The REDMI K90 Max is a gaming-focused phone that Xiaomi announced in China on April 21, 2026. It is the first Xiaomi phone with a built-in cooling fan. The phone pairs a flagship MediaTek chip with an 8,550 mAh battery and a 165 Hz display. So far, it is sold only in China, and no global version has been announced.
Design and display
The phone has a flat 6.83-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2772 x 1280 pixels. It refreshes at up to 165 Hz and reaches a peak brightness of 3,500 nits. The panel supports HDR10+, HDR Vivid and Dolby Vision, and it can dim down to 1 nit. An ultrasonic fingerprint reader sits under the screen.
The body measures 162.91 x 77.93 x 8.18 mm and weighs 227 grams. It uses an aluminum alloy frame. Despite the fan, the phone carries IP66, IP68 and IP69 ratings. The fan itself is rated IPX8 and IPX9. It comes in Shadow Black, Sky Blue and Space Silver.
Performance
Inside is the Dimensity 9500, a 3 nm chip with a top CPU clock of 4.21 GHz. It uses a Mali-G1 Ultra GPU. Xiaomi adds its own D2 graphics chip, which handles frame interpolation and upscaling in games. Memory options start at 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256 GB of UFS 4.1 storage. The top version has 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage.
The cooling system combines a 6,000 mm² vapor chamber with an active fan. The fan has three modes. In Xiaomi’s lab test, the strongest mode lowered the device temperature by about 10°C within 100 seconds.
Cameras
The rear camera module has two lenses. The main camera uses a 50 MP Light Hunter 800 sensor in a 1/1.55-inch size. It has an f/1.68 aperture and optical image stabilization. It is joined by an 8 MP ultrawide camera. The rear cameras record video at up to 8K at 30 fps. On the front, there is a 20 MP selfie camera.
Battery and charging
The 8,550 mAh battery is one of the largest in a phone of this size. It charges at up to 100 W over USB-C, and a 100 W charger is included in the box. The phone can also charge other devices by cable at up to 22.5 W. Xiaomi does not list wireless charging.
Software and updates
The phone runs Xiaomi HyperOS 3, which is based on Android 16. Xiaomi has not published an update policy for this China model. Other features include symmetrical stereo speakers tuned with Bose, an infrared remote, NFC, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
Should you buy the REDMI K90 Max?
The REDMI K90 Max suits mobile gamers who want a fast chip, a 165 Hz screen and active cooling. Its large battery and full dust and water protection add to its appeal. However, it is a China-only model, so buyers elsewhere will get Chinese software and no local warranty. It also lacks a telephoto camera and wireless charging.
