Xiaomi’s Redmi division announced the Redmi K100 Pro series, well ahead of the usual schedule. The reason is simple: no Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 (launch set for September), but a spec sheet that renews itself in every aspect — but without aiming at Qualcomm’s future high-end SoC.
A clear strategy to keep costs down while delivering a pair of flagship phones of considerable quality, with zero compromises and an appealing design (thanks to the brand-new color options).
The K100 family introduces numerous additions, both technically and in terms of appearance. In general, the design mirrors that of the previous generation, featuring a large rectangular island housing cameras and LED flash and — in the Pro Max version — also a rear speaker with Bose audio.
The K100 Pro “plain” benefits from Bose optimizations but uses the classic dual-speaker configuration.
For aesthetic updates there are two additions: the color Cabernet Sauvignon Red is the new burgundy shade available for both the K100 Pro and the Pro Max; the color Firefly Chasing Light, exclusive to the Pro version, is characterized by a green hue and a case with phosphorescent properties.
With daylight, the phone presents a bright green color, but in the dark the phosphorescent layer activates. As shown by the Chinese company, it is possible to use a light source to “draw” on the back cover of the phone.
Under-the-hood improvements start with the powertrain, featuring silicon-carbon batteries that are even more capable than the K90 series. The pair of phones houses 8,580 mAh and 9,070 mAh batteries, with 100W wired charge and 50W wireless charging support.
Both also offer reverse charging (wired 27W and wireless 22.5W), useful for using the phones as emergency Power Banks.
Xiaomi has become the third-largest company in the world and the first in China to develop in-house the luminescent M11 material for OLED displays. The breakthrough comes from the joint work of Lei Jun’s company and a team from Tsinghua University.
The new light-emitting material integrated into the panels of the K100 range introduces notable technical improvements, including higher energy efficiency, better color fidelity and extended longevity.
Redmi K100 Pro features a flat 6.59″ OLED panel with 1.5K resolution, 185 Hz refresh rate and brightness up to 2,200 nits. The Redmi K100 Pro Max moves up to a 6.9″ diagonal with the same characteristics.
Alongside the Redmi K100 Pro, the new chipset Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Series V debuts, model SM8850-1-AB. It is an alternative version of Qualcomm’s flagship chipset: specifications are identical with the same architecture and clock speeds, and the same internal components (NPU, 5G modem, ISP and more).
The difference concerns the Adreno 840 GPU, with 12 MB of cache (instead of 18 MB) and a 2-slice architecture (instead of 3), but still at a 1.2 GHz frequency.
CPU performance remains unchanged, while the GPU-side changes bring a slight reduction in peak power during heavier 3D days. Still, it’s a strategic move that helps reduce production costs without heavily impacting final capabilities.
The higher-end Redmi K100 Pro Max uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 standard, i.e., without any changes or limitations.
The camera setup on the Redmi K100 Pro Max is based on a 200 MP main sensor, complemented by a periscope telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and a 50 MP ultrawide.
The Pro version does away with the periscope zoom, adopting a standard telephoto lens, plus an 8 MP ultrawide. Both phones include a 32 MP selfie camera in a central punch-hole.
The series starts at around €475 at current exchange rates, rising to about €770 for the top variant with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. Below you will find all configurations for each device, with prices in China and converted at the exchange rate.
Redmi K100 Pro
Redmi K100 Pro Max
Given the history, the lineup should make its way to Europe with POCO, as happened with the current F8 Pro and F8 Ultra. The new smartphones in the K100 family are expected as POCO F9 Pro and F9 Ultra, likely with the same hardware but a slightly different look (more in line with POCO’s style).
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