REDMI K20 PRO : This is one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year. People were actually waiting for this phone to launch. After launching thePoco F1 last year, fans are expecting Redmi K20 pro to similar footsteps. Redmi is known to do crazy things with their smartphones at a highly affordable price point and the K20 pro is in line with that reputation.
It is kind of crazy actually because when you look at the spec list and then you look at the price, you think how in this world is Redmi delivering so much value at such an affordable price point. This phone is very likely to be called the next value champion.
SPECS AND PRICING : Snapdragon 855; top tier chipset, 4000 mAH battery, full-screen AMOLED display, rising camera, and 256 GB or 128 GB internal storage. Such specs are usually seen on Flagship devices of companies such as Samsung, OnePlus, and Huawei and so on. The starting price in India is INR 21,999. However, the phone was launched in China first, India next. So customers from the rest of the world will have to import this phone.
Nevertheless, the spec list is truly amazing and closely follows the footsteps of Poco F1 from the last year. The top variant with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage is priced around INR 25,000 which isn’t a bad price either. Redmi has been generous with the box contents this time around as they have included a hard, rubberized case.
DESIGN AND FEATURES
Redmi K20 pro has a glass sandwich design which basically means that it features Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and the back. The back has an interesting design as it features some crazy color shifts and patterns. There are 3 color variants available for the Redmi K20 pro; black, red, and blue.
The camera module is a triple camera setup and is located in the centre, on the tophalf of the back of the phone. It is almost flush with the back panel and so you can put it down without having to worry about the camera glass being scratched. The main camera is a 48 MP shooter and makes use of a Sony sensor. The same sensor is also used by the latest OnePlus 7 Pro. The secondary camera is an ultra-wide-angle lens whereas the third one is an 8 MP telephoto camera.
Every other manufacturer is on the path to remove the 3.5 mm headphone jack but it has become ubiquitous on all Redmi phones including the K20 pro. It is located on the top of the device which gives you a look of the rising camera as well. At the bottom of the device, you will find the SIM tray, USB – C connector for charging and transferring data, and speaker grills. It comes with a 27-watt quick charge brick.
PERFORMANCE
Out of the box, you will get MIUI 10 pre-installed on the device. The phone doesn’t give you a stock Android experience which some people might find boring. However, there are some great launchers in the Google Play Store using which you can give a stock-ish feel to the phone. The phone is relatively snappy when compared to devices in the same price range and a lot of it has to do with the top tier Snapdragon 855 chipset and 8 GB RAM.
Such high-end features have trickled down to a very reasonable price range. The front pop-up camera is pretty amazing. There is lots of contrast, no blown out brightness, crisp pictures, vibrant colors, and very deep blacks. Even in the HDR mode, the details are perfect and the front camera performance is very close to what a flagship phone is capable of doing.
For the rear-facing camera, you have 3 options; 1x which makes use of the normal 48 MP Sony sensor, 2x which makes use of the 8 MP telephoto lens, and a wide-angle lens which gives you a pretty wide field of view. The wide-angle lens is sufficient for what most people are looking for when they take a wide shot. The 2x photos also have nice detail and color accuracy and same goes with the standard photo. All in all, the camera performance is better than what you are paying for.
The speakers don’t sound amazing but they are also not too shabby. Of course, they are loud and clear enough but not loud and clear like flagship Apple and Samsung devices. Also, there is the in-screen fingerprint scanner and works like those other optical image-based fingerprint scanners. The speed of it is fast enough and comparable to some other high-end devices. You can change the look of the fingerprint animation or completely turn it off.
REDMI K20
There is not much that separates these 2 devices. The Redmi K20 comes with a less powerful chipset; Snapdragon 730 and 18-watt fast charge instead of 27 watts. The starting price is INR 21,999 which is fair looking at the value this phone provides. The Redmi K20 is daily driver material whereas the pro version has a bit of overkill in the power department which makes it perfect for gaming, heavy multimedia streaming and so on.
Nevertheless, the K20 is equally good and will get the job done for most of the people. You will not have any issues using this phone.
CONCLUSION
The device has a slightly smaller form factor as compared to other devices and comes with a headphone jack which is so important to some people. The power inside the phone is similar to what the global market leaders like Samsung and OnePlus are packing inside of their devices. All these things make Redmi K20 pro and K20 devices worth considering. Also, the value which you are getting is unmatched and it wouldn’t be wrong to call them the value champions.
