Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is still very fresh, but it has already started to appear on some mid-range smartphones like the Redmi K60 series that Xiaomi just launched in China. The Pro model has the 8 Gen 2 chip and starts at CNY 3,300 for an 8/128GB model. In comparison, the Xiaomi 13 with the same chip (and the same memory) is CNY 4,000.
The Redmi K60 and K60 Pro boast Snapdragon 8 series chipsets and QHD+ displays
The Redmi K60 Pro has a larger 6.67” OLED screen compared to the Xiaomi 13, a 12-bit panel with QHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The battery is also bigger, 5,000 mAh, and faster to charge than the Xiaomi 13 – it provides 120W over a wire thanks to the Surge P1 chip and 30W wirelessly. Using a 120W adapter, 0-100% charging is achieved in 19 minutes compared to 38 minutes for the Xiaomi 13 and its 4,500 mAh battery (the flagship only charges 67W though).
The camera set-up isn’t quite as nice, but with a 54MP main camera with OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide angle, it’s really only missing a telephoto lens.
With vapor chamber cooling, fast LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, plus 480Hz touch sampling, the Redmi K60 Pro will give gaming phones a run for their money. And with the Champion Edition exterior, it even looks the part.
Redmi K60 Pro in Champion Performance Edition trim
The Moto X40 was unveiled a few weeks ago with a starting price of CNY 3,300 for an 8/128GB phone, the same as the K60 Pro. It has a faster 165Hz screen (FHD+ resolution, rather than QHD+), higher resolution 50MP ultra wide and even a basic 12MP 2x telephoto camera. The 4,600 mAh battery is smaller, but the charging situation is comparable with 125W going over a wire and 15W wireless.
The Nubia Z50 is probably the cheapest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phone right now at CNY 3,000. It has a 144Hz screen (but lower FHD+ resolution) and a 50MP ultra wide camera, however the 64MP main camera has a smaller sensor than the others. In addition, the 5,000mAh battery is charged with “only” 80W and lacks wireless charging.
Motorola Moto X40 • vivo iQOO 11 • ZTE nubia Z50 • ZTE nubia Red Magic 8 Pro
iQOO 11 launched in Malaysia and Thailand and coming to India soon. It costs more than the Redmi at CNY 4,100. This one also has a faster 144Hz QHD+ screen and a 13MP 2x telephoto camera. The 5,000mAh battery only supports 120W wired charging.
The Red Magic 8 Pro is a decent gaming phone and starts at CNY 4,000. The extra cost over the Redmi buys you an active cooling fan and pressure-sensitive triggers. The camera is nothing special, but the phone is equipped with a large 6,000mAh battery (80W wired charging).
Xiaomi has not revealed plans for an international rollout of the Redmi K60 Pro, we should see it as a Poco or a Xiaomi phone soon enough. So when the Pro hits a store near you, will you be buying one, or is this not the right phone for you? Vote below or use this side.
Next, let’s look at the vanilla Redmi K60. This one switches to the older (but still fast!) Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset and drops the main camera to a tiny 64MP 1/2” sensor (0.7µm pixels vs 1.0µm on the Pro, it retains OIS, but ). Wireless charging is the same at 30W, while wired charging drops to 67W – although with the increase in battery capacity to 5,500mAh, some may see this as an upgrade. The base price is CNY 2,500 for an 8/128GB phone. One last thing, the 6.67” screen retains the QHD+ resolution (and 12-bit panel), which is a big advantage in this price range that we are seeing.
Cheap 8+ Gen 1 phones are hard to come by. For example, the Honor 80 GT, which was also announced this week, starts at CNY 3,300 (although this is for a 12/256GB model). The 6.67” 120Hz AMOLED has a lower resolution (FHD+) and is only a 10-bit panel. The 54MP main camera has a larger 1/1.49” sensor, but no OIS. The battery is a bit of a letdown with 4,800 mAh capacity and 66W wired charging.
Honor 80 GT • Lenovo Legion Y70 • vivo iQOO Neo7 Racing
The Lenovo Legion Y70 also starts at CNY 3,300, and while it doesn’t match the QHD+ resolution of the Redmi K60, it at least beats it with 144Hz refresh rate. The main 50 MP camera has OIS and the battery is decently large at 5,100 mAh (only 68W wired charging).
The new iQOO Neo7 Racing Edition is approaching with a price of CNY 2,800. It has a 6.78” 120Hz FHD+ screen and a 5,000 mAh battery with 120W fast charging only by wire. The camera setup features a 50MP main module with a larger sensor and OIS, plus an 8MP ultra-wide camera.
Is the Redmi K60 (or whatever the global version will be called) the right phone for you or not? Vote below or use this side.
Finally, there is the Redmi K60E, the cheapest model of the trio at CNY 2,200. Most of the price savings come from switching to a Dimensity 8200 chipset. The 6.67” display keeps the resolution at QHD+, making the E model a standout in its price range, even if it is no longer a 12-bit panel (also moving the fingerprint reader to the side). Other changes include a 48MP sensor in the main camera (still 1/2″ in size, still with OIS), and the 5,500mAh battery loses 30W wired charging (but retains 67W wired charging).
On the one hand, the K60E is not as powerful as the K60 and only 300 CNY cheaper. On the other hand, if you compare it to the phones, it’s a cheap way to get a QHD+ screen and a big battery. Worth it? Vote below or use this side.
