I replaced my camera at 4,000 euros with an Xiaomi smartphone for 1 month: Big error?

After having almost killed the compact cameras market, can smartphones now replace professional boxes and optics? Reading these words, photography purists must already boil. However, I just take up the repeated promises of smartphones manufacturers in their grandiloquent conferences.

Problem: these boxes remain bulky, heavy, they take up space in the suitcase or the backpack and the change of optics is sometimes laborious. In short, I was looking for a combo between the compactness of the smartphone and the feeling photo box. I could have turned to a compact camera like the Ricoh Griii but my experience would have nothing very original. On the other hand, replacing a photo box with a smartphone, this is an experience that is worth the detour.

Known Earth appointment

At the end of 2024, an Xiaomi executive generously offered to provide me with an Xiaomi 14 Ultra with its photo kit to carry out my experience. This small accessory that is fixed to the smartphone transforms it into a small compact camera. I could not have hoped for better, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is among the best photophones on the market. The icing on the optics, it is developed in partnership with Leica, one of the biggest names in the history of the photo. A few days later, I was equipped. I put away my two boxes and my goals in their drawer and embarked on the adventure of photography on smartphone for a month.

What a pleasure to go on weekends with only a smartphone in the pocket. Although it is among the most imposing models on the market, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra remains much more discreet than a huge photo box and its share of objectives. No bag or bag, it holds in a pocket of jacket, coat or wide pants. In summer, a small banana is enough to take it anywhere.

The photo kit which transforms it into a compact device is just as discreet. Light, it overlaps in the phone thanks to the USB-C intake. A locking system keeps it attached to avoid falling into the most perilous situations. Once connected, the two devices are only one. Good surprise: the addition of the photo kit does not prevent the phone from sliding in a wide pocket, a bag or a banana. So I was able to transport the Xiaomi 14 Ultra to all my photo sessions. Real happiness, especially in the difficult exercise of Street photography. Moreover, the smartphone format tends to impress less passers -by which allows you to shoot with more relaxation.

What about handling? Photo purists often criticize a certain blandness in the practice of the photo on smartphones. A visibly justified criticism since Apple has decided to integrate a physical button to control the camera of its latest iPhone. At Xiaomi, we preferred to develop a specific kit for these purists.

The photo kit is covered with a grip black, mix between fabric, rubber and plastic, allowing Excellent resistance in hand. Its lines look like what can be found on a conventional box: slightly curved, the accessory is easily held in one hand. The buttons have been arranged with great precision: above, a dial allowing to adjust the exhibition is company to the trigger. Under the latter, another small dial allows you to manage the zoom level. Finally, a specific button on video recording completes the whole. These buttons alone are enough to find the sensation of a professional camera.

The Xiaomi 14 ultra equipped with its photo kit then becomes a real compact camera. So I was able to draw it on the fly and shoot with angles impossible to catch with a classic case. The space constraints obviously prevent manufacturers from integrating optics as efficient as those of a camera lens. But software optimizations (especially artificial intelligence) make it possible to compensate for a good part of these technical limits. Even more in the case of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, developed in partnership with Leica.

A Leica camera in compact format

A compact camera is good, it must still take beautiful photos. On this specific point, I must admit that I was leaving with a few a priori. I test smartphones all year round, I analyze advances in terms of photography, but to date I have never found the quality of a professional camera.

To say that the Xiaomi 14 ultra reached such a level would be lying. Nevertheless, like most ultra-premium smartphones launched over the past five years (at least), it approaches the quality of a professional camera that I used to use. In any case in good light conditions and for 90% of users: post photos on social networks.

TThe images remain online, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra produces images precise enough to give the illusion of being a real camera. You can even risk the impression of a few shots provided you do not venture into those shot in low light, or in small size and with lots of retouching. Be that as it may, the Leica signature allows this model to distinguish itself from the competition. The German company does not only intervene in the software but also designs the optics of the smartphone. This close collaboration between the two entities made from the Xiaomi 14 Ultra one of the best photophones on the market.

To go further, Xiaomi and Leica have developed filters inspired by the cameras of the German giant. So there are several colorimetric profiles: Vibrant leica (slightly more colors), Natural leica (more neutral) or the famous black and white leica (My favorite). Thanks to an intuitive interface, we access the different shooting modes with ease. This is the main advantage of the smartphone on professional cameras: they are easy to use, so you can draw it and shoot in a handful of seconds.

For more experienced photographers, The Xiaomi 14 ultra obviously incorporates a pro mode Very complete as well as an option to shoot in RAW. I of course had fun with all this in certain situations but I favored the auto mode, as I would have done with a camera “Point & shoot” Like Ricoh Griii or Sony RX100. The results were completely convincing.

Review of my experience

Can a smartphone replace a professional camera at more than 4,000 euros? If we stick to the photo quality, no. The laws of physics are impenetrable, so the magic of algorithms is still not enough to compensate for the tiny size of the optics of a smartphone compared to those of a digital camera. However, improvements in image processing make it possible to produce excellent quality shots. This is even more true with an ultra Xiaomi 14 that enjoys Leica’s know-how, a reference among the references.

Photography is not just a question of intrinsic quality, it is also an experience which must provide pleasure, it is lived. By its compactness and ease of use, the smartphone turns out to be a great tool for this. Since it is always about it, it is even the best camera to have in your pocket.

By offering a complementary accessory, Xiaomi also makes it possible to find the sensations of a real camera. The grip is better, the physical buttons bring this feeling which is so lacking in smartphones. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra + Photo Kit combo has therefore proven a perfect intermediary between the smartphone alone and the photo housing. Too bad the autonomy of the accessory is a little just for prolonged use.

At the end of this experience, I would not say that the smartphone can replace a professional camera. Nevertheless, any photographer should consider integrating the smartphone into his paraphernalia as it is practical and effective on a daily basis. Most of them have already done so, even if not all of them want to admit it.