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Xiaomi's latest smartphone really is a flagship killer

By Joshua Swingle

Published: May 28, 2019, 6:46 AM

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Android Xiaomi

Xiaomi's latest smartphone really is a flagship killer

After teasing its own ‘Flagship Killer 2.0’ for quite some time, today Xiaomi has announced the new Redmi K20 Pro in China and, as expected, it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

All the specs you'd expect from a flagship

As you’d expect from any flagship-level smartphone in 2019, the Redmi K20 Pro is powered by Qualcomm’s high-end Snapdragon 855 which can also be found inside the Galaxy S10, OnePlus 7 Pro, and LG G8 ThinQ. This is paired with a heat dissipation system that offers eight layers of graphite.

As standard, the smartphone ships with a respectable 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, although a version with 128GB of storage will also be sold. Alternatively, if you’re looking for maximum performance, an 8GB of RAM model with either 128GB or 256GB of storage has been prepared too. Do note, however, that microSD expansion isn’t available.

Accompanying these bits of hardware is Android 9 Pie and Xiaomi’s custom MIUI 10 overlay. The smartphone also includes a 4,000mAh battery that can be fully charged in under 80 minutes with the included 27W fast charger. Also, for those headphone lovers out there, the smartphone arrives equipped with a 3.5mm jack.

Edge-to-edge display and a triple-camera setup

In terms of design, the Redmi K20 Pro skips the controversial notch and punch hole trends in favor of an edge-to-edge AMOLED display that offers a 6.4-inch diagonal and a 91.9% screen-to-body ratio, a 2340 x 1080p resolution, and a tall 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Also present is an optical in-screen fingerprint scanner that removes the need for a sensor on the rear.

As is often the case, the all-screen design has been achieved by fitting the Redmi K20 Pro with a pop-out camera module that houses a 20-megapixel selfie snapper. As an added bonus, the latter will soon receive support for a software-based wide-angle mode as part of an upcoming update. On a related note, the camera takes less than one second to open and users can customize the activation sound.

Moving over to the rear of the smartphone, Xiaomi has fitted the flagship with a triple-camera setup that is aligned vertically in the center. Like many devices these days, the Redmi K20 Pro features a 48-megapixel primary sensor and, in this case, the sensor employed is the same one found on the OnePlus 7 Pro. There’s also an 8-megapixel telephoto camera with support for 2x optical zoom and a 13-megapixel super-wide-angle shooter that supports a 127-degree field of view – the Galaxy S10+ supports a 123-degree angle.

Regarding video recording, the Redmi K20 Pro can record slow-motion video at 960fps and 1080p. Recording at this same resolution is available at 30fps, 120fps, and 240fps too. Alternatively, 2160p video is supported at 30fps and 60fps.

Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro price, release date, availability

Initially, when Redmi K20 Pro launches on June 1st it'll be limited to the Chinese market and will retail at CNY 2499 ($361/€323) for the 6/64GB version. The 6/128GB model, on the other hand, retails at CNY 2599 ($377/€337) and the 8/128GB and 8/256GB options cost CNY 2799 ($405/€362) and CNY 2999 ($434/€388).

Xiaomi hasn’t yet announced when the Redmi K20 Pro will be available to purchase internationally, but when this does happen it probably won't arrive in the US. The flagship should, however, be available in Europe, where it could potentially start at €399 ($446). After all, any higher will mean competing too directly with the Mi 9 that retails at €449 ($502) and any lower could potentially hurt sales of the Mi 9 SE which costs €349 ($390).