When the Chinese company Xiaomi announced the international release of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra at Mobile World Congress I was immediately curious. Yes the company also showed off the Xiaomi SU7 electric car, smartwatches galore, and a pack of robot dogs doing backflips in sync. But it was the new Xiaomi 14 Ultra phone that truly caught my eye. (OK, the robot dogs were a close second.)
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which had previously launched in China prior to MWC, has a list of features that reads like a short fantasy novel written by a phone enthusiast, especially for creative types like photographers. It supports 80-watt wireless charging. The main camera has a large, 1-inch image sensor (which is closer to 0.6 inches diagonally). The wide-angle lens on the main camera has a variable aperture to make it more versatile in a wider range of environments.
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The more I learned about the device, the more I longed to see some of those features end up on the next iPhone, aka the rumored iPhone 16. Apple has probably already locked in the iPhone 16’s design and hardware features, but that doesn’t mean we can’t muse about how nice it would be to see some of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s features built in to it.
An iPhone 16 Ultra with two telephoto cameras
Here’s an exploded view of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.
Apple debuted MagSafe charging on the iPhone 12 series in 2020 with the goal of making wireless charging more efficient. But In 2024, MagSafe wireless charging tops out at 15 watts. In fact, the Wireless Consortium adopted a version of MagSafe charging for its Qi2 standard for Android phones that also hits 15 watts.
Compare that against the Xiaomi 14 Pro, which supports up to 80-watt wireless charging. That’s over three times faster than the iPhone 15’s peak wired charging speed of 27 watts.
While I do enjoy magnetic accessories that seamlessly connect to MagSafe-equipped iPhones, like Peak Design’s mobile wallet and TwelveSouth’s HiRise 3 Deluxe charging stand (I’m all about that StandBy mode life), I think I’d prefer to recharge my iPhone’s battery drastically faster instead.
Actually, scratch that, I’d like both. Magnets for accessories and 80-watt wireless charging.
But the potential downside is that 80-watt charging may be more taxing on the battery over the long term than the iPhone’s mere 15-watt wireless charging. Apple’s upcoming release of iOS 17.4 includes iPhone 15 battery health improvements. And as much as I want 80-watt wireless charging, I wouldn’t want it at the expense of degrading my phone’s battery health even faster.
What I’d prefer instead is 50-watt wireless charging for the iPhone via MagSafe. That’s still plenty fast, and I could still use the MagSafe accessories I’ve grown accustomed to at home and in the office, from snap-on cases to convenient charging stands. Even better, I’d love for Apple to add more custom battery controls with iOS 18, like pass-through charging (powers your phone without charging the battery), max recharge limits and a slow-charging option for those times when I’m not in a hurry.
