Introduction
Xiaomi’s proprietary MIUI software program matured fairly a bit through the years and we will confidently say that the final couple of generations haven’t got that burdened Chinese language really feel. And we aren’t implying that Chinese language software program is unhealthy. It is simply usually tailor-made towards a very totally different market and person base.
MIUI 14 does not really feel like that in any respect. It brings a ton of customization choices to cater to anybody’s wants. And on the similar time, it feels clear, easy and usable.
Nevertheless, the newest iteration gives no measurable modifications during the last MIUI 13 era, at the very least relating to the internationally-available model. The brand new model is generally about under-the-hood modifications and optimizations. Nonetheless, there’s loads to cowl on this feature-rich MIUI atmosphere, so proceed studying to see if it is down your alley earlier than you seize a Xiaomi smartphone.
Android 13
Xiaomi’s MIUI is barely influenced by new Android variations, which is a double-edged sword. On one hand, Xiaomi can distribute its newest Android pores and skin and options to most of its smartphones – together with the low-end ones. And by doing so, the corporate beneficial properties a superb popularity for conserving its smartphones updated with the newest options.
However on the opposite, some Android-intrinsic options do not make it MIUI. As an example, we’re but to see notification historical past from Android 12, and even the MIUI 14 + Android 13 combo does not immediate you to allow or disable notifications on newly put in apps. And people are simply a few of the lacking options that come to thoughts. There are lots of extra functionalities that Xiaomi selected to skip in its updates.
We additionally did not discover any vital distinction between Xiaomi smartphones operating MIUI 14 + Android 12 and MIUI 14 + Android 13, suggesting that the Android model beneath MIUI does not matter all that a lot. Characteristic disparity stems principally from {hardware} limitations and smartphone tiers inside Xiaomi’s portfolio.
MIUI 14
What’s new?
Xiaomi says MIUI 14 re-built from the bottom up. It makes use of a brand new system structure on the Android Kernel degree with CPU, GPU and reminiscence useful resource scheduling. The firmware measurement has been decreased together with general reminiscence utilization. The tip result’s an alleged 60% smoother operation measured on a Xiaomi 12S Extremely.
There’s additionally automated compression for apps which can be not often used, and now you can uninstall all apps aside from eight core system apps. That is a giant step in the direction of de-bloating its MIUI software program because it ships with fairly a little bit of pre-installed apps.
When Xiaomi introduced MIUI 14 alongside the Xiaomi 13 collection, the corporate outlined a slew of recent options (other than the system optimizations above), however little did we all know that a lot of them will not make it to the worldwide model of the ROM.
The Massive folders characteristic is among the many few user-facing options that has made it to the abroad version MIUI. And even then, there are variations within the implementations. We have seen MIUI 14 telephones that provide each Massive and XXL folder variants, whereas others have solely Massive folders.
Massive folders
Coincidentally, we had loads of time to spend with the Xiaomi 12S Extremely however with ported World model of the official Chinese language MIUI 14 + Android 13 ROM. We discovered many variations in addition to options we’ve not seen earlier than. One stood out particularly – App administration.
Beneath the Handle apps sub-menu, we discovered App conduct log. It tracks every app’s motion within the background and retains a log in chronological order. It will probably even inform you if a sure app began one other app or when an app tries to launch within the background. We have been in a position to repair some app-related points due to this log and we’re dissatisfied that this characteristic hasn’t made its strategy to the worldwide model of MIUI.
App conduct within the Chinese language model of the ROM
Within the telephones offered outdoors of China, you additionally will not see the brand new widgets with numerous sizes and shapes, there aren’t any Tamagotchi-inspired flowers and pets that may dwell on your own home display, and we additionally did not discover the duplicated file merger.
The worldwide model skips of MIUI 14 additionally skips the brand new toggle within the Management middle that allows you to handle Xiaomi equipment and wearables.
Navigation, UI and customization
UI navigation is enterprise as common. You do have the choice for software program buttons as a substitute of gesture-based navigation, however who’s nonetheless utilizing that? Nonetheless, we discovered three distinctive issues to MIUI’s navigation gestures. First off, you may cover the navigation tablet on the backside, however you may nonetheless swipe left and proper the underside edge to shortly change between apps. That is often not attainable should you cover the tablet on different Android skins and even on vanilla Android.
Secondly, the again gesture solely works should you swipe from the underside half of the perimeters. It’s because Xiaomi did not need to intervene with some pull-out menus in some apps. In case you swipe the higher half of the left/proper edge, you’ll pull out the specified menu as a substitute of going again.
Gesture navigation
And thirdly, there’s granular management over palm rejection. There are two normal presets and one which lets you regulate the world, which will not react to touches across the edges of the show. It is helpful totally on telephones with curved facet edges.
UI-wise, not a lot has modified coming from MIUI 13. The system makes use of its personal iconography for the primary Settings menu and the general look is acquainted.
All system menus have a constant, flat, streamlined and simplistic design, with a lot of the interactable content material moved to the underside half of the display for simpler attain. It’s miles from Samsung’s One UI one-handed design and even Oppo/OnePlus/Realme’s ColorOS/OxygenOS/Realme UI, the place you might have just about every part inside your thumb’s attain.
Basic settings
The app drawer is one cool exception. It has the search bar proper on the backside of the show, and the outcomes are neatly organized proper above the search bar.
App drawer
Talking of the app drawer, you may go for a easy Residence display format, however you would be lacking the classes, the simple app search and the customizable scroller. That is by far top-of-the-line and most well-organized app drawers we have used on Android.
The latest apps menu is one other facet of MIUI that is totally different from telephones from different makes. BIt shows your opened apps in a vertically scrollable checklist of tiles. You additionally get the choice to alter the format to the extra in style horizontal, carousel-style association.
Current apps
The latest apps menu can be dwelling to a few helpful shortcuts like Deep clear or Floating home windows. The latter lets you open a number of apps in floating home windows for simpler multitasking. We’ll speak about that intimately a bit later.
The notification shade additionally has two variations. MIUI 14 boots with the so-called Management Centre by default, which mimics Apple’s iOS Management Middle. Swiping down on the best half of the display opens up the Management Centre with solely fast toggles and two sliders for display brightness and sound. The Wi-Fi and Cellular knowledge toggles are fastened and can’t be modified/changed. The remainder, you may re-arrange to your liking.
Normal notification shade and Management centre
Swiping down on the left half of the show opens up the notification shade with the acquainted card-style notifications.
You possibly can change between the notification shade and the Management Centre with left/proper swipes. Meaning you may’t dismiss notification playing cards by swiping left, which is the primary concern now we have with this implementation. In any other case, we see the potential and why some customers would go for the brand new Management Centre fashion. It offers you a lot bigger management toggles. We won’t fairly perceive why the cell knowledge toggle is the one one which turns inexperienced when on whereas all others are blue of their energetic state.
Customization-wise, there’s a lot to undergo. Xiaomi’s Themes ecosystem has been energetic for a few years, so there are a variety of artistic group members with a whole bunch of themes.
Themes
The system Themes app lets you change not solely your wallpaper but additionally your font, icons, ringtones and AoD fashion.
For the extra premium Xiaomis, you may go for the so-called Tremendous wallpapers. They’re neat animations of the Earth, Saturn, Mars, geometry shapes and the snowy peaks of Mount Siguniang. They apply to your lock display, dwelling display and AoD.
Tremendous wallpapers
Talking of the All the time-on Show, MIUI has one of many greatest number of AoD kinds and presets. You possibly can even create one from scratch with a picture of your selecting. However functionality-wise, it gives the usual choices like scheduling or when to show off routinely.
AoD Choices
Notifications
Like most different issues, Xiaomi allows you to customise your notifications and the way they seem. You possibly can select which apps to look on the lock display (you might need to cover apps delivering delicate info on the lock display), disable everlasting notifications, floating and notification badges on per app foundation. You will be fairly versatile with the best way apps notify you.
Notification choices
There’s even an choice to swipe up on a floating notification to snooze upcoming ones within the subsequent minute or till you lock the gadget. This perform is sort of helpful when a sure messaging app is spamming you with notifications when you are utilizing the telephone for different stuff.
The notification playing cards within the notification shade have two stylings to select from. There’s the MIUI fashion and the default Android one. The Android ones use less complicated icon kinds and group notifications from a single app inside one card. The MIUI notifications are considerably extra compact and use the unique app icons. And when you increase notifications coming from one app, every notification will get its personal card.
Notifcation playing cards fashion: Android default • Android default • MIUI • MIUI
What we want to see in future MIUI releases is the power to regulate sounds for calls and notifications individually. That is attainable on a number of different Android overlays however not in MIUI.
Sadly, one of many greatest points we had with MIUI, regardless of the model of the software program, is the notification reliability. It seems that the system is manner too overzealous with conserving background apps in test, and notifications would both arrive late or they will not arrive in any respect. And there does not appear to be a sample both. Some apps are killed within the background, whereas others should not.
Notification points workaround
There’s a workaround, however it’s not good. You possibly can whitelist sure apps from MIUI’s administration and permit them to autostart. This could alleviate a few of the notification points however will not repair them totally. We have seen this being a factor on multiple MIUI variations and on multiple telephone. So maintain that in thoughts.
Good and extra options
Though not distinctive in any manner, MIUI gives multi-tasking through the Floating home windows perform. Both by opening up the latest apps menu and tapping on Floating home windows, or by pulling out the so-called Sidebar, you may open sure apps (nearly all of them in our expertise) in small, interactive home windows. You possibly can confide in two apps in Floating home windows and a 3rd app in full-screen. You too can dock a few of them on the best facet of the display. Performing the house gesture will reduce the apps however will not shut them.
Sidebar and floating home windows
One other strategy to open up an app in a minimized window is to faucet and swipe down on a floating notification card. It will open up the app in query in a Floating window mode.
The Sidebar turns into a Video toolbox as soon as the system detects a video participant. In fact, the toolbox works within the YouTube app and gives a number of helpful shortcuts. Arguably probably the most helpful characteristic, nonetheless, is the background playback. Any YouTube video will proceed enjoying even when the telephone is locked.
Video toolbox
Usually, this can be a characteristic obtainable solely to YouTube Premium subscribers, so MIUI’s Video toolbox is actually saving you cash.
Beneath the Extra settings sub-menu, MIUI holds its gesture shortcuts, which most different Android iterations have. You possibly can arrange a three-finger swipe gesture for screenshots and a three-finger tap-and-hold for a partial screenshot.
Sure Xiaomi telephones, principally the premium ones, have an extra tap-on-the-back gesture. You possibly can assign a double-tap or triple-tap perform, however regardless of the telephone, we really feel just like the tapping gesture on the again is basically unreliable. It not often prompts until you’re very assertive together with your faucets.
Extra settings and Gesture shortcuts
Final however not least, MIUI 14 gives improved textual content recognition through the default Gallery. You possibly can open up a photograph or screenshot, faucet on the three-dotted icon and select Acknowledge textual content. It should extract all of the textual content from the photograph and dump it on a notepad-like window so you may copy and paste no matter you discover helpful. This is not obtainable on sure low-powered Xiaomis, although.
MIUI’s textual content recognition vs. Google Lens
Alternatively, you may all the time depend on Google’s Lens. The Gallery and the default Digital camera app present deep integration with Google Lens, which is significantly extra superior and handy than the default one from Xiaomi, because it acknowledges emails, telephone numbers, photographs and so on. and gives extra immediately actionable decisions.
Privateness and safety
Although Xiaomi did not implement lots of the Android-intrinsic options from the final couple of releases, it did get round to incorporating privacy-related options such because the Privateness dashboard, per app permissions and the standing indicator within the top-left nook of the display when an app makes use of your microphone or digital camera.
App permissions are neatly organized into three essential teams – delicate permissions, particular permissions and different permissions. Every now and then, if the system deems it vital, it is going to warn you of a high-risk permission from an app, and it’ll allow you to determine what to do with it.
App permissions
MIUI carries round a Safety app that helps you keep a wholesome software program standing. We stay skeptical of how sensible these options are, however you are able to do a safety scan on demand, lock sure apps with a fingerprint or do a deep clear by deleting unused information. You too can kill draining apps within the background with a single faucet. The Safety app could be a great tool to delete system-wide cache too.
Safety app, Twin apps, Second house
Twin apps and Second house, however, are fairly helpful options. The primary one lets you sign up with totally different accounts in a single app and maintain the person knowledge separate for each person accounts. The Second house does the identical however for your complete system. For example you might have private and enterprise accounts to handle with totally different apps and delicate info. You are able to do that on a single gadget with Second house.
Though not essentially a safety characteristic, Xiaomi telephones with under-display fingerprint readers allow you to launch a QR code scanner or provoke a search as quickly as you unlock the telephone. You simply must maintain your finger on the scanner after unlocking. These kinds of shortcuts can be found on different proprietary Android software program, however MIUI does not allow you to customise the shortcuts. The Chinese language model of MIUI has extra shortcuts however does not mean you can customise them both.
System apps
For markets outdoors of China, Xiaomi tried to streamline the expertise by eradicating a few of the system apps. For instance, the default Messaging and Cellphone apps are from Google, whereas the Chinese language model adopts its personal apps. Nonetheless, one can find a Music participant, Video participant, Calculator, Gallery app, File supervisor, Recorder, Compass, the Xiaomi Neighborhood app and extra. In fact, the usual Google apps are additionally pre-installed together with third-party purposes like TikTok, Fb, and so on. It is determined by your area.
Gallery app
And in case your telephone has an IR blaster, you should utilize the Mi distant app to arrange a reference to your own home home equipment, together with the TV. There’s an enormous checklist of supported gadgets, so you’ll almost certainly make use of the Mi distant app.
Basic efficiency and day-to-day usability
Now we have used MIUI 14 as a day by day driver for a number of months now, and it seems to be and seems like your common Android OS. And we imply that in a great way. Whereas Xiaomi’s tackle Android has its personal look, it is nonetheless in keeping with Android. Builders did not strive reinventing the wheel.
One of the best half is that MIUI simply works. Apart from the annoying notification points with some apps, the OS is sort of steady, dependable and quick. Even after putting in a whole bunch of apps and utilizing two totally different Xiaomi telephones, MIUI 14 remained snappy and responsive. You possibly can even go for quicker animation, which can velocity up issues even additional. And we propose you try this as a result of animations within the so-called Relaxed mode really feel a bit gradual to our style.
Verdict
At its core, MIUI is a mature Android pores and skin, and it is positively one of the constant and snappy OSs we have used recently. It has come a good distance.
Nevertheless, the aggressive background app administration and the hindered notification dealing with maintain us from giving MIUI 14 an ideal rating. We hope Xiaomi will work on these sooner or later and in addition attempt to implement at the very least a few of the options it already has in its Chinese language ROM. We’re fully baffled by the choice to skip even primary options such because the double-tap-to-lock on the house display to lock.
Having stated that, MIUI continues to be one of the customizable Android overlays on the market. You possibly can change and regulate just about every part to your liking (okay, possibly with out the app notification quantity). So it is most likely secure to imagine that MIUI 14 will cater to nearly everybody, making it one of the versatile UIs on the market.
