Table of contents:
- Redmi K20, design and finishes typical of the high-end
- Power for the high-end and mid-range
- Full connectivity and with NFC
- Triple rear camera and front camera "pop up"
- Flagship Killer by price and specs
Xiaomi decided to turn Redmi into an independent sub-brand, so that in principle they could dedicate themselves to launching high-end terminals (Mi) while Redmi would fill the mid-range and low-end market. A short time later we have rumors about a terminal, the Redmi K20. A terminal that would come to compete with the high-end in specifications and with a contained price, could this be the new flagship killer? Everything points to yes.
The Redmi K20 would be presented on May 28, a few days after its presentation we have a string of filtered specifications. We are going to review the characteristics that we have been seeing over the past weeks, in order to form an idea of what awaits us with the arrival of this new terminal. Because it does not arrive alone, it is accompanied by an older and more complete brother, the Redmi K20 Pro.
Redmi K20, design and finishes typical of the high-end
Glass and metal are no longer exclusive to the high-end, many terminals begin to mount these premium materials. Xiaomi has done a lot for the democratization of these materials, we find them both in mid-range terminals such as the Redmi Note 7 to its high-end such as the Xiaomi Mi 9. The Redmi K20 could not be less and would arrive in a body built with these two materials, glass on the back and metal on the edges. The combination of both elements results in a premium feeling that has nothing to envy to the real high-end.
Its front would continue with the aesthetic canons of recent years, a large screen with minimal frames. The reduction of frames has been with us for a couple of years, more and more terminals are adding to this aesthetic, but the high-end always takes the lead. With the Redmi K20 we would find frames reduced almost to a minimum and without any type of notch or notch. Instead, the camera would be housed in the upper edge and a mechanism would be in charge of making it appear and disappear. A design more than inspired by the OnePlus 7 Pro, but with a flat screen like the OnePlus 7.
The screen of this front without frames would be 6.39 inches with Full HD + resolution and would opt for AMOLED technology instead of IPS, already seen in several terminals of the brand. This display would be a huge leap, not just because of the kind of technology capable of delivering better colors and true black tones. But for having the fingerprint sensor integrated into the panel, a new technology that for the moment we had seen in high-end terminals. We do not know the type of technology that this sensor will use, if it will be optical as in the Samsung Galaxy S10 + or ultrasonic as in the OnePlus 7 Pro.
The glass rear of the Redmi K20 would house a vertically arranged triple camera with the main sensor in the upper center and just below the other two sensors with the dual-tone LED flash. The brand logo would follow in the wake of this camera and would be written vertically. A glossy finish with a mixture of colors that simulates diluted paint is expected, or at least because of the leaks. The colors that have been filtered are red and blue, both with a gloss finish and gradient colors.
Taking a tour of the sides of the Redmi K20 we find the button panel on the right side frame, the unlock button just below the volume controls. On the opposite side would be located the tray for the SIM in NanoSIM format and the microSD, it is a Redmi terminal so in principle an expandable memory is expected, but you can follow the steps of Xiaomi and suppress this capacity. Below we will have the USB type C port along with the speaker and the headphone jack. These last two promise quality sound thanks to the Hi-Res certification.
Power for the high-end and mid-range
At the beginning we mentioned that the Redmi K20 would not arrive alone, it would be accompanied by a Redmi K20 Pro. The latter bears the “Pro” tag so we can guess where the shots are going. It is a more advanced terminal, at least in power since both its design and many of its characteristics remain unchanged. The main difference will be found in the brain that feeds these terminals.
While in the Redmi K20 we have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730, a processor built in 8 nanometers and with eight cores capable of reaching 2.2GHz. In the Redmi K20 Pro we would have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, with eight cores capable of reaching 2.84GHz and with a 7-nanometer construction. Two processors for different ranges, the first designed for the mid-range and the second for the high-range.
The Redmi K20 would have the Adreno 618 GPU for graphics processing. In addition, 6GB of RAM and 128GB for storage would accompany it, this at least in the leaks that have been leaked. It is reasonable to think that this would be the base model and we would have another option with a greater capacity in both storage and RAM. The autonomy would be marked by a 4,000mAh battery, by carrying a processor signed by Qualcomm it should be compatible with Quick Charge, but it already depends on whether the company has decided to activate this compatibility. And the software version with which it would arrive would be Android 9 Pie under MIUI 10.
In the Redmi K20 Pro we have the Adreno 640 GPU, and as a terminal with a high-end processor, artificial intelligence cannot be missing. It comes from the hand of the AIE CPU Qualcomm Kyro 485, these cores will be in charge of dealing with all the tasks in which it is necessary to resort to artificial intelligence. RAM starts from 8GB and storage from 128GB to 256GB. The battery capacity is the same as its little brother, 4,000 mAh.
At the moment the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 is found in the Samsung Galaxy A80, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 is the one chosen by the high-end in 2019 and has a more than proven performance. That is not to say that the Snapdragon 730 is going to perform poorly, since it is numerically powerful enough to handle heavy gaming or applications without problem. But as is obvious it will not reach the height of a processor destined for high-end terminals.
Full connectivity and with NFC
The main novelty in terms of connectivity is the inclusion of NFC. Xiaomi had been reserving this connectivity only for the high-end of its terminals, now with Redmi as an independent sub-brand, it seems that Redmi phones will finally have this connectivity. It may seem like something unnecessary, but for users who pay with their mobile, this is an essential feature.
The Redmi K20 Pro by carrying a high-end processor has a more complete connectivity, mounts the latest modems for Wi-Fi as well as for LTE connection. Reviewing its characteristics we find Wi-Fi 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax-ready, 802.11ac Wave 2, 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n and 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 60GHz bands. The maximum download speed is 10Gbps as long as the network supports it. Bluetooth has in its latest version, 5.0 with more speed and greater range. For positioning we have GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo.
His younger brother the Redmi K20 mounts a processor intended for the mid-range, many of its connections will be similar, but on the other hand it will not have others. On Wi-Fi it is compatible with 802.11ax-ready, 802.11ac Wave 2, 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n and 2.4GHz, 5GHz networks. Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, QZSS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo are other connections compatible with this processor and that we could find present in this terminal.
Triple rear camera and front camera "pop up"
The photographic set is the same in both terminals, a triple rear camera and a front pop-up camera. The triple rear camera would come with a 48-megapixel main sensor, a 13-megapixel secondary sensor and the third 8-megapixel sensor. The front camera would have 20 megapixels. The focal apertures of the sensors have not been filtered at the moment, thus the company that signs them, but it is expected that they are Sony sensors. We also do not have data about the type of focus or if they will have optical image stabilization (OIS) or, on the contrary, they would only have electronic image stabilization (EIS). Of course on a technical level these cameras promise a lot.
Flagship Killer by price and specs
On May 28, this Tuesday, both terminals would be officially presented. Not much left to confirm or disprove all the leaked data so far. A key point of both smartphones is their price, being Redmi terminals we do not expect them to exceed 500 euros. Being more specific, the leaks ensure that they will arrive for less than 400 euros. The prices that are shuffled are conversions, so you have to take into account the fluctuation of the currency exchange. The Redmi K20 would start at 336 euros and the Redmi K20 Pro would touch 400 euros.
Both terminals can be a hit on the table by the Asian firm, offering a relationship between power and price more than adjusted. We can only wait for them to be presented to the market and to reach the peninsula. Redmi's strategy can even hurt Xiaomi, if we take into account the few differences that we find between the Redmi K20 Pro and the Xiaomi Mi 9. We look forward to the arrival of these two new terminals.
