Xiaomi executive Lu Weibing says the newly launched REDMI K90 Max is being sold at a loss, offering a blunt answer to questions about how aggressively the company has priced the device.
The phone was unveiled tonight as REDMI’s first model with a built-in cooling fan. Xiaomi says it uses an independent sealed air duct and a full-metal bearing structure, signaling a design aimed squarely at sustained performance under heavy gaming and high-load use.
In terms of hardware, the REDMI K90 Max is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 processor, an AI display co-processor called D2, LPDDR5X Ultra memory, and UFS 4.1 storage. The launch price starts at 2,999 yuan for the 12GB + 256GB version.
Lu Weibing, who is a Xiaomi Group partner, president, smartphone division president, and Xiaomi brand general manager, posted a summary of the phone’s specifications on Weibo shortly after launch. One commenter asked whether the company could still make money at that 2,999 yuan starting price. Lu’s reply was short and direct: loss-making.
IT Home also listed the launch pricing for the rest of the lineup:
- 12GB + 256GB: 2,999 yuan, or 2,549.15 yuan after the cited national subsidy
- 16GB + 256GB: 3,499 yuan, or 2,999 yuan after subsidy
- 12GB + 512GB: 3,499 yuan, or 2,999 yuan after subsidy
- 16GB + 512GB: 3,999 yuan, or 3,499 yuan after subsidy
- 16GB + 1TB: 4,699 yuan, or 4,199 yuan after subsidy
The combination of flagship-class silicon, active cooling, and aggressive pricing helps explain why Xiaomi is presenting the REDMI K90 Max as a major launch for the brand, even if that pricing strategy may squeeze margins in the short term.
