Redmi K80 Series: A Comprehensive Evolution and Upgrade of a Performance Flagship

Redmi K80 Series: A Comprehensive Evolution and Upgrade of a Performance FlagshipThe Redmi K70 series, with its starting price of 3299 and flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, was once considered a king of value. However, shortcomings in system experience, telephoto capabilities, and wireless charging left some users wanting more

Redmi K80 Series: A Comprehensive Evolution and Upgrade of a Performance Flagship

The Redmi K70 series, with its starting price of 3299 and flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, was once considered a king of value. However, shortcomings in system experience, telephoto capabilities, and wireless charging left some users wanting more. A year later, Redmi has finally delivered the K80 series, boasting significant improvements in both hardware and system experience. Let's delve into the details of these exciting upgrades.

Exterior Design: A Refined and Premium New Interpretation

The Redmi K series has always been known for its bold and innovative designs, each generation showcasing a different design philosophy since the K20 series. However, the K80 series takes a more subdued and premium approach with a refined top-left circular camera module. The layered back cover seamlessly integrates with the rounded module, lending a softer feel, even to the otherwise sharp-edged frame. This design shares similarities with the Xiaomi Civi series, exuding a flagship-level quality. However, the flash module outside the main camera ring appears slightly obtrusive, a minor flaw perhaps.

The K80 Pro's back cover features a new large-area matte-gloss integrated process, cleverly blending glossy and matte textures. The upper half of the glass boasts a smooth, jade-like feel, while the lower half has a matte finish resembling basalt, offering both slip resistance and fingerprint resistance. The back is also curved to ergonomically fit the hand, and the matte metal frame features curved chamfers, enhancing the overall refinement. At 8.39mm thick and 212g, it's remarkably light and thin for a phone in its class.

Both the K80 and K80 Pro feature a 6.67-inch 3200x1400 resolution 2K 120Hz display, supporting circular polarization, 12-bit color depth, and 100% DCI-P3 wide color gamut. Employing Xiaomi's FIAA technology, it boasts an ultra-narrow four-sided bezel design for enhanced visual appeal. The customized Huaxing Optoelectronics M9 screen utilizes a dual-micro-cavity structure (similar to the Xiaomi 15 Pro), effectively reducing power consumption. Tests reveal a maximum brightness of 750 nits in manual mode, a peak brightness of 1800 nits for full-screen display, and a peak brightness of up to 3200 nits.

The included gray matte protective case offers excellent quality, preventing yellowing over time, and its matte surface adds grip. The inclusion of ultrasonic fingerprint unlocking improves unlocking speed and convenience, enabling quick unlocking even with wet hands. However, users will need to source a suitable screen protector separately.

Performance Configuration: Powerful Performance, Flagship-Level Experience

Performance has always been a strong point for the Redmi K series Pro models, and the K80 Pro is no exception. It's powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, paired with up to 16GB of 8533Mbps LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. A 5400mm dual-loop 3D VC vapor chamber cooling system ensures stability under heavy loads. AnTuTu benchmark scores surpass 2.98 million, outperforming some other flagships on the same platform.

The K80 Pro also features a flagship-level independent display chip D1 and upgraded HyperEngine 4.0, leveraging AI for lower power consumption, stable frame rates, and enhanced image quality. Notably, it supports simultaneous "super frame rate" and "super resolution" for all games, significantly improving the gaming experience.

• Gaming tests show that Genshin Impact achieved an average frame rate of 59.96 FPS at 864P resolution with power consumption of approximately 4.5W; at 2K resolution, the average frame rate remained at 59.96 FPS, with power consumption reduced to 3.77W; with super frame rate and super resolution enabled, the average frame rate reached 122.25 FPS with power consumption around 4.26W. Honkai: Star Rail at 2K resolution achieved 59.65 FPS at default settings with 5.45W power consumption; with super resolution enabled, the average frame rate was 59.69 FPS, with power consumption reduced to 4.86W. Lighter games like League of Legends: Wild Rift and Honor of Kings run smoothly at native 120Hz, with power consumption around 4W.

Battery Life and Charging: Long-lasting Battery, Fast Replenishment

The K80 Pro boasts a massive 6000mAh battery, supporting 120W wired fast charging and 50W wireless fast charging. The Surge P3 fast charging chip and Surge G1 power management chip ensure fast charging speeds and battery health. Tests show it takes 37 minutes to charge from 1% to 100%, but over 50% can be achieved in just 10 minutes. The 50W wireless charging offers a convenient alternative. The manufacturer claims the battery will retain 80% of its health after four years.

In terms of battery life, the K80 Pro lasts over 1.5 days with high-quality gaming and 5G enabled. Switching to regular mode, primarily using social media and news feeds, will extend battery life even further.

Imaging System: Telephoto Upgrade, More Comprehensive Imaging Experience

The K80 Pro uses a standard triple-camera setup: ultrawide, wide-angle main camera, and telephoto lens. The main camera retains the Sony IMX800 sensor from its predecessor, but upgrades to "High-Quality Lightning Fast Shot 2.0," improving shooting speed. Night photography is excellent, with high brightness, purity, and good highlight suppression.

The telephoto lens is upgraded to the same 50MP JN5 sensor found in the Xiaomi 13, supporting 2.5X optical zoom and 5X lossless zoom, addressing the shortcomings of the K70 Pro's telephoto capabilities. Macro photography is also impressive, capturing fine details, though color reproduction could be improved. The ultrawide camera has been upgraded to 32MP, significantly improving daytime performance, while nighttime performance is relatively average.

Summary: The Transformation of an All-Round Flagship

The Redmi K80 series features comprehensive improvements in exterior design, performance configuration, battery life and charging, and imaging system. The K80 Pro, with its powerful performance, long battery life, and improved imaging system, is a true performance flagship for Redmi and even the wider Xiaomi ecosystem, taking a significant step towards becoming an all-around flagship. Shortcomings of previous generations, such as the lack of ultrasonic fingerprint unlocking and 50W wireless charging, and the limited telephoto capabilities, have been effectively addressed. As Redmi enters a new decade, the K80 Pro is undoubtedly a crucial cornerstone for its future development.

Pricing:

K80 Pro:

• 12+256GB: 3699

• 12+512GB: 3999

• 16+512GB: 4299

• 16+1TB: 4799

• Champion Edition (16+1TB): 4999

K80:

• 12+256GB: 2499

• 16+256GB: 2699

• 12+512GB: 2899

• 16+512GB: 3199

• 16+1TB: 3599