Who’s worthy of wearing the Ultra crown?
Intro
When it comes to smartphones, the word « ultra » currently describes devices that occupy the utmost top of the food chain. Today, we’re comparing two phones with « ultra » in their names, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
These two have a lot in common, and if you compare the specs side by side, you will definitely see some matches. Specswise, both the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and the Galaxy S24 Ultra come with top notch hardware, and the main difference lies in the design of the phones.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is, of course, very easy to get in the US, both through all the major carriers and also unlocked and contract-free, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is technically available globally, but you will need to put in some extra effort in order to get one. As far as prices go, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra comes in at a whopping 1,499 euros (more than $1,600), while the Galaxy S24 Ultra starts at $1,299.99.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra differences explained:
Xiaomi 14 UltraGalaxy S24 Ultra
A tad more compact and lightweight Larger and heavier but not by much
Slightly smaller 6.73-inch display, but brighter and crisper Bigger 6.8-inch screen, same resolution, a little less pixels per inch
Four 50MP cameras, two telephoto cameras with similar zoom levels, the ultrawide has larger field of view Four cameras, with a 200MP sensor under the main one, two telephotos, and a ultrawide
More memory in the top tier version (16GB/1TB) Less memory in the top tier version (12GB/1TB)
32MP selfie camera 12MP selfie camera
Same battery size (5,000mAh) but faster wired charging (90W) Same battery size (5,000mAh) but slower wired charging (45W)
Four years of major OS updates Seven years of major OS updates
Table of Contents:
Design and Display
Performance and Software
Camera
Audio Quality
Battery and Charging
Specs
Which one should you buy?
Design and Display QualityFlat vs curvy
Let’s start with the size, as both phones are quite hefty. The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a bigger screen, which translates to a larger body and a heavier phone. Not by much, but you will definitely feel the difference in your hand, mainly due to the different design approach.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is flatter and much more squarish than the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, and it feels very wide in the hand. The Xiaomi, on the other hand, thanks to its rounded corners and slightly curved back and front, feels more compact in the hand.
The most noticeable difference, though, is the huge circular camera bump on the back of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. It follows Xiaomi’s design philosophy from previous iterations of the model and also goes well with the camera accessory, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra looks more stylish with its separate camera cutouts. Both phones sport IP68 water and dust protection, and both phones offer a titanium frame (it’s a special edition model for the Xiaomi 14 Ultra; the regular model uses aluminum).
Moving to display specs, we find some similarities here as well. The resolution of both panels is very similar: 1440 x 3200 pixels for the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and 1440 x 3120 pixels for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The size difference translates into a higher pixel-per-inch density for the Xiaomi, 522 PPI versus 505 PPI, respectively. In practice, both are very crisp and sharp, and you probably won’t be able to tell the difference.
Both phones sport LTPO panels that can dynamically switch between 1 and 120 Hz refresh rates (with everything in between), and both can output some impressive brightness numbers. On paper, the Xiaomi can do 3,000 nits of peak brightness, while the Galaxy lists 2,600. During our lab tests, we weren’t able to push the Xiaomi past the 1,000 nit mark but overall, both phones look very bright subjectively, and display colors pretty accurately.
Display Measurements:
Screen measurements
Color charts
Maximum brightnessHigher is betterMinimum brightness(nits)Lower is betterColor temperature(Kelvins)GammaDelta E rgbcmyLower is betterDelta E grayscaleLower is better
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 1280
(Excellent) 1.1
(Excellent) 6543
(Excellent) 1.93
2.86
(Good) 6.45
(Average)
Xiaomi 14 Ultra 978
(Excellent) 1.9
(Excellent) 6755
(Excellent) 2.19
2.36
(Good) 5.1
(Average)
View
all
Color gamut
Color accuracy
Grayscale accuracy
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display’s color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The ‘x:CIE31’ and ‘y:CIE31’ values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. ‘Y’ shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while ‘Target Y’ is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, ‘ΔE 2000’ is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
These measurements are made using Portrait Displays’ CalMAN calibration software.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display’s measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors.
