New firmware Xiaomi MIUI 14

What's new in MIUI 14

The changes in MIUI 14 may seem insignificant, but only at first glance - the whole point is that the developers have concentrated mainly on the “under the hood” component of the firmware, and not on the visual interface. This fact itself should hardly upset, since the system finally got rid of long-standing problems (according to the assurances of the developers) and acquired some really useful features. In this article, we consider the key innovations that Xiaomi announced at the presentation and which became known outside of it.

Reducing Firmware Size

• One of MIUI's main problems was its weight. The shell took up quite a lot of space in the smartphone's memory. Users were not satisfied with this, they had to purchase versions of 256 GB. Moreover, the interface, due to the large weight, could work incorrectly, fail and crash. This was especially noticeable on budget models with weak hardware.

MIUI 14 downsizing

• In MIUI 14, the firmware size has been reduced to 13.9 GB. As for flagships, the weight of 13.9 GB is more than normal. But keep in mind that this is an approximate figure, and it may vary slightly depending on the model. At the presentation, Xiaomi focused on the fact that competitors have shell sizes of 15, 14.6 and 17.9 GB.

RAM consumption in MIUI 14

• Another important point is RAM consumption. Now, MIUI will only consume 3.3 GB of RAM. I am glad that the developers stopped the growth of the size of the proprietary firmware, since each version weighed more and more. This was already becoming a real problem.

Free memory

• The next innovation also concerns memory. There will be two new tools. The first of them is a “smart” memory archiver. He will analyze which applications are not used for 3 months (or are used very rarely), after which the programs will be deleted.

Smart archiver in MIUI 14

• The shortcut on the desktop will remain so that the user can re-download the application from Google Play if necessary. According to a Xiaomi representative, thanks to the archiver, it will be possible to free up about 5 GB of permanent memory.

Merge PDF files in MIUI 14

• The second useful tool deals with finding and merging identical files. For example, users often mistakenly download the same PDF documents, causing them to take up significant storage space. Manually searching for and deleting duplicates is long and problematic, but the built-in tool quickly copes with this automatically.

Ability to remove system applications

• It is noticeable that Xiaomi has seriously taken up the issue of freeing up space in the internal storage. In MIUI 14, most of the system apps can be uninstalled. Yes, yes, we finally waited for this option. The number of “inviolable” programs were reduced as much as possible: only settings, a browser, a dialer, a phone book, messages, a camera and an explorer remained. All other applications are completely uninstallable. 

Apps to be removed in MIUI 14

• For example, if you don't like the Clock system tool, you can easily remove it and download any analogue from Google Play. Comfortable, true? And most importantly, deleting unnecessary system applications will free up a lot of space.

Reducing energy consumption and security

• Now all manufacturers are thinking about how to reduce the power consumption of their gadgets. Taking care of the environment to a new level. A vivid example is the lack of plastic in the delivery kits of new Xiaomi smartphones, and not only.

Reducing power consumption in MIUI 14

• Application power consumption is now reduced by 22% and CPU load is reduced by 16%. Whether we will notice these innovations in real use is a big question, but such optimization is still good news.

MIUI Photon Engine

• Furthermore, thanks to the new MIUI Photon Engine technology, the launch, and operation of applications is accelerated by 88%, and power consumption is reduced by 16%. Third-party developers may access this system to improve the performance of games and other applications. The improvement was made by optimizing the source code of the Linux kernel.

Enhanced security in MIUI 14

• More than 30 phone scenarios (interaction with the gallery, messages, cameras, scanner, weather, etc.) are carried out on the device itself, without sending requests to third-party servers. This allows you to increase the security and privacy of personal data, and also offloads RAM and does not create additional load on the processor.

Notification blocking in MIUI 14

• App notifications will be automatically blocked until you allow them to appear. A very handy and useful feature that will protect you from annoying alerts.

Improving the Xiaomi Ecosystem

• Pleasant changes have also affected the connection of wireless headphones. The TWS headset can be automatically synced with your phone, tablet and TV, and quickly switch between them. Of course, all products, including headphones, must be released by Xiaomi because we are talking about expanding the ecosystem.

Improve the power system in MIUI 14

• The pairing process between the company's branded devices has improved: now gadgets are detected 50% faster, data transfer speed is increased by 70%, and connections are more stable by 12%. 

Simplify connections in MIUI 14

• Incoming calls from your phone can be forwarded to your tablet, and you can type on your TV using your smartphone. The developers are trying to make sure that all branded devices work together and complement each other.

New Features

• Minor changes and optimizations sorted out. Next, let's get down to the wholly new options that appeared in MIUI 14.

Parental controls

• In the new MIUI, the manufacturer paid a lot of attention to family values ​​and the information security of children. One of the innovations is its own parental control. The user will be able to restrict the child's access to certain applications, set the time of using the phone and create a safe space in the smartphone, where there will be only children's content. Previously, the “Parental Control” function could already be enabled on Xiaomi phones, but then a tool from Google – Family Links was used. Now, MIUI has its own parental control option, as, for example, in Samsung smartphones.

Family Sharing

• We continue the theme of the family. Several users can be combined into one family group, and assign each family member certain roles with specific functions. You can add up to 8 accounts to one family unit.

MIUI 14 Family Sharing

• Users in family groups will be able to create shared photo albums and add their photos there. For example, a father, mother, and daughter will publish the pictures taken in one shared album. Photos from the family album can be broadcast on TV as a screensaver. 

Create family albums on MIUI 14

• Family members will also be able to share health data with each other, such as heart rate, blood saturation level, number of steps taken, quality and duration of sleep. This is especially true for older people: for example, a grandfather will share information about his health with his grandson.

Text recognition on photo

• Xiaomi's smartphones will finally have the option to recognize text on images. Previously, this required the use of a dedicated Lens app from Google. By default, the feature has long been present on iPhones. I am glad that this option will become available to Xiaomi users.

Text recognition on photos in MIUI 14

• Text recognition is useful if you need to copy or translate text. So far, the tool only works with 8 languages, and English will definitely be on this list. Let's clarify that currently we are talking about Chinese firmware.

UI design customization

• We figured out the system innovations, now we are moving towards design. The appearance of the firmware has not changed much compared to MIUI 14. The developers just added a few new elements. 

Smart Folders

• The system will analyze which applications you use most often, and these applications will be the first in the folder. Applications that deserve the least attention from the user will go down, respectively, to the very bottom of the folder. The chip is good, but not all users create application folders on the desktop. 

Virtual pet

• A virtual pet (like a Tamagotchi) will appear on the main screen. It will be either an animal or a plant. At the presentation, we were shown a cute cat. The pet, of course, will be interactive and will be able to respond to touch. The function is most likely energy-consuming and can be turned off at will. But children will definitely appreciate such a feature.

Change labels and widgets

• Small changes have been made to icons on the desktop. Their size has increased quite a lot. Some labels can be reshaped to be round, rectangular, oval, or square. For example, the presentation showed a change in the shape of the note's widget.

MIUI 14 Capsule Widgets

• Special attention should be paid to widgets: most of them now have a capsule form. Looks nice and stylish.

Icons in MIUI 14

• In general, the design of the new MIUI is increasingly reminiscent of iOS. Take at least the size of the icons. This is not bad because such plagiarism, in fact, makes the interface more user-friendly.

New wallpapers

• Of course, new wallpapers have also been added. There are both “live” and statistical. All of them are made hastily, with gradients and elements of geometric shapes. You can view suggested wallpapers in the Theme's system application. 

Which smartphones will receive MIUI 14

There is no complete official list yet, which would include all models, who will receive MIUI 14. With MIUI 14 on board, only two smartphones will be delivered for now – the new flagships Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro. Also at the presentation, they said that the following models will be updated to the fourteenth shell:

• Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro, Xiaomi 12 Pro Dimensity Edition, Xiaomi 12S, Xiaomi 12S Pro, Xiaomi 12S Ultra;
• Redmi K50, Redmi K50 Pro, Redmi K50 Extreme Edition, Redmi K50 Gaming Edition;
• Xiaomi Mix, Fold 2.

These models will be among the first to be updated.

When to expect the release of the global MIUI 14

Now let's answer the main question – when phones will be updated to the latest firmware. An important clarification: so far, only Chinese firmware has been announced. Smartphones from the list will receive updates in January 2023, but this only applies to the Chinese market. The international version of MIUI 14 has not been released yet. There are always delays with the global. The presentation of the global version will most likely take place in late winter or early spring. There may be some changes in the global compared to the China Version. Manufacturers often cut the functionality of international firmware. So for now, we'll have to wait. Of course, you can install Chinese firmware on almost any Xiaomi global device, but this is a complicated and lengthy procedure.