As a bit of a smartphone photography enthusiast, there’s one product at MWC 2024 that has excited me more than any other. Surprisingly, it’s not even a phone but an accessory for the newly released Xiaomi 14 Ultra.
Don’t get me wrong, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is incredibly exciting – but the Professional Photography Kit looks like it could really complete the package and make for the ultimate pocketable street photography setup.
The kit is comprised of two main parts. The first is a phone case, which has swappable metal rings that encircle the 14 Ultra’s large circular camera module. One ring is purely decorative, and has a bit of a Sony Alpha vibe in its metallic orange colorway, while the other adds a 67mm filter thread. This means you can attach ND filters, mist filters, polarizers, or whatever else you fancy.
The second part of the kit is an ergonomic grip that clips onto the case and connects to the phone via USB-C. Aside from making the phone easier to hold, this grip packs a 1,500mAh battery to keep it juiced up, and adds a physical shutter button, zoom rocker and programmable dial. There’s even a wrist strap to keep your phone secure while you’re out shooting.
This isn’t an entirely new concept; my LG G5 had a snap-on grip with similar features all the way back in 2016, and products like the ShiftCam ProGrip offer a one-size-fits-all solution with a similar goal in mind. Xiaomi’s version seems like the most polished evolution so far, though, both in terms of aesthetics and functionality.
Plus, it comes at a time when accessories like this make more sense than ever. The aforementioned LG G5 had a very underwhelming 16MP camera with a tiny sensor, whereas the new Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a quad 50MP array at its disposal. The main camera even has a 1-inch sensor and an adjustable aperture.
As good as touchscreen user interfaces are, there are shortcomings when it comes to photography. If you’ve ever tried to zoom or switch a setting one-handed, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. This nifty kit looks like it’ll solve that completely.
The only downside is that it’s only designed to work with Xiaomi 14 Ultra – so if you aren’t going to opt for the brand’s top-tier flagship model, then you’re pretty much out of luck. There have been some reports of the accessory working with other phones, but I didn’t have much luck when I tried it for myself.
I attempted to attach the grip portion to my Vivo X100 Pro. Obviously, the phone case won’t fit, but it seemed like the grip portion could work. In some ways it does – the phone begins to charge, and the shutter button can take a photo – but it just doesn’t fit. Unless I was holding it in place, the USB-C connector would just fall out, making the grip effectively useless.
If you’re crafty enough, or some kind of 3D printing wizard, then I’m sure you could make it work with other phones. But most people would be better off using something designed to accommodate their device.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra photography kit is available to purchase for around $259 if you can find it in the US, or £179 in the UK. There is also a deal, depending on your region, if you pre-order the Xiaomi 14 Ultra from Xiaomi’s website then the kit comes bundled for free for a limited time. Xiaomi’s even throwing in a free tablet, too, making it a pretty tempting deal.
For more on the latest in smartphone photography, check out our top picks for the best camera phones and the best Android phones.
