MWC 2024: Xiaomi Launches New Photo-Geared 14 Series Smartphone

Chinese consumer electronics maker Xiaomi on Sunday launched for international markets its new AI-enhanced and photography-geared 14 Series smartphone, along with other wearable gadgets. The new Xiaomi 14 Ultra phone, which expands on the company's partnership with German camera-maker Leica, includes a quad-camera configuration, while its more compact version, the Xiaomi 14, has a triple-camera configuration, Xiaomi said in a statement.

The phones integrate large AI models into various applications, including a tool that enables real-time transcriptions from conferences, or another function allowing users to describe a photo for the AI to locate it in their gallery.

Tech and telecom companies are releasing new products and features ahead of the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona set to kick off Monday, hoping the buzz around AI will boost business prospects, though many experts say generative AI may raise legal or ethical concerns.

Xiaomi last year was placed third globally for share of the smartphone market, accounting for 12.5% of global shipments, behind leader Apple at 20.1% and Samsung in second with 19.4% market share, according to IDC.

The company on Sunday also unveiled new wearable products, including the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro, Xiaomi Watch S3, and Xiaomi Watch 2, which it says are suitable for sports, health and wellness activities.