Xiaomi has taken the wraps off its most powerful Redmi phone to date—the Redmi K80 Ultra. And if the spec sheet looks like something out of a wishlist, that’s because it sort of is. A 144Hz OLED display. MediaTek’s new Dimensity 9400+ chipset. IP68 water resistance. A battery that borders on absurd in both size and efficiency. And it all starts at just 2,599 yuan (~$362 USD).
Flagship specs are nothing new. What’s different here is how aggressively this phone is priced—and how many technical risks Xiaomi seems willing to take.
The Display Is a Highlight—Literally
Up front, you get a 6.83-inch 1.5K AMOLED panel with 3200 nits peak brightness. That’s not a typo. It’s one of the brightest displays ever shipped in a smartphone, and Xiaomi backs it up with Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 2560Hz PWM dimming, and a 144Hz refresh rate. There’s also something called “Xiaomi Shield Glass” for protection, but the real visual upgrades come from the Discrete D2 graphics chip, which handles ultra-high frame rate gaming—up to 144FPS. If you’re a mobile gamer, this might be the feature that sets the K80 Ultra apart.
Dimensity 9400+ Brings the Heat—and Then Cools It
At its heart is the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+, a 3nm flagship SoC that promises blistering performance. Xiaomi claims an AnTuTu score north of 3.24 million, which, while hard to verify just yet, positions it right alongside the best from Qualcomm.
To keep things cool, there’s a 3D Ice Cycle Cold Pump and a massive 6500mm² cooling system with a concave-convex platform. The thermals, on paper, sound next-level.
Cameras? Solid but Conservative
You get a 50MP main camera (1/1.55” sensor, OIS), an 8MP ultra-wide, and a 20MP selfie shooter. While that may not win any hardware innovation awards, Xiaomi says the K80 Ultra supports 8K video recording, which keeps it competitive.
For comparison’s sake, it’s no Ultra-tier imaging setup like on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra—but that’s also not the audience this phone is gunning for.
Massive Battery + Fast Charging = No Compromises
The 7410mAh battery is quietly one of the most impressive upgrades. It uses a 10% silicon content design with an 827Wh/L energy density, all while maintaining a manageable 219g weight. Combine that with 100W wired fast charging, and it’s clear Xiaomi isn’t leaving anything on the table.
Build and Extras
- In-display fingerprint scanner
- Dual symmetrical coaxial speakers (rare, even for flagships)
- Four-curved metal frame + fiberglass back
- Hi-Res Audio + Dolby Atmos
- Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and full satellite system support
- IP68 water and dust resistance—again, something many $1,000 phones still skip
It runs HyperOS 2 atop Android 15, which brings a number of UI and system-level performance tweaks.
Pricing & Configurations
| Variant | Price (CNY) | USD (approx) |
|---|---|---|
| 12GB + 256GB | ¥2599 | $362 |
| 16GB + 256GB | ¥2799 | $390 |
| 12GB + 512GB | ¥2999 | $417 |
| 16GB + 512GB | ¥3299 | $459 |
| 16GB + 1TB | ¥3799 | $529 |
Available colors: Sandstone Gray, Moon Rock White, Spruce Green, and Ice Front Blue. Sales have already started in China. No word yet on global rollout.
Final Take
The Redmi K80 Ultra feels like Xiaomi flexing its engineering muscle. It’s packed, polished, and practical—but without the inflated price tag. You won’t get Leica branding or telephoto zoom here, but if you’re after display brilliance, top-tier performance, and massive endurance, there are few better deals in 2025’s flagship landscape.
This might just be the flagship killer of the year—unless Xiaomi decides to kill it themselves with another release next month.
