Redmi K50i 5G Review: A hardcore performer for under Rs. 30,000?

Redmi K50i 5G Review Summary:

Editor’s rating: 3.5/5

When Redmi launched first introduced its K Series, the brand aimed to offer a performance-centric device at an affordable price. The Redmi K20 Series was launched in 2019 and it was well received by one and all. However, Redmi failed to build on to K20 series. Now in 2022, the brand has decided to revive K series with the launch of their K50i in India. The Redmi K50i is a smartphone that is priced under 30k and packs premium features like Dimensity 8100 chipset, 256GB storage, triple camera setup, 144Hz refresh rate, and more. However, is the device worth going for or will it just burn a hole in your pocket without serving any purpose? Let’s find out.

Redmi K50i 5G : Design

The Redmi K50i 5G is a decent-looking smartphone although the device doesn’t come with any ‘Wow’ design elements. It has a distinctive look with a textured back being made of polycarbonate to give a good build quality. The smartphone comes in 3 colourways and I got the Quick Silver variant that looked premium and different from normal blue and green smartphones.

The back is made of plastic and has a rugged appearance. There is a rectangular camera module at the back that is placed on the top left corner and is aligned with the sides to make the smartphone look proportionate. The module has triple lenses along with a dual-tone LED flash. The rugged back doesn’t catch many smudges/fingerprints, so that is a plus factor too.

The smartphone has an IR blaster on the top edge along with a 3.5mm headphone jack and a speaker grille. The bottom edge has a USB Type-C port along with a speaker grille and a SIM tray. The right edge has volume rockers and a power button while the left edge is left idle. The button placement is good and they are clicky to touch which feels good. The front has a glass display with a hole punch cutout at the top center. The phone has a thick chin and flat frame along with curved edges to give a good in-hand feel.

The smartphone is 8.87mm thick and weighs 200 grams so it does feel bulky sometimes but the brand has covered the protection aspect well as it is rated IP53 for dust and water ingress.

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Redmi K50i 5G Review: Display

The Redmi K50i 5G has a 6.67-inch FHD+ FFS display panel. Although one might expect an AMOLED panel in this price range, but that doesn’t mean that the K50i’s display is not up to the mark. The smartphone’s display has a 20.5:9 aspect ratio with a DisplayMate A+ rating for the screen. It is a bright and vibrant screen with a good amount of detail. It’s a good panel and you will notice that when experiencing stuff like web surfing, social media, and more. It has a high 144Hz refresh rate that adjusts itself according to the usage of the consumer and gives a smooth experience. The brightness levels of the smartphone as well as the viewing angles could have been better because the display is not clearly visible under direct sunlight. It has a typical brightness of 500 nits and is protected by Gorilla Glass 5.

The display supports HDR10, and Dolby Vision content, and OTT & YouTube platforms can run HDR content.

Redmi K50i 5G Review: Camera

The Redmi K50i 5G comes with a triple camera setup on the back. It includes a 64MP main sensor, an 8MP ultrawide sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. The front has a single 16MP selfie camera.

In today’s times when most smartphones are moving towards 50MP sensors, Xiaomi has decided to stick to a 64MP lens. This lens works well in good lighting conditions. The images clicked are clear and full of details. However, things get tricky when there is darkness or low light. The lens has its limitations when clicking in low light thus details are less and quality also degrades a little. The dedicated Night Mode does make things slightly better but sometimes these boosted shots look artificial which can be an issue.

The shutter speed is fast and precise and there’s hardly any delay in processing an image. Coming to an 8MP ultrawide lens, it gives strictly average clicks with limited details and very less distortion. Dynamic range is just about ok and some clicks come out with a lot of noise.

The 2MP depth sensor is ok for closeup shots but that’s just about it. It doesn’t give very good quality clicks and should be used at your own discretion. There are modes like Auto, Portrait, and Long exposure. Time bursts, clones, and more make photography even more enjoyable.

Coming to the 16MP selfie lens, the smartphone captures bright selfies but the skin tones don’t come out naturally in the clicks. There is a reddish hue during the daytime that makes one look like he/she is wearing makeup. When the beautification mode is turned off, then the skin tones are not natural. In the dim light, the selfies look boosted but the detailing is fine. The selfie lens could have been better.

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Redmi K50i 5G Review: Performance

The Redmi K50i 5G smartphone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8100 chipset that handles all the daily tasks without any hassles. Multi-tasking is done with ease as various apps run seamlessly in the background. Switching between apps is quick and the apps open and load swiftly. Paired up with 8GB RAM, the smartphone is even more smooth and fast and 256GB storage provides ample space to store whatever you like.

Gaming is also smooth on the device but this is only for short sessions. As soon as you start having a gaming session that extends over 45 minutes, the smartphone starts lagging and getting hot. Heavy-duty games like Asphalt 9 and COD Mobile can be played with HD graphics and high frame rates but in short sessions. The thermal performance of the smartphone could have been worked upon, as the device starts heating up during long gaming sessions, during charging, and even during benchmarking tests.

Coming to the software department, the Redmi K50i runs MIUI 13 based on Android 12 OS out of the box. Just like other Xiaomi smartphones, you can customize your experience by playing with wallpapers, adding widgets, and more. The smartphone comes with bloatware so that has to be uninstalled if you don’t need it. However, there is no adware. The company has promised 2 major Android updates and 3 years of security support for the Redmi K50i.

Coming to audio, the smartphone has dual speakers with Dolby Atmos support. The speakers are loud enough but the audio doesn’t have much depth or character. The speaker at the bottom gives more sound than the one at the top, but overall both of them could have been better. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack for old-school music listeners, which is good.

The smartphone is 5G enabled and supports 12 5G bands. The call quality is good even in the basement and low signal areas.

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Redmi K50i 5G Review: Battery

The Redmi K50i 5G packs a 5080mAh battery that easily lasts a single day if you have light to moderate usage. Even when the refresh rate is 144Hz and tasks like watching videos and clicking photos are being done, the battery lasts an entire day on a single charge. However, if you are having long gaming sessions, then you will have to charge the battery once before the day ends.

In terms of charging, the smartphone comes with a 67W fast charging option. The USB Type-C charger charges the device from 0 to 100% in about 45-50 minutes which is decent. If you don’t have much time, even a quick 15-20 minute charge will give you almost 45% battery life.

Redmi K50i 5G Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

The Redmi K50i 5G can be a very good choice for performance users. With a price tag of under 30K, the smartphone offers good specs and features. The smartphone has a good battery life, quick charging, decent design, a fast processor, and a bright display. It comes with features like an IP53 rating, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an IR blaster as well. Though the thermal performance is not that well and the selfie camera is underwhelming and there is bloatware too, but these are small issues that can easily be overlooked. All in all, the Redmi K50i, has the potential to survive in this competitive under Rs. 30,000 price segment due to its value for money performance.