Redmi K50 Ultra and Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro are now out in China!


No need for that much effort on performance Xiaomi, we already know.

Redmi K50 Ultra Petronas Edition

When Xiaomi makes a phone with “Ultra” as the suffix, you know you’re in for a treat! These phones are what define Xiaomi as a company, mainly prioritizing performance over everything else. The same can be said about the Redmi K50 Ultra. There is also the company’s performance tablets. The new one is called the Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro and it has three cameras at the back! What is this? A really big smartphone???

Redmi K50 Ultra

To start, the Redmi K50 Ultra features a 6.67in. 1.5K (2712x1220px) OLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate, and 12-bit colour support! The screen has a higher resolution than most flagships, but we don’t know why Xiaomi didn’t go with a 2K or QHD+ screen, it’s only a hair away. Oh well, it’s still a very high-res screen that provides crispy images and with 12-bit colour, the display looks vibrant and attractive.

The screen also supports the usual things a high-end OLED supports, such as HDR10+, Adaptive HDR, DCI-P3 colour gamut, and Dolby Vision. There’s also the in-display fingerprint scanner that also doubles as a heart rate sensor which is frankly not taken from Realme.

In terms of performance, the phone uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset paired with 8 or 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and a choice between 128, 256, or 512GB UFS 3.1 internal storage. The Petronas edition uses a 12/512 configuration. This theme is based on the F1 racing team of the same name, and they chose to partner with this because Realme’s GT series needs a new racer to compete with, and it also defines the phone: FAST!

It has a triple camera system. The primary camera at the rear is a 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM6 sensor with 1.92µm pixels and OIS. The other cameras include an 8MP ultrawide with a 120-degree field of view and a 2MP macro camera that we wish Xiaomi omitted instead. It also has a 20MP Sony IMX596 selfie camera housed on a dot notch.

There is a typical 5000mAh battery that powers the phone that is paired with 120W fast charging. The phone is also QC Power Delivery 3.0 compatible. It obviously charges via USB-C.

It has 5G services along with an IR Blaster on the top, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, and Wi-Fi 6/6E connectivity. It does not have a headphone jack but compensates for the stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support included. Also, it’s USB-C port and wireless audio solution are Hi-Res certified, so audiophiles will definitely love this phone.

It boots with MIUI 13 based on Android 12. It comes in Silver, Cool Blue, and Black. In China the phone is priced at CNY 2,999 (~Php 24.8K) for the 8/128 configuration, CNY 3,299 (~Php 27.3K) for the 8/256 configuration, CNY 3,599 (~Php 29.7K) for the 12/256 configuration, and finally, the highest-end 12/512 is priced at CNY 3,999 (~Php 33K). The Petronas livery will cost you a little more (it also has 12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage), at CNY 4,199 (~Php 34.7K). Still, this makes the Redmi K50 Ultra potentially one of the most affordable Snapdragon 8+ phones to exist.

SPECS:

  • 6.67in. 1.5K (2712x1220px) OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate, 12-bit colour, 446ppi
    • HDR10+, Dolby Vision, DCI-P3 colour gamut
    • Adaptive HDR
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm)
  • CAMERAS:
    • 108MP (main), f/1.6, 1/1.67″, 1.92µm, Samsung ISOCELL HM6, OIS
    • 8MP (ultrawide), 120° FOV
    • 2MP (macro), f/2.4
    • FRONT: 20MP, Sony IMX596
  • 5000mAh, 120W fast charging
    • QC Power Delivery 3.0 compatible
  • MIUI 13 based on Android 12
  • 5G services, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
  • IR Blaster, In-display heart rate fingerprint scanner, USB-C
  • Stereo Speakers, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res audio (USB-C and Wireless)
  • Black, Silver, Cool Blue, AMG Petronas Edition
  • PRICE:
    • 8/128: CNY 2,999 (~Php 24.8K)
    • 8/256: CNY 3,299 (~Php 27.3K)
    • 12/256: CNY 3,599 (~Php 29.7K)
    • 12/512: CNY 3,999 (~Php 33K)
    • AMG Petronas Edition (12/512): CNY 4,199 (~Php 34.7K)

The phone may hit international audiences but most likely, under a different name. The most likely scenario is that it would become the Poco F4 Ultimate if that ever exists.

Source: Xiaomi (in Chinese)

Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro

You normally don’t take pictures with a phone but flagship-level tablets choose to ignore that rule and instead implement high-res multiple cameras anyway.

Its design heavily borrows the one from the Xiaomi 12 series, as if it’s an enlarged version of it. The display is huge (good luck holding it as we are already struggling with a 10in. one), measuring 12.4 inches. It has a 2560x1600px 2.5K resolution IPS LCD screen with Dolby Vision, 120Hz refresh rate, DCI-P3 colour gamut, and 500 nits of brightness. It also has HDR10+ support. In a way, Xiaomi is doing things “iPad Pro” way with this new tablet. While not OLED, the company is trying to mimic it similar to how Apple did it with their iPads.

There are three cameras at the back, a novelty that’s only featured on more expensive tablets. If ever you want to take pictures with a ridiculously large tablet, then you can have it. The cameras at the back are not just any cameras, but they are similar to those seen with smartphones, such as the 50MP primary camera, the 2MP depth, and 2MP macro. The front camera is also identical to that of the Redmi K50 Ultra as it uses the same 20MP Sony IMX596 shooter. So now you can video call with all of your pores visibly seen and due to the large size, you can fit as many as 20 people in there, probably more.

It has a very large 10,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging that’s obviously quite needed for this behemoth of a battery. This can also charge other phones and is also QC 4.0 and QC 3.0 compatible. It charges via USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 which offers a lightning-fast transfer speed.

It appears that Xiaomi has no plans on making an LTE version, and so this tablet does not have any. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset paired with 6, 8, or 12GB RAM and a choice between 128, 256, or 512GB UFS 3.1 internal storage. The storage is sadly not expandable like the base Pad 5. As it uses the now midrange Snapdragon 870, it has Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, Miracast, Wi-Fi Direct, and several codecs like LDAC and LHDC 3.0.

It has stereo speakers that are also Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio certified. The headphone jack is absent in this one but both the USB-C and wireless audio are Hi-Res certified, reducing the need for it. Still, it would be nice if it did have one.

It boots with a modified version of MIUI 13 based on Android 12L. Don’t worry, it’s not a new version, it’s just Android 12 but optimized for tablets.

It comes in Silver, Cyan, and Grey. It starts at CNY 2,999 (~Php 24.8K) for the 6/128 configuration, CNY 3,499 (~Php 28.9K) for the 8/256 one, and CNY 4,199 (~Php 34.7K) for the highest 12/512 configuration. We’re hoping it also is manufactured on a global scale.

SPECS:

  • 12.4in. 2.5K (2560x1600px) IPS LCD, 120Hz refresh rate, 500nits brightness
    • Dolby Vision, HDR10+ DCI-P3 colour gamut
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 (4nm)
  • CAMERAS:
    • 50MP (main)
    • 2MP (depth), f/2.4
    • 2MP (macro), f/2.4
    • FRONT: 20MP, Sony IMX596
  • 10,000mAh battery, 67W fast charging
    • Quick Charge 4.0 compatible
    • Reverse Charging
  • MIUI 13 for Pad based on Android 12L
  • USB-C
  • Stereo Speakers, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio (USB-C and Wireless)
  • Wi-Fi 6/6E, Bluetooth 5.2, Miracast wireless display support
  • Silver, Cyan, Grey
  • PRICE:
    • 6/128: CNY 2,999 (~Php 24.8K)
    • 8/256: CNY 3,499 (~Php 28.9K)
    • 12/512: CNY 4,199 (~Php 34.7K)

Source: Xiaomi (in Chinese)