In its full review, I said the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is “the best camera phone I’ve ever used.” Big word, sure, but it earns that praise due to its large image sensor, which can capture stunning images in both daytime and at night. It’s one of the best phone cameras you can buy in 2024 but I suspect it might have its roots in a phone that launched almost 10 years ago.
Back in 2014 I reviewed the Panasonic CM1. At the time it was the pinnacle of smartphone photography, packing a 1-inch type sensor that dwarfed the tiny sensors of other phones at the time. It had a lens made by Leica and it took images that no other camera phone could begin to compete with. It was essentially a compact camera that happened to also be a phone.
There are definite similarities here.
There are so many similarities that it almost feels like Xiaomi looked at this long-obsolete phone and thought, “Hey, let’s resurrect that!”
And I’m so glad it did because the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is every bit as exciting as a camera phone as I found the CM1 to be in 2014 and I’ve been genuinely impressed at the shots I’ve been able to take with it. It helps that the wider technology has caught up to make it a much better experience overall. The Xiaomi’s modern processor makes operating the thing a breeze and the 6.73-inch display is gargantuan compared to the CM1’s 4.7-inch screen.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a capable camera phone.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is, in many ways, the spiritual successor to the Panasonic CM1, picking up where it left off in a time where its technology and features can be properly put to use.
And all I had to do was wait 10 years.
