The “Civi” in the Xiaomi 14 Civi (review) stands for “Cinematic Vision”, emphasising the company’s big focus on cameras in the sub-Rs 45K smartphone segment. To achieve this, Xiaomi is expanding its partnership with Leica to this segment, which was previously restricted to its smartphones priced above Rs 60,000.
However, the Xiaomi 14 Civi occupies a competitive segment dominated by OnePlus R-series smartphones, particularly the OnePlus 12R (review) of earlier this year. Both smartphones feature flagship-grade Qualcomm chipsets for lag-free performance. We have already dedicated a performance test along with a battery test. Let’s see how the two fare purely based on camera performance.
Table of Contents
Xiaomi 14 Civi vs OnePlus 12R camera specifications
| Xiaomi 14 Civi (with Leica cameras) | OnePlus 12R |
| 50MP (Light Hunter 800 sensor) with OIS | 50MP (Sony IMX890 sensor) with OIS |
| 12MP ultra-wide camera | 8MP ultra-wide camera |
| 50MP telelphoto camera | 2MP macro camera |
| 32MP wide + 32MP ultra front cameras | 16MP front camera |
Daylight
Before we begin, note that the shots with the Xiaomi 14 Civi were taken with the “Leica Vibrant” mode. As a result, photos may have saturation levels and vibrant colours. The smartphone also offers the option to capture images with a cool-blue tone under the “Leica Authentic” mode.
In these two photos, you can easily distinguish the colour treatment. The image with the OnePlus 12R features a natural look with moderately high prominent shadows. The image with the Xiaomi 14 Civi features warm tones and may remind you of a warm summer day. Both photos have similar levels of sharpness, though the OnePlus 12R does a better job of capturing textures on the red bricks of the building. The image with Xiaomi 14 Civi may appear more aesthetically pleasing.
Overall, both smartphones do an excellent job, but the Xiaomi 14 Civi gets the point for its social media-ready approach.
Winner: Xiaomi 14 Civi
Ultra-wide
It is good to see that both smartphones maintain the same colour science while utilising the ultra-wide camera. You will also notice the image with the OnePlus 12R having more textures on the building or tiles on the ground. The OnePlus 12R offers a slightly better dynamic range, and as a result, you will have a decent amount of details in the foreground and background.
The Xiaomi 14 Civi overplayed with shadows this time, leading to concealed details in the background.
Winner: OnePlus 12R
Portrait
The Xiaomi 14 Civi has a dedicated telephoto camera for crisper portrait shots. The Leica partnership also unlocks some exclusive features, including several focal lengths and Leica filters. The OnePlus 12R utilises the primary camera for portraits. For a fair fight, we are evaluating the portrait image taken with a primary camera.
Both smartphones struggle with the subject’s accurate complexion, and several details, whether on the face or hand, get masked. Xiaomi beautifies the subject’s appearance a tad more, but its image includes aesthetically pleasing brightness and saturation. The Xiaomi 14 Civi also detects the correct shade of the clothes and the details of the jeans are better than the OnePlus 12R offers. Both smartphones do a fantastic job of edge detection.
Winner: Xiaomi 14 Civi
Selfie (with portrait)
Another advantage of the Xiaomi 14 Civi is that you can take wide and ultra-wide shots with the dual-front cameras. We are analysing OnePlus’s shot with the Xiaomi 14 Civi’s wide front camera.
Again, both smartphones fail to detect the right complexion, though we can notice more prominent facial details with the front cameras. The Xiaomi 14 Civi prioritises a natural look, while the OnePlus 12R plays with saturation and contrast. Notably, the former offers a natural bokeh and better edge detections, especially around the ear.
Winner: Xiaomi 14 Civi
Low-light
In low light, the Xiaomi 14 Civi and OnePlus 12R perform relatively better than some of their older peers. The latter, by default, increases exposure time to capture more light in dim conditions. The Xiaomi 14 Civi offers an easy option to adjust exposure, which I also like better.
In default low-light mode, the OnePlus 12R handles ambient light better and even balances over-exposed areas. The Xiaomi 14 Civi struggled with this. The OnePlus 12R also managed to offer a better focus on leaves. Overall, its photo is well-balanced.
Winner: OnePlus 12R
Low-light (night mode enabled)
There’s a significant difference once you enable night mode on the Xiaomi 14 Civi. Its image is much brighter, sharper, and balanced. It is still not the brightest as you’d expect with this mode; however, the image is more aesthetically pleasing. There’s also an improved dynamic range.
The low-light shot with the OnePlus 12R remains more or less similar despite enabling night mode.
Winner: Xiaomi 14 Civi
Verdict
The Lieca-backed Xiaomi 14 Civi proved its superiority in our camera test. The OnePlus 12R performed decently in some conditions, but the new Xiaomi smartphone was ahead. Readers must note that this was a simple point-and-shoot camera analysis, and the Xiaomi 14 Civi provides a lot more, thanks to the thoughtful partnership in this segment. It even offers several AI-powered editing tools, making the overall camera experience wholesome.
Having said that, the Xiaomi 14 Civi still needs improvements when it comes to videos, especially in low light. Both OnePlus 12R and Xiaomi 14 Civi offered average video performance in extreme low-light conditions.
