slightly curved displays thanks to the use of Xiaomi's Longjing Glass.

Another difference is that the Xiaomi 14 will feature a smaller 6.36-inch display, while the Xiaomi 14 Pro will sport a larger 6.73-inch display, but even then both displays will have support for HDR10+, a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, and also a 120Hz refresh rate.

Another main difference is that the Xiaomi 14 will be available starting with 8GB of RAM and will go up to 16GB, while the Xiaomi 14 Pro will launch with 12GB and 16GB options, so there will be more RAM right off the bat.

In the camera department, interestingly enough both phones will feature near-identical camera specs. Both phones will feature a triple camera setup with a 50MP main, a 50MP telephoto, and a 50MP ultrawide, the only difference being that the Xiaomi 14 Pro's main camera has a slightly wider aperture of f/1.4 versus the f/1.6 on the Xiaomi 14.

Both cameras do feature Leica's branding and will also feature the use of a new "Light Hunter 900" sensor, ditching the use of the 1-inch sensor which is honestly a bit of a shame, but we'll have to wait and see how it performs in real-life before we judge it. In terms of battery, the Xiaomi 14 will sport a smaller 4,610mAh battery with 90W wired charging, while the Xiaomi 14 Pro will come with a larger 4,880mAh battery with 120W charging.

Both phones are currently available for pre-order in China for now, with the Xiaomi 14 starting at CNY 3,999, while the Xiaomi 14 Pro will be priced starting at CNY 4,999. If the rumors are true, we can expect to see both phones launch globally starting next year.