realme 14 Pro+ spec check
The realme 14 Pro+ 5G is equipped with a Triple Sony Camera System featuring:
- 50MP Sony IMX890 main camera (1/1.56″ sensor, f/1.88 aperture, OIS)
- 50MP Sony IMX882 periscope telephoto camera (1/1.95″ sensor, OIS)
- 8MP Sony IMX355 ultra-wide camera (112° field-of-view, 1/4″ sensor, f/2.2)
The main camera includes OIS that’s supposedly tuned for low-light photography, backed by AI HyperRAW for better detail, light, and noise reduction. It also supports 2x in-sensor zoom for lossless close-ups on top of the dedicated telephoto camera.
The telephoto offers 3x optical zoom and up to 120x SuperZoom. For selfies, you have a 32-megapixel shooter, like many phones currently do.
The realme 14 Pro+ introduces an industry-first Triple Flash System using three independent LEDs with adjustable color temperature and 4-level brightness. It’s similar to VIVO’s flash system but offers three individual lights instead of a ring light.
There’s also Underwater Mode, made possible by the phone’s IP68 rating. It lets you shoot at depths of up to 2 meters for 30 minutes (excluding salt water), with controls mapped to the power and volume buttons.
In the Real World
There’s definitely a benefit to having all Sony sensors, and you can see this when using the realme 14 Pro+ in the real world. Colors are consistent across all cameras — which isn’t something you often get in this price range.
I brought the realme 14 Pro+ to the TGR Philippine Cup, which I figured would be a perfect place to test its versatility. Under the bright sky, the main camera delivered vibrant and detailed shots, as expected.
The dynamic range is decent, though it sometimes struggles with blown-out highlights. Colors, while consistent, tend to be a little too saturated — especially the reds — and the processing can crush shadows more than necessary. This becomes more noticeable once you zoom in; blacks lose detail, and contrast gets aggressive.
The telephoto lens shines best in portrait mode. It provides nice background separation, solid skin texture, and generally good clarity. Depth detection could be better. The bokeh can look too artificial but you can adjust blur after the shot, which helps.
The 6x in-sensor zoom is sharp in good lighting, but in anything less than ideal, you start to really feel that it’s only a crop of the 3x zoom.
One nice upgrade is Eye Autofocus, which has been fast and reliable in most scenarios.
The 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens doesn’t quite match the detail of the other two, but still benefits from similar color tuning, keeping shots cohesive when switching lenses.
Low-light performance is decent with noise control, but shadows can get crushed. Night Mode helps, but sometimes oversaturates the scene. Motion blur is more common in darker conditions unless you use the triple flash system, but honestly, I’m not a big fan of how it looks.
In Controlled Lighting
If you’ve seen my other videos, you know I like testing “Pro” phones in “Pro” conditions to see what the hardware is really capable of.
Under soft studio lights, the realme 14 Pro+ delivers impressive detail. Skin textures hold up, beautification is minimal, and the natural background blur gives portraits a dramatic feel.
That said, image processing still tends to crush the blacks. Shooting in RAW is the best way around it.
Even my pets joined the test. Mr. Puff looked sharp, with surprisingly clean edge detection for a furry subject. Shadow, being all-black, was trickier. Most shots ended up overexposed unless I manually adjusted the brightness.
I also did a quick product shoot with both Photo and Portrait modes. Even with darker subjects like the Elphaba Funko Pop, results came out clean. Macro mode, though, still lacks detail even with good lighting, making it more of a backup than a reliable shooter.
Selfie Camera and Video
The 32MP selfie shooter performs well in daylight, with good skin detail and adjustable beautification. In low light, it softens up and struggles a bit with dynamic range.
On video, you get 4K at 30fps on the rear cameras with decent stabilization. In low light, there’s visible noise and loss of detail, especially when moving.
Front video maxes out at 1080p, which is fine for casual vlogging but struggles in dim lighting. Autofocus is quick, and exposure adjusts fast, but colors shift depending on the lighting. It’s fine for quick clips but not ideal for polished content.
AI Features
Of course, realme packed a few useful AI tools with the 14 Pro+:
- AI Eraser lets you erase unwanted objects. There are three options: Smart Lasso, Brush, and Remove People
- AI Clarity Enhancement sharpens photos, especially helpful when shooting through glass or haze. It’s effective on texture-heavy shots but can go overboard on already detailed images.
- AI Night Mode kicks in automatically in low light or can be turned on manually. It brightens scenes well but sometimes pushes color too far and smooths out shadow detail too much. Photos take longer to capture, so steady hands help.
Quick Review
The realme 14 Pro+ is a gorgeously designed phone with a fun color-changing back. It has a 6.83-inch OLED display with 1.5K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Peak brightness hits 1,500 nits, which may be limiting under direct sunlight.
Powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 and up to 12GB of RAM, the phone handles daily use with ease. Gaming performance is acceptable for this price point. The 6,000mAh battery offers excellent longevity, and the 80W fast charging gets you topped up fast. You also get IP68/IP69 dust and water resistance and Gorilla Glass 7i protection.
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Everyday use showed that the realme 14 Pro+ asks very little. It doesn’t need to charge often, it can handle multitasking rather well, though it can slow down with many tabs/apps open. I haven’t experienced any uncomfortable heat either, though admittedly, I don’t use it for long intensively apart from shooting with the cameras.
Final Thoughts
realme’s number series has always punched above its weight in the camera department, and the 14 Pro+ is no different. Triple Sony sensors ensure great color consistency, and features like underwater mode and AI tools make the camera experience fun and flexible.
The ultra-wide lens could use more detail, and low-light performance isn’t perfect, but considering the price, it’s hard to complain. The realme 14 Pro+ is a great option for mobile photography fans looking for flagship-like features without the flagship price tag — an unsurprising conclusion for a realme phone.
