The Redmi K80 Pro is an Android smartphone that launched with the same top-end Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC as the Xiaomi 15 Pro in 2024, albeit without the same reputation for class-leading rear camera hardware.
It arises from a trend among manufacturers to collaborate with iconic photography brands: for example, Vivo competes with Xiaomi by maintaining a relationship with Zeiss in its X200 series.
That paradigm might be coming to an end in 2025, though, with reports that OnePlus’ agreement with Hasselblad is to come to an end by the launch of the flagship 15.
A subsequent rumor now suggests that other smartphone makers will quickly follow suit, which can be interpreted to suggest that the 16 and 16 Pro might be the first Xiaomi flagship smartphones to debut without the right to use the iconic Leica logo since the 12 series.
It could also be taken to mean that Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi could incorporate the tuning developed over the years of the partnership into the K90 Pro without going through the process of formally turning it into a ‘Leica smartphone’, estimated to involve a cost of up to $5 per unit shipped.
That could also be good news for any successor to the Redmi K80 Ultra, a device that now technically leads the field in other areas such as haptics and audio through internal hardware upgrades.
In the meantime, the Xiaomi 16 Ultra is still projected to launch with a Leica-branded camera hump, although it might differ from that of its class-leading predecessor in other ways.
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I became a professional writer and editor shortly after graduation. My degrees are in biomedical sciences; however, they led to some experience in the biotech area, which convinced me of its potential to revolutionize our health, environment and lives in general. This developed into an all-consuming interest in more aspects of tech over time: I can never write enough on the latest electronics, gadgets and innovations. My other interests include imaging, astronomy, and streaming all the things. Oh, and coffee.