WATCH: Prague steals the show in brand new Xiaomi phone ad

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has released a new ad for its Xiaomi 14 and 14 Ultra mobile phones shot against the scenic backdrop of the Czech capital.

In a recently released video entitled Lens to Legend, a man captures colorful street performers in action under Prague’s gothic Prašná brána (Powder Tower) before continuing on to Václav Havel Square and and other areas around the iconic National Theatre to photograph a parade of brightly hued balloons.

The actor then enters the National Theatre to film a movie stunt scene, jumps out of a window, and finds himself at Prague’s Dvořák embankment by Charles University’s Law Faculty near the river – while editing the action on his phone. For the nighttime scene, filmmakers placed the lamps in the cycle lane instead of at the sidewalk's edge, reports iDnes.cz.

The video, uploaded to YouTube four days ago, has garnered over 1 million views so far. The shoot is Xiaomi’s first known Prague-based advertisement, made to promote its Xiaomi 14 and 14 Ultra models released earlier this week, emphasizing the phone’s camera capabilities. 

The Chinese firm’s choice of Prague locations follows in the footsteps of other major phone manufacturers, such as Apple and Samsung, which have also cast the Czech capital in their smartphone ads. Apple, in fact, also used the National Theatre in a previous 2018 advertisement.

Last year saw the Municipal Court building in Prague 2 s well as the Velín Strahov tunnel feature in an Apple advertisement. In 2022, Samsung filmed a Christmas-themed ad in the heart of Czechia’s capital.