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PhonesNov 2, 20263 min read

Redmi K100's 10,000mAh Battery Is 9,800mAh on the Label

Redmi's K100 puts a 10,000mAh cell and a Snapdragon 8 Elite in a CNY 3,499 phone. The rated capacity is lower, and the endurance claim is Xiaomi's own.

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The Redmi K100 has the biggest battery in a mainstream flagship-class phone, and nobody outside Xiaomi has measured how long it lasts.

Xiaomi announced the phone in China on 27 October, and Tech-ish reports sales began on 31 October. GSMArena lists a Snapdragon 8 Elite, a 6.83-inch OLED at 165Hz with up to 3,200 nits of peak brightness, a 50MP main camera with optical stabilisation, an 8MP ultrawide, IP69K, Wi-Fi 7 and Android 17-based HyperOS 4. The 12GB and 256GB model costs CNY 3,499, about $525, with 12GB and 512GB at CNY 4,099 and 16GB and 512GB at CNY 4,499.

10,000 is the typical figure, not the rated one

Tech-ish makes the distinction that headlines skip: the K100's 10,000mAh is a typical capacity, and the rated capacity is 9,800mAh. Manufacturers quote typical values on the box and rated values in certification, and a gap of about 2 percent is ordinary. It matters only because the round number is the product's whole pitch. This desk has made the same point about another phone, in its explainer on typical against rated capacity for the OnePlus 16.

Xiaomi's endurance line is 2.43 days of typical use, which Tech-ish traces to the company's own lab usage test, adding that it "is not a promise of two days of continuous gaming". Tech-ish has not tested the phone. Neither has GSMArena, whose report is a specification summary, or Android Authority, whose article reports the battery and charging figures without a runtime. Android Authority also notes that Honor's Win 2 series and the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max already have cells of 10,000mAh or more, so the K100 is not alone. This desk covered the Honor in the same terms: a large number, no public test.

Charging and the gaming chip

Charging is 100W wired with a 100W charger in the box, 27W reverse wired output and bypass charging that powers the phone directly during games, according to Tech-ish. There is no wireless charging. Xiaomi says the 100W figure describes charger output and real speed varies.

A separate D2 chip handles upscaling and frame interpolation in supported games. Tech-ish explains the catch plainly: interpolated 165fps includes generated frames, so the number does not show the game's true render rate or input response. Xiaomi lists more than 40 games with native 165fps and more than 100 with interpolation, and some modes need updates expected by late November.

Where it fits

Android Authority's Akshay Gangwar argues that "Flagship phones from Samsung and Google really ought to have batteries larger than just 5,000mAh." The comparison figures in the same piece: 5,000mAh for the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and 5,115mAh for the Pixel 11 Pro XL. That is an opinion about what buyers should expect, and the capacity gap is real. A bigger cell does not by itself produce a longer day, since the display, the chip and the modem decide how fast it drains. A 165Hz panel at high brightness will use plenty.

For buyers outside China, there is nothing to buy yet. The K100 is sold only in China, and Android Authority's suggestion that it could return as a Poco F-series phone is speculation based on how the Redmi K90 and K80 were rebadged.

The sensible reading is a strong spec sheet with two open questions: how the cell performs in an independent screen-on test, and how often the D2 chip's interpolated modes are used in games people actually play. Until a reviewer publishes both, treat 2.43 days as Xiaomi's number.

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