Redmi K80 Pro In-Depth Review: Is the 400 Yuan Price Increase Worth It?

Redmi K80 Pro In-Depth Review: Is the 400 Yuan Price Increase Worth It?After nearly a month of speculation, the Redmi K80 series has finally been officially released. Prior online rumors wildly predicted its price would surpass the 4000 yuan mark

Redmi K80 Pro In-Depth Review: Is the 400 Yuan Price Increase Worth It?

After nearly a month of speculation, the Redmi K80 series has finally been officially released. Prior online rumors wildly predicted its price would surpass the 4000 yuan mark. However, the actual pricing announcement shattered these predictions: the K80 standard edition starts at 2499 yuan, while the K80 Pro starts at 3699 yuan. While this represents a 400 yuan increase compared to the Redmi K70 Pro's starting price of 3299 yuan, it's significantly less than previously rumored. So, is this 400 yuan price hike justified? Let's delve into the upgrades of the Redmi K80 Pro.

I. Design: A Striking 2K Screen and 3D Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor

The Redmi K80 Pro boasts a significantly different design compared to its predecessors. Abandoning the previously square shape, it adopts a more rounded design, enhancing its overall visual appeal and distinctiveness. The body utilizes a dual-process light mist integrated design, with a striking contrast between glossy and matte areas. It's important to note that this isn't a simple splicing but a complex process that integrates the glossy and matte areas seamlessly, showcasing impressive manufacturing prowess.

The glossy area is as translucent and lustrous as jade. The circular camera area is smoothly transitioned by a protective ring, with a graduated scale decoration around its edges. The three lenses are evenly distributed, presenting an orderly aesthetic beauty. The matte area uses a micrometer-level crystal surface to create an anti-reflective glass effect. Through photolithography and coating processes, it creates textures with a three-dimensional sense of light and shadow. Under the reflection of light, the texture changes resemble mountains and rivers, exhibiting a distinct Eastern aesthetic.

The body adopts a full curved micro-curved design, and the curved edges enhance the grip. Measured at 212.5 grams, the weight distribution is even, without any feeling of being top-heavy. Considering the 1000mAh increase in battery capacity, this weight is perfectly acceptable.

The front features a 6.67-inch 2K resolution straight screen, employing the same M9 high-efficiency light-emitting material as the Xiaomi 13. It boasts a maximum 120Hz refresh rate, 1800 nits global peak brightness, and 3200 nits peak brightness, matching the Xiaomi 13's specifications. Additionally, the Redmi K80 Pro supports full-brightness DC dimming and Xiaomi's Qing Shan eye protection 2.0, delivering exceptionally uniform display quality. The screen bezels are extremely narrow; official data shows a 1.6mm three-sided bezel and a 1.9mm bottom bezel, providing a screen visual effect comparable to the Xiaomi 13.

The Redmi K80 Pro uses a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Compared to the previous generation's short-focus optical fingerprint sensor, the experience is significantly improved. The fingerprint recognition area is positioned higher, making thumb recognition more comfortable. Recognition is fast and accurate, even when wet. Fingerprint enrollment is also quick, requiring only 10 presses. The screen surface is covered with the same Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass 2.0 as the Xiaomi 13 Pro, improving drop resistance by 20 times.

In summary, the Redmi K80 Pro has undergone a comprehensive design upgrade, using materials on par with the Xiaomi 13. The incorporation of various high-end specifications makes the upgrade very noticeable. The improvements in design are undeniable.

II. Configuration and Performance: Dual-Core Power, High-Quality Gaming Experience, and Ultra-Long Battery Life

Configuration has always been a traditional strength of the Redmi series, and the Redmi K80 Pro continues this advantage, significantly upgrading aspects like battery life and signal. Simultaneously, the Pengpai OS 2.0 system and the new generation of Rage Engine 4.0 optimization further enhance system smoothness.

In terms of core configuration, the full-blooded combination of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + LPDDR5X + UFS4.0 needs no further explanation. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor boasts superior performance and higher energy efficiency. To fully utilize the processor's performance, the Redmi K80 Pro upgrades to a dual-loop 3D ice-sealed cooling system. A large 5400 square millimeter VC heat dissipation sheet accelerates heat conduction, and combined with Rage Engine 4.0 performance scheduling, it effectively reduces heat generation during extended gaming sessions.

Under room temperature conditions, the benchmark score exceeds 2.85 million, but this is not the machine's performance limit. However, it's important to note that the load in benchmark testing differs significantly from actual gaming environments. In actual gameplay, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2's energy efficiency is sufficient to handle high-load demands.

Taking the "Honkai: Star Rail" Golden Moment scene as an example, this scene puts extreme pressure on the phone's performance. The Redmi K80 Pro achieves an average frame rate of 59.46 fps, with minimal frame rate fluctuation, making it virtually imperceptible to the eye. The average power consumption during gaming is 5.13W, with a maximum front temperature of 42.5 degrees and a maximum back temperature of 43.7 degrees. Even under such a high load, its performance remains satisfactory.

The Redmi K80 Pro also features the Game Dedicated Display Chip D1, which can output game images at 2K resolution and provide super-resolution, super-frame rate, and super-picture quality functions, significantly enhancing game image quality.

In the "Genshin Impact" highest-quality test, with only the super-resolution function enabled, the average frame rate over 30 minutes is 59.86 fps, with a front temperature of 41.4 degrees, a back temperature of 42.2 degrees, and an average power consumption of 4.55W. The super-resolution mode has a negligible impact on heat generation and power consumption during extended gameplay, while the image quality improvement is significant.

Enabling the super-resolution function is also very convenient. Simply adjust between "image quality priority" or "frame rate priority" in the side-bar performance settings. In the display enhancement options, you can manually turn the super-resolution, super-frame rate, and super-picture quality functions on or off without restarting the game.

In terms of battery life, the Redmi K80 Pro is equipped with a large 6000mAh battery with high energy density and excellent thickness control. This is a 1000mAh increase compared to the K70 Pro. It features the self-developed Pengpai G1 power meter chip, effectively preventing battery drain issues. Testing shows an 8% power consumption after 30 minutes of super-resolution gaming. In terms of fast charging, it supports 120W wired fast charging and 50W wireless fast charging, with a charging time of 31 minutes to 100% and a full charge in 35 minutes, requiring only about 30 minutes of daily charging time.

In terms of configuration, the Redmi K80 Pro continues Redmi's consistent advantages, making no compromises. Although the cost of 3nm process manufacturing and storage costs have increased, the Redmi K80 Pro has comprehensively upgraded its configuration, and the price increase is within an acceptable range.

III. Imaging: Full-Focal Length Imaging System, Significantly Improved Telephoto Capabilities

The Redmi K80 Pro is equipped with a full-focal length imaging system, covering a wider range of focal lengths. The ultra-wide-angle lens boasts a 120-degree ultra-wide field of view, with excellent distortion correction. The edges are free of curvature, and the image clarity is significantly improved. The upgrade to a 32-megapixel sensor is also substantial. The main camera performs excellently at 1X and 2X focal lengths, delivering clear image details. The high dynamic range effect enhances the layered look of photos, and color reproduction is accurate. The telephoto lens still provides lossless image quality at 5X focal length; even at 100% magnification, details remain clearly visible. Furthermore, the Redmi K80 Pro possesses excellent burst shooting capabilities, capturing 50 photos within 1 second and supporting full-lens dynamic mode.

IV. Summary: Flagship-Level Configuration, Comprehensive Upgrade Experience

After using the Redmi K80 Pro for some time, it's clear that this phone has received a comprehensive experience upgrade. Compared to the K70 Pro, despite the 400 yuan price increase, it doesn't affect its competitiveness, as evidenced by the initial sales of 660,000 units. In the current climate of widespread price increases in the mobile phone market, the Redmi K80 Pro's price increase is reasonable; after all, it adopts a 2K screen, an upgraded processor and battery, and a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. The Redmi K80 Pro shares many configurations with the Xiaomi 13.

The 12GB+256GB version