2024 was relatively uneventful for Xiaomi, but not in a negative sense. Most of what Xiaomi released this year was the expected evolution of its previous generation devices, but not necessarily boring. Perhaps the only thing that shook up the landscape was the release of its first EV – the Xiaomi SU7. So, let’s start with this.
Winner: Xiaomi SU7
If we look at the figures, Xiaomi SU7 is a hit. The company’s brand new factory is working overtime to meet demand and has been able to exceed its initial target of 2024 by a wide margin.
Subjectively speaking, Xiaomi did very well with its first car. We also got a chance to try it out and were impressed by its build quality, features, and ergonomics. It seems like Xiaomi has previous experience in manufacturing vehicles.
Losers: HyperOS and battery life
HyperOS seems to be lagging behind the competition in some aspects. This doesn’t mean that Xiaomi’s overlay is bad overall as it definitely has some strong aspects. Our experience with HyperOS has been very smooth and reliable. However, the feature separation between the Chinese ROM, global ROM, and Poco Launcher is arbitrary at this point.
Some features are exclusive to the Chinese version of the OS. An example is notification history. Another difference, but one that’s hard for us to wrap our heads around, is the missing double-tap-to-lock function, which can be found on Pocos but not on standard Xiaomis and Redmis. go figure!
And our last complaint is about battery life. Looking at our tests, Xiaomi’s phones have struggled to deliver competitive battery life across all of its phone ranges, so it’s easy to conclude that HyperOS is the main culprit.
We’re probably the last people to complain about AI, but HyperOS feels behind when it comes to AI-powered features. We hope 2025 will be better.
Winner: Xiaomi 14 Ultra
Another year, another great flagship phone from Xiaomi. Despite the unimpressive battery life, the phone is much better in every other aspect. And perhaps more importantly, it’s one of the best cameraphones on the market.
We’re particularly impressed by the video recording capabilities and the versatile camera setup with different focal lengths.
Loser: Poco Lineup
Remember when people were eagerly waiting for the next Poco-branded flagship killer? Looks like those days are gone. The Poco lineup expanded and there are still some competing models like the Poco X6 Pro and maybe even the Poco M6 Pro. Both devices are very good all-rounders in their respective classes, but we feel that most of the handsets under the Poco branding are just fillers.
Even the Poco F6 Pro this year failed to excite. Sure, you get a top-tier chipset at a relatively low price, but smartphones have never been just about the chipset, especially in 2024. The camera experience is weak, battery life isn’t great, and the display is just about what I’d expect from a phone in this price range. And at the end of the day, you are getting a mid-range phone with a flagship chipset. Xiaomi needs to work more on its Poco lineup to bring it back to its former glory.
Winner: Redmi and Xiaomi 14T series
As is usually the case, Xiaomi’s Redmi lineup is one of the best-sellers in 2024. One could argue that the lineup has become a bit crowded and sometimes confusing, but that’s just Xiaomi’s way of attracting the masses. There is a suitable Redmi phone for every user. The Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G, the vanilla Redmi Note 13 5G and Pro+ stand out with excellent value for money.
The Xiaomi 14T is another favorite of ours from the lineup. The new 14T and 14T Pro offer substantial upgrades over their predecessors without resorting to a price increase. Although Xiaomi isn’t advertising them as flagship killers, we believe they’re as close as you can get to a flagship phone without breaking the bank. Furthermore, the 14T and 14T Pro offer one of the best camera experiences in their respective price categories.
Loser: Xiaomi Watch S4
Xiaomi Watch S4 is a good smartwatch. But it’s behind the curve compared to proper smartwatches, not glorified fitness trackers. Sadly, the Watch S4 doesn’t bring any meaningful improvements over its predecessor.
Xiaomi’s top-tier watches still run on proprietary HyperOS instead of Wear OS, which deprives them of deep Android integration and some useful Play Store apps. The selection of watch faces is also not that rich. The Mi Fitness companion app also needs more work.
Xiaomi has released some great new products this year and we can’t wait to see their successors in the next product. However, we wish they focused more on the software side as this would benefit their devices across the lineup.
