Redmi K50i – The Budget Flagship Killer Gaming Phone

The Redmi K-series Gaming Phone has seen immense success in India over the years by offering flagship-grade performance at affordable prices. After a 3-year hiatus, Xiaomi has launched the latest addition to this series – the Redmi K50i – in India. Packing the Dimensity 8100 chip, 144Hz display, and 67W fast charging support, the K50i seems like another blockbuster from Redmi. But how does it compare to the competition? Let’s find out in this detailed review.

The Redmi K50i is essentially a rebranded Poco X4 GT that was launched in global markets earlier this year. There are minor differences between the two in terms of design and display. The K50i sports a 144Hz LCD panel compared to the 120Hz IPS LCD on the X4 GT. It also comes in a slick Phantom Blue color option with a glittery pattern. Powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 8100 SoC, the K50i promises flagship-like performance at a mid-range price point. The phone starts at Rs. 23,999 for the 6GB/128GB model, going up to Rs. 26,999 for the 8GB/256GB variant.

Features of Redmi K50i

The Pinnacle of Redmi K50i Performance

With the octa-core Dimensity 8100 under the hood, paired with up to 8GB LPDDR5 RAM, the Redmi K50i delivers blazing-fast performance whether you are browsing menus, switching between multiple apps, or playing high fps games. In our testing, we hardly faced any stutters during day-to-day operations. The phone also remained relatively cool throughout an hour of intensive gaming.

While synthetic benchmarks don’t reflect real-world experience, the K50i scored over 760,000 points in AnTuTu v9 – which is higher than Snapdragon 870 devices. For context, the Dimensity 8100 sits between the Snapdragon 870 and Snapdragon 888 in terms of performance. The Mali-G610 MC6 GPU can also handle most high-graphics games without breaking a sweat. We could easily achieve 90-120+ fps in titles like Real Racing 3 and Sky Force Reloaded.

Cutting-edge Display Technology in Redmi K50i

Despite having an LCD panel, the vibrant 6.6″ screen on the K50i looks stunning. It has slim bezels all around and can achieve a peak brightness of 650 nits. The display supports HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 144Hz refresh rate, and a 360Hz touch sampling rate. This makes visuals appear crisp and smooth, whether you are watching movies/videos or playing games.

We especially liked the smart adaptive refresh rate implementation. Depending on the content, the screen switches dynamically between 30Hz to 144Hz refresh rates. So videos encoded at 30fps will play at 30Hz while fast-action games can leverage the full 144Hz mode. This helps optimize battery usage without compromising on visual fluidity.

Redmi K50i’s Cutting-Edge Camera Technology

On the imaging front, the Redmi K50i packs a 64MP f/1.9 primary sensor accompanied by an 8MP ultrawide lens and a basic 2MP macro camera. Results from the main camera are decent, with good colors and details in daylight conditions. The camera app offers a full suite of shooting modes ranging from night mode, portrait mode, slow motion, panorama, pro mode, and more. There is also 4K video recording at 30fps.

Advanced Features and User Experience

On the software side, the phone runs MIUI 13 based on Android 12 out-of-the-box. There are some pre-installed third-party apps, but most of them can be removed easily. Expect a smooth interface with lots of customization features.

Pros and Cons of Redmi K50i

Should I Buy Redmi K50i?

If you have a budget of around ₹25k and want the absolute best performance for this price, look no further than the Redmi K50i. Between the Dimensity 8100 chip, excellent display with 144Hz mode, long-lasting battery, and some nice additional features like the headphone jack, the Redmi K50i has all bases covered. Unless you want more premium build quality or better low-light cameras, the K50i beats pretty much every other phone in its class. For under ₹30k, this is arguably the most complete package available right now. We recommend the higher 8GB/256GB variant for longevity.

FAQs

What is the price of Redmi K50i in India?

The Redmi K50i starts at Rs. 23,999 for the 6GB/128GB variant and goes up to Rs. 26,999 for the 8GB/256GB model.

How is the gaming performance of Redmi K50i?

With Dimensity 8100 and Mali G610 GPU, the K50i delivers flagship-tier gaming performance. We could smoothly play CoD Mobile, Asphalt 9 Legends, etc, at 90/120 fps.

Does it face heating issues when playing games for long durations?

No, the cooling system does an excellent job at heat dissipation. After 1-2 hours of intense gaming, the phone reached marginally warm temperatures only.

Can I record 4K videos with Redmi K50i?

Yes, the rear 64MP camera allows 4K video recording at 30fps frame rate. For selfies, you can shoot up to 1080p clips.