However, the upper mid-range 14T still features a respectable spec sheet, including a MediaTek Dimensity 8300-Ultra SoC and a particular focus on photography with some help from Leica.

Sipping some Xiaomi 14T

Earlier in the month, we speculated on this launch and it turns out that most of what we suspected regarding the phone’s specs came to fruition. There’s a 6.67in AMOLED display up front featuring a ‘1.5K’ (1,220 x 2,712px) resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and support for HDR content.

Behind that sits the Dimensity 8300-Ultra chipset with access to a sizeable 12GB of system memory and 512GB of quick UFS 4.0 storage. For charging, you’re looking at 67W wired with no support for wireless. That’s still faster than what Samsung or Apple can manage but doesn’t stand out in this market segment as much as it used to.

You can also look forward to a few baked-in Google-powered AI features like Circle to Search, the Gemini assistant, and more.

Read More: Samsung’s budget Galaxy A16 set to drop with six years of OS updates

However, the focus from Xiaomi was on photography, particularly in low-light conditions. And who can blame them? Gotta get the most from that Leica partnership, ey? The Xiaomi 14T sports two 50MP sensors and a third 12MP ultra-wide in its rear camera array. Leica colour science is integrated into the camera app where you can choose from a few presets.

On to the part you’re probably more interested in – the price. For now at least, the device is most readily available through Xiaomi’s main channel partner Vodacom but we’re sure it’ll turn up in Xioami stores and other partnered stores before too long.

From as early as today you can get the Xiaomi 14T for a once-off price of R19,000 marked down to R17,300. There’s no telling if that’s a limited-time launch special or only meant to look like one. Either way, we’re sure the majority of new 14T owners will opt for a contract instead. If you’re going that route you can expect to pay at least R1,000/m for a 24-month contract or R800/m over 36 months.

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Xiaomi’s success in its second quarter of the year reflects robust growth across all key segments as quarterly revenue surged from 70.9 billion to 88.9 billion RMB (R134.34 billion to R231.14 billion) with an adjusted net profit of 6.2 billion RMB (R15.2 billion) and cash resources totalling 141 billion RMB (R366.6 billion).

Smart EV Business Milestone

A significant highlight is Xiaomi’s Smart Electric Vehicle (EV) business, which achieved 27,307 vehicle deliveries in Q2 2024. The company is on track to meet its full-year delivery target of 100,000 vehicles ahead of schedule, expected to be reached by November.

Expansion and Premiumization Strategy

Xiaomi’s premiumization strategy continues to yield impressive results. The smartphone division hit a record high in revenue, reaching 46.5 billion RMB (R114.5 billion), with 42.2 million smartphone shipments globally in Q2 2024. Of these, premium smartphones accounted for 22.1% of total shipments, further advancing Xiaomi’s market position.

The brand has now ranked among the top three global smartphone brands for 16 consecutive quarters, and Xiaomi has secured the No. 2 spot in Latin America. The company’s smartphone shipments rank in the top three across 58 countries and in the top five in 70 countries and regions worldwide, with a global market share of 14.6%—the fastest-growing brand among the top five in terms of shipments.

South Africa Performance

In South Africa, Xiaomi continues its impressive growth. For Q2 2024, Xiaomi secured its position among the top three smartphone vendors, holding a 12%-unit share in the local market. With a remarkable 146% annual growth in South Africa, Xiaomi is firmly establishing itself as a major player in the region, further building excitement for the Xiaomi 14T debut.

Unleashing a Leading Advantage with Human, Car, Home Integration

Xiaomi continues to break new ground in the IoT and lifestyle products segment, with revenue of 26.8 billion RMB (R65.9 billion). The company saw global tablet shipments increase by 106%, ranking 5th globally. Significant growth was also seen in smart large home appliances:

● Air conditioner shipments exceeded 3.3 million units

● Refrigerator shipments surpassed 600,000 units

● Washing machine shipments exceeded 400,000 units

The number of connected IoT devices on Xiaomi’s platform reached 822 million, while users with five or more connected devices climbed to 16.1 million.

Strong Internet Services Performance

Xiaomi’s internet services business also achieved strong profitability, with a record gross margin of 78.3%. Revenue from internet services totalled 8.3 billion RMB (R20.4 billion), with overseas internet services generating 2.7 billion RMB (R6.6 billion). The global Monthly Active Users (MAU) reached 676 million, an 11.5% year-on-year increase, while MAU in mainland China grew by 10.1%, reaching 164 million.

Looking Ahead

As Xiaomi prepares for the South African debut of the Xiaomi 14T, the company’s performance in Q2 2024 sets the stage for continued global expansion and innovation. With 87 new stores opened across 30 cities in China, Xiaomi’s commitment to growth and premiumization ensures a bright future as it pushes the boundaries of technology with its Human, Car, Home integration strategy.

For more information visit: www.mi.com/global/

The post Xiaomi’s 14T Global Launch in Berlin Fuels Excitement for South African Debut, Building on a Strong Q2 2024 appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

The last time we got our hands on a Xiaomi T-series device was the 11T back in 2021. It impressed us with its balance of affordability and performance, costing R14,000 at the time while sporting flagship-level specs like its Snapdragon 888 chipset, 120W charging, and respectable camera performance. We’re expecting more of the same from the 14T.

The Xiaomi 14T arrives in SA soon

It was only last week that Xiaomi debuted the 14T series at a global launch event in Berlin where it showed off two devices – the Xiaomi 14T and 14T Pro. While bringing both devices to SA would be nice, we’re only expecting to see the base 14T at the local launch event next week – if Xiaomi sticks to the same strategy as previous T-series launches, that is.

In the past, Xiaomi has tended to focus on photography, and since it partnered with Leica a few years ago, that trend should continue. The Xiaomi 14T features a trio of camera sensors ’round back which have all been “co-engineered” with Leica. These include a 50MP main sensor with OIS (optical image stabilisation), a 50MP telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultra-wide lens. There is also a 32MP front-facing camera for all your selfie needs.

A MediaTek Dimensity 8300-Ultra SoC is sandwiched inside with 12GB of LPDDR5X system memory and 256GB or 512GB of snappy UFS 4.0 storage. South Africa is more likely to receive the smaller of the two storage configs, although we’ll have to wait for the official launch to confirm that.

Up front, the 14T features an impressively specced 6.67in AMOLED display with a 1,220 x 2,712px resolution, a claimed 144Hz refresh rate, support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR10+ formats, and a peak brightness of 4,000 nits.

Other notable features include 67W wired charging for the 5,000mAh battery, a big step down from the 11T’s 120W charging three years ago. There’s still no wireless charging in the base 14T.

And how can you have a smartphone launch in 2024 without mentioning AI? The Xiaomi 14T will support plenty of AI-enhanced features like Google’s Circle to Search, and a host of others including AI Interpreter, AI Notes, AI Recorder, AI Captions, AI Film, AI image editing, and AI Portrait. We’ll need to spend some time with these before we’ll know if they’re any good.

As for the local price and availability dates, those details will come later. The device should launch on Tuesday, 8 October so it might well be available from then but we wouldn’t bet on it. You’ll need to wait until then anyway to find out what it will cost.

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