REDMI K80 Pro: An In-Depth Review of a Flagship Phone That Punches Above Its 4000 Yuan Price Point

REDMI K80 Pro: An In-Depth Review of a Flagship Phone That Punches Above Its 4000 Yuan Price PointLu Weibing, President of Redmi, once candidly admitted, "4000 yuan is a mental barrier for us. We constantly aim to control pricing below this point, leading to extremely tight cost controls

REDMI K80 Pro: An In-Depth Review of a Flagship Phone That Punches Above Its 4000 Yuan Price Point

Lu Weibing, President of Redmi, once candidly admitted, "4000 yuan is a mental barrier for us. We constantly aim to control pricing below this point, leading to extremely tight cost controls. Achieving exquisite craftsmanship under such constraints is extremely challenging." This statement comes against the backdrop of Xiaomi's 15 series achieving over one million units sold in less than two months, setting a new record for Xiaomi's high-end phones. Despite continuous price increases, Xiaomi phone sales have consistently hit new highs. This demonstrates both consumer acceptance of higher-quality products and the success of Xiaomi's high-end strategy. However, the price increases created a gap in the 4000 yuan price segment. To fill this void, Redmi chose to upgrade its best-selling K series. Coinciding with Redmi's tenth anniversary, the brand image has been refreshed with all-uppercase lettering, "REDMI," symbolizing the brand's confidence and strength.

Following the product line adjustment, the K series is positioned as a champion flagship, with the Pro version aiming for an all-around flagship experience. The price range has increased, taking over the market space left by the price hike of the Xiaomi numbered series, while the Turbo series will cater to the 2-3K yuan segment. The K series will focus on the 3000-4000 yuan flagship market in the future.

The subject of this review, the REDMI K80 Pro, is Redmi's powerful contender in this price segment, officially dubbed a "Grand Slam" flagship.

I. Performance and Gaming Experience: The Powerful Combination of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy and Independent Display Chip D1

The REDMI K80 Pro is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor, manufactured using TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, resulting in a significant performance boost. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy utilizes a self-developed Oryon architecture with all-large cores, featuring two 4.32GHz ultra-high-frequency super-large cores and six 3.53GHz large cores. Its powerful performance is undeniable. On the GPU side, the Adreno 740 boasts a 1.1GHz main frequency, offering approximately a 40% performance improvement, easily handling various large-scale games.

The REDMI K80 Pro also features the self-developed Surge Engine 4.0 and the independent display chip D1. Surge Engine 4.0 enables more powerful performance release, while the independent display chip D1 supports game frame insertion and super-resolution, resulting in a smoother gaming experience.

1. Theoretical Performance Tests:

Under room temperature conditions, the AnTuTu benchmark score reached 2.85 million. In Geekbench 6 tests, the single-core score was 2899, and the multi-core score was 9056. The GFXBench 1080P test results are as follows:

• Aztec Ruins OpenGL: 236 FPS

• Aztec Ruins Vulkan: 264 FPS

• Car Chase: 177 FPS

• Manhattan 3.1 Offscreen: 275 FPS

• Manhattan Offscreen: 381 FPS

• T-Rex Offscreen: 595 FPS

2. Game Tests:

• To test the gaming performance of the REDMI K80 Pro, we selected three games with different workloadsHonor of Kings, Genshin Impact, and Honkai: Star Railand ran tests with the highest graphics quality and frame rate settings (prioritizing image quality).

• Honor of Kings: Average frame rate of 120.2 FPS, average power consumption of 2.75W, power efficiency ratio of 43.7 FPS/W, maximum temperature of 35.4.

• Genshin Impact: At the highest graphics quality, the average frame rate during exploration in the Natlan world was 59.6 FPS, average power consumption was 4.22W, power efficiency ratio was 14.12 FPS/W, and the maximum temperature was 39. With frame insertion enabled, the frame rate could reach 120 FPS.

• Honkai: Star Rail: At the highest graphics quality, during continuous combat in Simulated Universe, the average frame rate was 57.5 FPS, average power consumption was 4.01W, power efficiency ratio was 14.33 FPS/W, and the maximum temperature was 39. With frame insertion enabled, the frame rate could reach 120 FPS.

The test results show that the REDMI K80 Pro exhibits excellent gaming performance, capable of smoothly running current mainstream games. The heat dissipation control is also excellent, with the 5400mm 3D dual-loop ice-sealed cooling system demonstrating its effectiveness.

II. Appearance Design and Screen Display: A Perfect Combination of Trendy Design and Flagship-Level Screen

The REDMI K80 Pro adopts a new dual-tone design, featuring a high-quality metal frame. The back cover utilizes a light-dancing dual-process integrated technology, displaying different visual effects under different lighting conditions. Our review unit, in Snow Rock White, features a natural color transition from light blue to sky blue on the back, with a subtle texture resembling snow. The overall appearance is young and trendy.

The phone uses in-screen routing technology, resulting in a screen bezel of only 1.9mm, offering an excellent visual experience. The screen uses a domestically produced Huaxing M9 material 2K display with 12-bit color depth, a global peak brightness of 1800 nits, and a peak brightness of 3200 nits, ensuring clear display even under sunlight. Additionally, it supports full-brightness DC dimming and circular polarization technology, effectively reducing screen flicker and protecting eyesight. Circularly polarized light is closer to natural light, reducing damage to the retina.

The screen has also passed TV Rheinland triple certification, China Quality Center visual health friendliness S++ certification, and TaiEr five-star precise and smooth touch certification. It supports HDR10+, HDR Vivid, Dolby Vision, and Zreal frame-sharing ultra-high-definition certification. It boasts professional original color display, multi-screen same color, Adaptive HDR, and XDR 2.0 technologies, resulting in an outstanding display effect.

The phone features a centered punch-hole design on the front and a storm-eye integrated camera module on the rear, with a clean and elegant design. The bottom of the phone houses the speaker, charging port, noise reduction hole, and SIM card slot. The metal frame enhances the phone's overall texture.

III. Imaging System: The Powerful Combination of the 50MP OmniVision OV50H Main Camera and Floating Telephoto Lens

The REDMI K80 Pro features a triple rear camera system. The main camera uses a 50MP OmniVision OV50H sensor with a 1/1.55-inch large sensor size, an F1.6 large aperture, and OIS optical image stabilization. This sensor has been used in multiple Xiaomi models, demonstrating stable and reliable image quality. The telephoto lens is a 50MP Samsung JN5 sensor, with a 1/2.76-inch CMOS, an F2.0 large aperture, and OIS optical image stabilization. It supports multiple focal lengths of 2X, 2.5X, and 5X, with a maximum of 60X digital zoom, the same as the Xiaomi 15 series. The ultra-wide-angle lens is 32MP, capable of capturing wider fields of view.

1. Main Camera Sample Analysis:

The main camera's imaging style leans towards realism, with rich colors and accurate detail reproduction, suitable for daily shooting.

2. Night Scene Sample Analysis:

In night mode, the image brightness is higher, and details are well-preserved, although there is room for improvement in highlight suppression.

3. Telephoto Sample Analysis:

The telephoto lens's imaging style is consistent with the main camera, with saturated colors and rich details. The 2.5X and 5X focal lengths are practical.

4. Ultra-Wide-Angle Sample Analysis:

The ultra-wide-angle lens effectively controls edge distortion, maintaining good clarity at the edges of the image.

IV. Battery and Endurance: Ultra-Long Endurance with a 6000mAh Large Battery and 120W Fast Charging

The REDMI K80 Pro is equipped with a large 6000mAh battery, a 1000mAh increase compared to the previous generation K70 Pro. Combined with the power consumption optimization of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, the battery life has been significantly improved. In terms of charging, it supports 120W wired fast charging and 50W wireless fast charging, offering extremely fast charging speeds. The phone also features Xiaomi's self-developed Surge P3 charging chip