Redmi K50i Review: All about powerful performance!

Redmi K-series is back in India after so long! And that too with a powerful Mediatek Dimensity 8100 chipset under Rs. 30,000 that we have seen in the Realme GT Neo 3 and the recently launched Oppo Reno 8 Pro priced much higher than this mid-range smartphone. With this boost, the Redmi K50i gives tough competition to all the latest gaming smartphones in this segment. Good luck iQOO Neo 6, Poco F4 5G, and Realme Narzo 50 Pro! But does it manage to justify the overall performance like these rivals along with a good gaming experience? To know if it manages to leap over other mid-range smartphones, I have used it for 10 days, and here is what it brings for you.

Redmi K50i Design

The Redmi K50i design doesn’t leave you ‘Wowed’ at its first glance. Its triple-camera carried camera hump and colour-gradient design resemble many other smartphones that we have seen so far. Amongst three colour options, here I got the Phantom Blue variant, which brings shimmery golden colour traces according to the light. It has a plastic back panel and frame which doesn’t get smudges or dust easily. However, the phone doesn’t feel good to hold. Maybe, Redmi could have worked more on its build quality. Besides that, it is just a decent looking phone.

Redmi K50i Display

In this price bracket, we all expect a bright, colour-rich AMOLED display. But the Redmi K50i takes a different approach, it features a 6.6-inches Liquid FFS Display. Don’t take me wrong, you get a bright and sharp colour experience to use for daily stuff such as web surfing, social media, and watching videos.

However, it may not look that bright under the harsh sunlight even at maximum brightness. And those bezels and thick chin at the bottom make it look a bit outdated. But, the variable refresh rate with a maximum value of 144Hz is itself one of the rare offerings in this price range, which helps to make the animations and transitions smooth.

Redmi K50i Performance

The expectations from the phone got already high when Redmi touted it with the “Live Extreme” tagline. Redmi K50i packs a powerful processor MediaTek Dimensity 8100, which takes care of all daily generic tasks such as surfing the internet, switching from one app to another and handling social media without any hesitation. Especially, for gaming, you can enjoy the high-graphic demanding games with almost no complaints. I tried Call of Duty: Mobile, Asphalt 9, and Genshin Impact at high graphics, and the Redmi K50i handled it without any stutters or lags. However, after half an hour, you can easily feel your device getting hot towards the camera hump side. But that’s expected while playing heavy-duty games, and don’t worry, it doesn’t impact the overall performance of the phone.

The MIUI 13 based on Android 12 software experience is just like the other Xiaomi phones, you can play with customisation options, wallpapers, adding widgets, and a lot more. While you will find a few pre-installed apps, some can be uninstalled, while a few remain resistant. You can only hide them or choose to mute the notifications to end the constant buzz of the apps. It also offers a stereo sound dual speaker, which brings a clear and well-tuned sound even at the maximum. And the headphone jack? Yes, you get here a 3.5mm audio jack.

Redmi K50i Cameras

It’s neither extraordinary nor bad! The Redmi K50i’s triple camera setup with a 64MP primary camera works along with an 8MP wide-angle and a 2MP macro sensor.

The end photo results of the primary sensor are bright, well-maintained details as well as contrasts. You may find them a bit loaded with saturation. Honestly, I haven’t found them overpowering the image content and making them look unreal. The colour saturation issue remains constant even in wide-angle pictures and macro shots, however, the 8MP camera does a pretty decent job. The macro sensor is also not that great, instead, I had considered taking close-up shots with the primary camera.

Check camera samples here to know more about Redmi K50i’s camera performance..

Looking at the portraits, it managed to detect the edges of the subject sharp while maintaining good detail. The 16MP front camera manages to capture bright selfies, but I have found some skin colour-altering issues. The reddish hue on the skin tone in daylight can make you look like having makeup, even while turning off the beautification modes! In dim light or say almost night, you can get lit photos with boosted colours and an ample amount of detailing with its night mode. Overall, while considering the price, it is just a ‘nice’ camera to capture normal photos. Don’t expect high-end camera performance.

Redmi K50i Battery

No complaints here! With a beefy 5080 mAh battery, the K50i can easily outlast a day. That too at the maximum set refresh rate of 144Hz for rigorous use that includes watching videos, gaming, and clicking photos along with daily purposes. It offers a variable refresh rate option to choose from 60Hz, 90Hz and 144Hz, which helps to enhance battery life while going with the earlier options. Here, you will find a 67W fast charging option inside the box, which can refill the battery from 10-100 percent in around 50 minutes.

Verdict

You may get a lot of gaming smartphone options under Rs. 30,000 – from the recent Poco F4 5G to iQOO Neo 6, but Redmi K50i takes a leap while offering the power of Mediatek Dimensity 8100 chipset at a much cheaper price, which offers performance like the Snapdragon 888. With its strong performance, 144Hz high refresh rate display, fast charging, and long battery life, the Redmi K50i is great at handling all performance related stuff. Though, Redmi could have offered better built-quality, well-tuned cameras, and faster charging like its rivals to make it an overall performer.

Despite all these minor missed hits, the Redmi K50i is a great offering for those who are seeking a performance-driven smartphone, especially for gaming with decent everything else at just Rs. 25,999.