This new affordable flagship doesn't reuse an older flagship SoC

Android flagships are usually defined as phones with the very best SoC available in the market. However, flagship SoCs have risen in pricing over the years, making it quite challenging to pack the latest SoC and still get a good spec combination. OEMs have resorted to using older flagship SoCs to achieve a good value-spec combination, but many users still demand the latest SoC around for future-proofing when they spend their hard-earned money. Xiaomi is solving this dilemma with the new Xiaomi 14 Civi, bringing the flagship Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC with an interesting combination of specifications.

The Xiaomi 14 Civi for global markets is practically a rebrand of the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro, which was launched in China some months ago. This flagship comes with a 6.55-inch 120Hz 1.5K (2,750 x 1,236 pixels) AMOLED display, with 10-bit support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision and quad-curved edges with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection.

One of the stars of the show is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC, which is the younger sibling of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. There’s up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage on board. There’s a decent 4,700mAh battery on board with 67W fast charging but no wireless charging. There’s an IP53 rating here, as well as NFC support.

Camera duties are handled by the 50MP Light Hunter 800 primary sensor with f/1.63 aperture and OIS. Telephoto duties are handled by a 50MP f/1.98 sensor with autofocus for 2x telephoto zoom. The ultrawide is a 12MP shooter with a 120° FoV. Interestingly, there are two 32MP front cameras here to handle wide and ultrawide selfies.

Xiaomi is touting various AI-related features on the Xiaomi 14 Civi, including AI Erase, AI Expansion, AI Photo, AI Album, Real-time subtitles, AI Summary, AI Input Assistant, and AI Picture Creation. The Xiaomi 14 Civi comes with Hyper OS based on Android 14, and Xiaomi is promising three HyperOS updates and four years of security updates.

Xiaomi 14 Civi pricing and availability

The Xiaomi 14 Civi is available in India for Rs. 42,999 (~$515) for the 8GB + 256GB variant and Rs. 47,999 (~$575) for the 12GB + 512GB variant. It is available in three colors: Cruise Blue, Matcha Green, and Shadow Black.

The phone goes on preorder today and will be available on open sale from June 20, 2024 across Flipkart, Mi India, and Xiaomi Retail. You can get card discounts worth Rs. 3,000 (~$36) with ICICI bank credit cards. Pre-orders get a Redmi Watch 3 Active.

What do you think of the Xiaomi 14 Civi? Does it complement Xiaomi’s global lineup well? Let us know in the comments below!