Redmi 14C 5G review: Really nice budget phone

Xiaomi earlier this month launched the Redmi 14C 5G , the company's first phone of the year 2025 in India.

It is available in three configurations-- 4GB RAM + 64GB storage, 6GB RAM + 64GB storage and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage-- with prices starting at Rs 9,999. Here are my thoughts on the latest budget Android phone .

Design, build quality and display

The new Redmi 14C has an uncanny resemblance to the Redmi A4. It has a massive circular camera module on the back.

It also features flat railings on the sides and curved corners. I won't complain as it offers a good grip for the fingers to hold onto the big device firmly.

The back is covered with the glass panel to offer glossy finish. However, it is a fingerprint magnet. Also, dust gets to accumulates on the circular camera module, which protrudes a bit from the cover panel's surface. The device owner has to clean the device quite often to make it appear neat.

Our review unit is stargaze black. Xiaomi offers the device is two other colours such as starlight blue and stardust purple.

. On the bright side, the device is made of sturdy material and can survive water splashes too. It has an IP52 rating.

It also features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, a 3.5mm audio jack, a loudspeaker (with 150 per cent volume boost capability), triple slots (for two nano SIMs and a microSD card) and a type-c port for charging and data transfer.

On the front, the new Redmi 14C 5G sports a 6.88-inch HD+(1600 x 720p) display. It has a 20:9 aspect ratio and supports a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 600 nits of peak brightness.

. The big display is great for watching movies and TV series for long hours. Also, it supports features to control blue light emissions to lessen the strain on the eyes during the night time while reading e-books or long-form news articles.

For a phone, which costs less than Rs 10,000, the side-mounted fingerprint sensor is very good. It works without any issues way better than those on-screen fingerprint sensors.

Performance

Redmi 14C houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 octa-core processor. It can clock maximum CPU speed up to 2.2GHz. It is backed by Adreno 613 GPU, 4GB/6GB LPDDR4X RAM, 64GB/128GB UFS 2.2 storage (expandable up to 1TB).

The device is designed for regular day-to-day work and supports smaller games such as Candy Crush, Angry Birds and other online board games.

The device runs Android 14-based Xiaomi HyperOS. It is guaranteed to get two years of Android OS update (up to Android 16) and an additional year of security software support.

. It comes with a 5,160mAh battery with 18W charging speed capability. The device manages to offer one and half days under normal usage (with Wi-Fi connectivity at home and the office).

If you are relying fully on a cellular network for data, the device will still be able to deliver a whole day of battery life.

Unlike Snapdragon 4s Gen 2-powered Redmi A4, which supports only the standalone(SA) 5G network, Redmi 14C 5G supports both the SA and Non-Standalone (NSA) network.

So, Redmi 14C will support the 5G service offered by both Airtel and Reliance Jio in India. Even the soon-to-be-launched 5G services of Vodafone and BSNL.

. Photography

Xiaomi's budget phone also boasts to dual-camera module-- main 50MP( with f/1.8 aperture) with a secondary camera and LED flash on the back.

. Redmi 14C 5G's camera sampleIt takes decent photos in natural sunlight and low-light conditions.

. Though it doesn't support ultra-wide angle, the camera manages to capture wide areas pretty well.

. Even the portrait mode does a fine job of getting sharp photos of the subject with a dramatic bokeh blur effect in the background.

. At night, the phone gets decent-quality images.

. With close-up shots, the device manages to get clear photos with minute details.

. On the front, it houses an 8MP camera. It is way better than the Redmi 4A. It takes good selfies in the natural light condition.

. The device can record videos up to 1080p resolution. It is of decent quality, on par with rival brands in its class.

. Final thoughts

The Redmi 14C 5G features pretty much the same features as the Redmi A4 5G but differs in a few aspects such as supporting NSA 5G bands and an improved selfie camera.

As noted earlier the Redmi 14C supports both NSA and SA 5G bands. Also, it takes better selfies.

Besides the two aspects, the Redmi 14C houses a massive display and a big battery, a great combination for people who love spending time on social media platforms, YouTube, and watching multimedia content on OTT apps for several hours on a stretch.

. The Redmi 14C comes in three colours-- stardust purple, stargaze black and starlight blue. It is available in three configurations-- 4GB RAM + 64GB storage, 6GB RAM + 64GB storage and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage-- for Rs 9,999, Rs 10,999 and Rs 11,999, respectively.

.Xiaomi Redmi A4 5G review: Good budget phone for multi-media consumption. Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech .

Redmi 14C 5G review: Really nice budget phone

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