Smartphones & Tablets | February 19, 2024
Since Xiaomi unveiled the 14th generation of its flagship phone last October in China, the market has seen significant changes, with the releases of rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S24 or the OnePlus 12. The usual delay between the launch in China and the launch in Europe has played a trick on Xiaomi this time, as it can no longer boast of being the first to adopt the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, for example. The latest leak of the Xiaomi 14 price also confirms that the company has made a controversial decision.
The Xiaomi 14 will be presented for the European and global market on February 25, coinciding with the celebration of the MWC in Barcelona; but its price has already been leaked, and it’s either good or bad news, depending on how you look at it. According to Techmaniacs, the starting price of the Xiaomi 14 will be 1,099 euros for the version with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage.
For context, the Xiaomi 13 was launched in Europe with a starting price of 999 euros, so you will have to pay 100 euros more to upgrade to the new generation; however, that’s not the whole story, and there’s an important factor to consider: the configuration of this basic version. The Xiaomi 13 came with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, so the comparison is not entirely fair; in fact, the Xiaomi 13 with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage cost 1,099 euros, so in practice, the Xiaomi 14 will be more affordable, as we will receive more storage for the same price if these data are confirmed.
Now, why this starting configuration for the Xiaomi 14 sold in Europe? In China, the Xiaomi 14 is offered with a basic version of 8 GB and 256 GB, but everything indicates that it will not reach our country, nor will the 16 GB RAM version. Everything points to the launch of the Xiaomi 14 in Europe being very limited compared to the launch in China, which also means that Europe will miss out on the Xiaomi 14 Pro. This is something that has been rumored for weeks, and has now been confirmed again with this leak.
Xiaomi’s decision not to launch the Pro model in Europe makes sense for several reasons. For starters, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is very close to being unveiled, and the company would not want to overshadow itself; this new model would be the true flagship and would represent a bigger leap compared to the basic Xiaomi 14.
The other possible reason is that Xiaomi is already thinking about the next generation, the Xiaomi 15, which would hit the market earlier than usual to compete more directly with the iPhone and to debut Qualcomm’s next processor ahead of the competition. Therefore, the Xiaomi 14 could spend little time on the market, and it would not make sense to launch the entire range only to abandon it in a few months. However, all of this is just speculation based on leaks, and until Xiaomi speaks up, we won’t know the true reasons.
