Redmi in China unveiled three new affordable flagships as a part of the Redmi K40 series today, each with a different chipset and at different price points. As always, they are quite competitive, but availability in other countries remains doubtful.
All three K40 phone use the same 6.67” Super AMOLED display (an E4 panel). It jimpresses with 360Hz touch sampling rate (one of the fastest we’ve seen yet) and 120Hz refresh rate (not the fastest, but still cool).
And it boasts HDR10+ and 1,300 nits peak brightness along with a perfect A+ score from Display Mate. The 1080p+ resolution and relatively old Gorilla Glass 5 are not as impressive, but are those deal breakers for you?
The lineup includes the Redmi K40, the Redmi K40 Pro and the Redmi K40 Pro Plus. Leaks state that the upcoming Redmi Note 10 in India and a future Poco flagship will be based on these smartphones. Here’s everything they have to offer. All three K40 phones use the same 6.67” Super AMOLED display (an E4 panel). It impresses with 360Hz touch sampling rate (one of the fastest we’ve seen yet) and 120Hz refresh rate (not the fastest, but still cool).
The star of the show was the vanilla Redmi K40 — successor to last year’s Redmi K30S. it is powered by the Snapdragon 870 processor withs
REDMI K 40 -
The Redmi K40 has a 6.67-inch E4 AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz response rate. It has a peak brightness of 1,300 nits, supports HDR10+ and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The device packs in a 4,520mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging, claimed to take 52 minutes for a full charge via the Type-C port.
You are looking at a triple camera setup with a 48MP (Sony IMX582) main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 5MP macro shooter with a 50mm focal length. Selfies are handled by a 20MP punch-hole camera. Other features include dual stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, Hi-Res audio and NFC. The phone is just 7.8mm thick and 196g in weight.
- Processor: Snapdragon 870
- Display: 6.67" FHD+ E4 AMOLED, 120Hz
- RAM: 6/8/12GB LPDDR5
- Storage: 128/256GB UFS 3.1
- Rear camera: 48+8+5MP
- Front camera: 20MP
- Battery: 4,520mAh, 33W, Type-C
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
- Thickness: 7.8mm
- Weight: 196 grams
The Redmi K40 is priced at CNY 1,999 (~Rs 22,500) for the base variant with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, CNY 2,199 for 8GB + 128GB, CNY 2,499 for 8GB + 256GB and CNY 2,699 for 12GB + 256GB.
K 40 PRO-
- Processor: Snapdragon 888
- Display: 6.67" FHD+ E4 AMOLED, 120Hz
- RAM: 6/8/12GB LPDDR5
- Storage: 128/256GB UFS 3.1
- Rear camera: 64+8+5MP
- Front camera: 20MP
- Battery: 4,520mAh, 33W, Type-C
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
- Thickness: 7.8mm
- Weight: 196 grams
The Redmi K40 Pro starts at CNY 2,799 (~Rs 31,500) for the base 6GB + 128GB. Others variants are priced at CNY 2,999 (8GB + 128GB) and CNY 3,299 (8GB + 256GB).
K 40 pro plus-
The Redmi K40 Pro Plus comes with a 108MP primary camera (Samsung ISOCELL HM2) instead of the 64MP one on the Redmi 40 Pro while retaining rest of the specs. It is available in a single 12GB + 256GB variant.
- Processor: Snapdragon 888
- Display: 6.67" FHD+ E4 AMOLED, 120Hz
- RAM: 12GB LPDDR5
- Storage: 256GB UFS 3.1
- Rear camera: 108+8+5MP
- Front camera: 20MP
- Battery: 4,520mAh, 33W, Type-C
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
- Thickness: 7.8mm
- Weight: 196 grams
The top of the line Redmi K40 Pro Plus is priced at CNY 3,699 (~Rs 42,000) for the sole 12GB + 256GB variant.
Summary-
What if you’re willing to settle for a lower resolution main camera? Well, then you’ll find that most devices under $600/€500 use Snapdragon 700-series chips and their screens usually top out at 90Hz.
Something like the Realme X7 Pro (CNY 2,200 for 6/128 GB) might split the difference between the K40 and K40 Pro. It has a 120Hz display and 64MP camera, plus its 65W charger is measurably faster (35 minutes to 100%). However, the Dimensity 1000+ is not on the same level as even the Snapdragon 870, let alone the 888.
The Moto Edge S is another option. This one has a Snapdragon 870, but the display refresh rate falls to 90 Hz (and it’s an LCD). Still, not bad for a CNY 2,000 phone (6/128 GB).
Did Xiaomi win the segment or do you have better options in mind?
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