Xiaomi has just released the Redmi K90 Ultra. It features a flagship Snapdragon chip, a huge 8,550mAh battery and a 165Hz refresh rate screen, all the things you'd expect to find in a smartphone twice the cost. What really draws the eye though, is the built-in cooling fan, something typically found only on dedicated gaming phones.

Throw on fast 100W charging, hardcore-rated swim resistance (IP69) and Bose-sound speakers, and you have a phone that's for gamers who play hard and don't back down. So does it actually deliver? Let's find out.

An In-Depth Review on Xiaomi Redmi K90 Ultra

The Xiaomi Redmi K90 Ultra is designed for gamers in the market for a high-powered device at a smaller price. It is powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, features a massive 8,550mAh battery and combines a smooth 165Hz AMOLED display with a rare built-in cooling fan. This review explores its design, display, performance, cameras, battery life, price in Bangladesh, and its value for gamers and power users.

Box Content

This is what you get inside the Xiaomi 17T Pro box:

• Xiaomi 17T Pro Smartphone
• 100W Charger
• USB Type-C cable
• Silicone case
• SIM ejector tool
• User manual

Inside the box you will find the Redmi K90 Ultra, a 100W charging brick, a USB Type-C cable, a SIM eject tool, a protective case and an activation guide. Moreover, Xiaomi has pre-installed a protective screen on the display, meaning you don't have to rush to a store to get one before you use the phone.

Design & Build Quality

On the first impression, the Redmi K90 Ultra appears to be a phone to take life seriously. It's 162.91mm high, 77.93mm wide and only a mere 8.18mm thick to appear sleek but to feel premium solid. Measuring 227 grams, it isn't too light but neither is it too heavy, and there are a lot of things crammed inside, including that cooling fan.

You can choose from 3 colors: Black, Blue and Silver, all in a clean, modern finish with no flashy patterns, but more grown up and understated. From traditional to more attention-grabbing options, there is something to suit everyone.

Its durability is where this phone really shines. Offers a rare combination of IP68/IP69, which means it resists dust, regular splashes and even high pressure water jets. Not to mention it's officially water resistant up to 1.5m for 30 minutes, so if you accidentally drop it in the sink, or if it gets a bit rainy, you won't have to panic.

Throw in dust proof construction and you have a phone that can deal with real life, not the controlled environment that it's normally used in. This is a level of difficulty that will give some gamers a welcome respite from the sweat or whatever it is that causes them the occasional clumsy moment, without ever compromising on the sleek, premium appearance that Xiaomi is sure to be going for here.

Display

The Redmi K90 Ultra seems to be trying to steal the show with its display. You will have a 6.83 inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280x2772, which ensures high-definition, sharp appearance of text, pictures and videos at 447ppi. The phone's 19.5:9 ratio enhances usability for scrolling, gaming, and viewing content without a cramped feel.

The bezels are very thin which ensures there is still 90.3% of screen area, and the punch-hole selfie camera does not take up much of the viewing area. Not to mention the Gorilla Glass protection, which makes your day-to-day use of the phone worry-free from scratches and bumps, and the capacitive, multi-touch screen that is responsive and feels smooth when you touch it.

Now, when it comes to brightness the official number from Xiaomi is roughly 3,500 nits whereas a number of listings go as high as 9,000 nits. That's still extremely lit, so it should be fine to see out in direct sunlight up to 3,500 nits. Movies and TV shows benefit from richer colors and deeper contrast, creating a more immersive viewing experience with HDR10+ support.

But its true secret is the 165Hz refresh rate. It's buttery smooth scrolling, buttery smooth animations, and buttery smooth fast-paced games. For gamers, this display is more than just aesthetically pleasing; it's a tangible boost in performance that feels like a split-second reaction time, making every swipe and tap feel instant.

Camera

The Redmi K90 Ultra's dual camera configuration is simple on paper; and it's not a bad thing. The 50MP primary sensor has a nice, wide 5.6mm f/1.68 aperture that lets in a lot of light, and is generally a good indication of better shots in the challenging light. It also features Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), which means that even if you have shaky hands, you won't lose your shots, and fast autofocus to capture subjects. Together is an 8MP ultra-wide f/2.2 lens that allows you to capture landscapes, groups of people or dramatic shots of architecture without having to move back.

There are also handy creative controls such as exposure compensation and ISO adjustment for those who enjoy shooting in manual mode, and HDR mode and continuous shooting to capture the action of fast-moving objects. Touch-to-focus and face detection complete the package for quick and casual Point and Shots. Just remember here zoom is digital zoom only, no dedicated telephoto lens, and don't think you will get sharp, lossless zoom images.

Daylight Photo:

The wide f/1.68 aperture and 50MP sensor should make it easy to capture crisp images with plenty of impact and detail in daylight, photos that should look good when you open up the camera without putting in much effort. Natural colours and a good OIS to keep things steady even if you are moving around.

Low-light Photo:

The OIS and the wide aperture should work well in tandem, and low-light shots should be manageable, just not as bright as many of the middle-range cameras can deliver without a lot of blur. But, if you don't have a dedicated night mode sensor or a bigger secondary lens, you're not going to get that kind of ‘low-light magic' as with the flagship camera phones, it's good, rather than extraordinary.

Upfront, the 20MP selfie camera does a decent job with wide-angle shots, allowing you to fit in more of your pals in the frame, and it records video up to 1080p at 60fps—enough to make video calls, selfies and casual vlogging enjoyable.

Video-wise, this phone boasts up to 7680x4320 (8K) resolution, which is impressive for the price, and has standard 1080p and 4K resolutions for normal use. The maximum frame rate is only 60fps, so there's no frantic motion.

Performance & Software

The Redmi K90 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, manufactured using the very small 3nm technology, which helps to ensure power efficiency while maximizing performance. The setup offers two beefy Oryon V2 Phoenix L cores that are clocked at 4.32GHz and are suited for heavy workload tasks, plus six effective 3.53GHz Phoenix M cores for normal multitasking without putting a strain on the battery. In concert, they make app switching and heavy multitasking run smoothly and easily.

The Adreno 830 GPU, running at 1200MHz, should easily handle high-refresh graphics games and titles with high graphical demands. The chipset is paired with the 64-bit architecture, which is designed for users who want their mobile device to keep up, whether playing games, editing video files, or typing 12 tabs in their browser.

On the software front, the phone will come with Android 16 and topped with Xiaomi's HyperOS 3. The new iteration adds a more streamlined interface, enhanced cross-device compatibility for those who are into Xiaomi products and better system-level optimizations for battery and performance. It's modern, responsive and just plain fun to use, with no superfluous crap to get in the way.

Overall, it's a chipset and software package designed for rigorous multi-tasking and gaming, but that still performs with snappy performance in day-to-day usage.

AnTuTu Bench & Geekbench Score

The Redmi K90 Ultra is definitely in the league of flagship devices. The score on AnTuTu Benchmark 11 is impressive at 3304597 points, which puts it 48th place in the global rankings and is a good testament to the real-world power it has to game and to handle heavy multitasking (CPU: 924,949 | GPU: 1,161,971 | Memory: 466,704 | UX: 680,071).

Geekbench 6 results give a single-core score of 3,261 and a multi-core score of 10,224, which demonstrates decent everyday performance and performance that's good for demanding, multi-core tasks such as video editing.

Put simply, these scores are not a marketing ploy, the Redmi K90 Ultra is indeed a high-end flagship device that can easily run on heavy games or apps without breaking a sweat.

Battery & Charger

The Redmi K90 Ultra is all about battery life. Powered by a huge 8,550mAh Li-Ion battery, it can keep you going through the entire day of gaming, streaming, or whatever else you're doing online with ample juice to spare.

Xiaomi doesn't wait for you to recharge. It can be used with any fast charger as it is compatible with PPS and PD3.0, and also offers 100W wired fast charging support. In the real world, this means a quick top-up during lunch breaks instead of having to be plugged in for hours.

This is an extra bonus as well; there's also 22.5W reverse wired charging, which lets you enjoy quick charging of smaller devices such as earbuds or another phone.

As with most modern flagship phones, the battery is not removable and charging is via a standard USB Type-C port. In all, it's a battery system designed for those who demand power and quickness without needing to be fascinated and concerned about the charge percentage.

Xiaomi Redmi K90 Ultra Price in Bangladesh

The Xiaomi Redmi K90 Ultra's unofficial price in Bangladesh is ৳64,000 for the 16GB+256GB variant. Pricing is by import and may change based on availability and local retailers, as the phone has not officially launched in the country yet. If you're interested in this phone you should check back with reputable local retailers to see the current prices before buying, as import prices do fluctuate.

Final Word

The Redmi K90 Ultra is definitely a gaming and high-performance enthusiast's dream phone that offers flagship-level performance at a pocket-friendly price. With the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, huge battery, in-built cooling fan, and amazing 165Hz show, it ticks all but a few of the boxes. Simple but not showy is the camera setup here, and that's about all that the phone does not do in the rest of the world. If raw performance and battery life are at the forefront of your mind, then it's a definite must consider.