Redmi K20 and K20 Pro launched: Best-priced flagships?

Redmi K20 and K20 Pro launched: Best midrange budget phones?

Though the official launch of the Redmi K20 and K20 Pro midrange phones is today on July 17, the phones were put on an ‘alpha sale’ on July 12 for customers who wanted to pre-book by paying an advance. A Rs 2000 cashback offer is in place for ICICI credit card holders, with the offer still valid at Mi Home stores.

Today, as part of the Amazon Prime day sales frenzy, the phone officially launches at 12:30pm, bringing the pop-up camera trend to the budget midrange segment. The phones will be put on sale online on July 22.

Here’s a look at what Redmi’s flagship duo will be bringing to the table.

Stand-out looks

The gradient finish on the Redmi K20 will turn heads every time you lift it to your ear. The gradient changes hues and shapes as you turn the phone around.

Furnished with Corning Gorilla Glass 5, it should be able to take a 1.5 metre fall with no hitches. The front display is 6.39” with a resolution of 1080x2340 (ultra-wide 1080p). And, keeping with industry trends, the front camera notch is abandoned and replaced by a pop-up camera. This is the first time that a Redmi phone will have an AMOLED display, dubbed a ‘horizon AMOLED’ by the company.

The K20 Pro packs the same display. The company claims that the K20 Pro will offer customizable ‘touch response’ using the second generation game turbo, allowing touch latency to be adjusted.

More powerful processor

Packing a Snapdragon 730, the K20 should be able to outperform its competitor, the RealMe X, which has a Snapdragon 710. The Redmi K20 gets a 218.625 on AnTuTu while the RealMe gets 164.301. Couple with an Adreno 615, the K20 should be able to comfortably handle any game you throw at it. This is the first phone in the world to pack the Snapdragon 730.

The Redmi Pro, on the other hand, will pack the Snapdragon 855 and an Adreno 640, boosting the performance by a notch. Redmi claims this will be “the fastest phone in the world” and calls it their “alpha flagship” as the 855 represents a generational leap and the Adreno 640 adds near-PC-gaming level graphics capability.

Software

Both phones run MIUI 10, based on Android Pie. MIUI 10 features improvements for phones that have 18:9 aspect ratios.

The K20 Pro also has a system-wide dark mode.

Cameras

Both phones have solid AI triple-camera setups: a 48 MP, 26mm (wide) main snapper, a 9MP ‘telephoto’ lens that is 53mm, and a 13 MP 12mm ultrawide lens. The pop-up camera will automatically retract if the phone detects that it is being dropped. The camera supports 960 frames-per-second slow motion.

Gaming and PUBG features

Interestingly, the K20 Pro has had some custom adjustments that made it better for PUBG. It promises a ‘Night vision’ mode that will allow players to see better in the night time mode of PUBG Mobile — without needing the in-game night vision goggles.

The touch sensitivity has been adjusted to allow for better multiple taps, useful when firing burst from a semi-automatic rifle in PUBG Mobile.

The phone comes with an eight-layer graphite cooling system to keep it cool when gaming.

Headphone jack, fingerprint sensor

Both phones have headphone jacks, packing high-resolution audio features like a built-in Digital to Analog Converter (DAC). Audiophiles would normally purchase a separate DAC-converter to improve their smartphone audio quality but the Redmi will come with it built-in. Whether this can match the quality of a dedicated DAC will have to be seen.

The devices feature in-screen fingerprint sensor.

Launch

Xiaomi’s global VP Manu Kumar Jain launched the phone at a livestreamed event at 12pm on July 17. The phone launches are part of Xiaomi’s plan to commemorate five years in the market.

Xiaomi claims their devices have the lowest FFR (Field Failure Rate) in the market, with fewer customers returning phones with defects than other. At the event, Jain highlighted the company’s rise in market share.

Both phones are said to be splash-proof.

Pricing

The K20 will be priced at Rs 21,999 for the 6 GB, 64GB variant and Rs 23,999 for the 6GB, 128 GB. The K20 Pro will be priced at  Rs 27,999 for the 6 GB 128 GB variant and Rs 30,999 for the 8gb 256 GB variant 

The company claims that their low price point was achieved by making the phones in India, with 65 per cent locally sourced, allowing Make in India tax benefits to be passed on to fans.

A 'signature edition' variant, made of pure gold and diamond-studded is also being launched. A limited-edition of just 20 units, it costs Redmi 4,80,000 to make and may cost around the same.

Specifications

The Redmi K20 will have the following specifications:

Body: 156.7 x 74.3 x 8.8 mm

Display: 1080 x 2340 pixels (Ultra-wide Full HD), 6.39 “, 19:5:9 ratio, 403 ppi
Rear camera: 48 MP 26mm, 8 MP 53mm, 13 MP 12mm.
Front camera: Pop-up 20 MP
OS: Android 9 Pie, MIUI 10
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 730
CPU: Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver)
GPU: Adreno 618
Memory: 6GB, 8GB RAM
Storage: 64, 128, 256 GB variants. No MicroSD card slot.
Battery: 4,000 Mah, supports fast-charging
Colours: Red, blue, black.

The Redmi K20 Pro will have these specs:

Body: 156.7 x 74.3 x 8.8 mm
Display: 1080 x 2340 pixels (Ultra-wide Full HD), 6.39 “, 19:5:9 ratio, 403 ppi
Rear camera: 48 MP 26mm, 8 MP 53mm, 13 MP 12mm
Front camera: Pop-up 20 MP
OS: Android 9 Pie, MIUI 10
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
CPU: Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 485
GPU: Adreno 640
Memory: 6GB, 8GB RAM,
Storage:  128 GB, 256 GB
Battery: 4,000 Mah, supports fast-charging
Colours: Glacier blue, flame red, Kevlar black

Mi A3

In addition, the Mi A3 is expected to launch today in Europe at 6:30pm IST.

Sold as the Mi CC9 in Europe, the Mi A3 could launch in India later at an expected price point of between 15,000 to 17,000, serving as the company’s best Android One model, bringing multiple cameras to the segment.