iPhone 16 Pro camera vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Let the fun begin

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has seriously impressed us with its camera quality, both as an everyday camera on the road and in its ability to capture standard shots of Taylor Swift during her Eras tour. But iPhones have always offered high-quality photography capabilities, and the new iPhone 16 Pro is no exception.

I was extremely keen to see how these two powerful camera hubs compare, so I loaded them up, laced up my boots and headed to the beautiful city of Edinburgh to take them on a photography tour that could include or not multiple stops at different pubs. .

All images shown were taken in either JPEG or HEIC unless otherwise stated. All were taken using each phone’s default camera apps.

We start with this view by looking at a set of partitions. It was pretty cloudy on my hike, so you’d generally expect cooler colors in the scene. But even so, I was a little surprised by how cool the iPhone shot looked here. Xiaomi’s image isn’t much warmer, but it’s enough to make it seem more real.

With 5X optical zoom, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has produced a picture that, although darker, has better contrast and deeper colors that make it the most beautiful image to my eye.

Cutting into the 5x zoom images, it’s also clear that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has produced a sharper and more detailed photo here.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s colors are clearly bolder here too, with richer-looking greens in the ivy leaves, which look surprisingly washed out in the iPhone photo.

On the surface, I prefer the deeper tones and richer shadows seen in the Xiaomi photo. It delivers a certain mood here, which may not be to everyone’s taste. But that’s not the whole story…

Zooming in on the details, it becomes clear that the iPhone has delivered a much sharper image, with the fine details in the woodwork of the barrel looking completely blurred in the Xiaomi photo.

I’m a little torn here. On the one hand, the iPhone’s image is brighter and retains more detail in some areas (like the marble floor) where Xiaomi’s aggressive noise reduction has softened them. On the other hand, Xiaomi’s picture has more clarity in areas like railings. As a more personal preference, I like the brighter spots on the ceiling in the Xiaomi image, which almost have a blooming effect as if I were using a cinebloom filter (which, of course, I wasn’t).

While the poses are certainly different from each other, I can’t decide which one is better.

This one is easier to call. While the Xiaomi’s picture is slightly sharper than the iPhone’s, the iPhone’s image is brighter and more vibrant, making it the best looking overall.

The picture taken by Xiaomi could be a bit brighter, but otherwise there is nothing to choose between the two phones here. The beer was delicious, thanks for asking.

I’m not sure if Xiaomi just lost focus here, but its photo taken inside an old pub is extremely blurry compared to the iPhone 16 Pro image. A clear win for the iPhone.

The iPhone scores an easy win with this interior shot taken at 5x zoom. Its picture is brighter and sharper than that of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Again, the iPhone scores an easy win here. Xiaomi’s image is surprisingly dark and has bumped the highlights on the neon sign so hard that it looks distinctly strange on stage. The iPhone image has retained that vivid glow that comes from the sign and the neon hanging in the window on the left.

I also prefer the iPhone image here, as it has much more natural shadows, while the Xiaomi has raised the shadows to a rather unrealistic extent. As a result, I love the mood the iPhone has captured here, along with the warmer tones seen in the buildings.

The iPhone’s image in this night scene is slightly sharper than the Xiaomi’s. However, I generally prefer the warmer tones that Xiaomi has captured, especially in the red banner, which has a more purple variation on the iPhone version that I’m less keen on.

At 5x zoom, the iPhone has clearly produced a brighter image here, with much more shadow detail overall. But it’s still not a clear victory…

Zooming in on the details, it becomes clear that Xiaomi’s 5x zoom has captured a much sharper image. It is even possible to read the word “certificate”, which is an unintelligible blur in the image of the iPhone.

iPhone 16 Pro vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Which takes better photos?

It’s been an incredibly close call in all of my tests, with the iPhone coming out ahead in some scenes and the Xiaomi delivering better images in others. The reality is that both phones have extremely good cameras, and the choice between the two phones will of course come down to your iOS or Android preference rather than which one takes better images.

But overall, I have to give a slight edge to Xiaomi in these tests. His outdoor shots — especially the ivy-covered candlestick and graffiti examples — look much better on the Xiaomi, and I generally found its 5x zoom lens to offer better detail. But it’s a close win, and some of my decisions will come down to my personal preference in what I’m looking for in an image. As a result, you can take another swipe through the test photos here and see if you come to your own conclusion.