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| Xiaomi Redmi K20 Review |
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Design and build quality:
Display:
Xiaomi Redmi K20 performance:
Software: MIUI 10 and Poco Launcher on Redmi K20:
Redmi K20 camera review:
Redmi K20 battery performance:
The question of Price:
Verdict: Should you buy the Xiaomi K20 Pro?
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I have been using the mid-range offer for a little more than a week so that its limits can be increased. Here's my Xiaomi Redmi K20 review.
Xiaomi recently launched its latest Redmi K20 series in India. This new series includes two smartphones, including the Redmi K20 and the Redmi K20 Pro.
Another interesting element that Xiaomi has added is a blue LED light indicator on the edges of a pop-up camera. It helps to attract users' attention to the front camera for proper selfie.
The LED light also works as a notification indicator on the top of the smartphone. All these elements really shout premium build quality.
The use of smartphones really makes one feel that Xiaomi has taken the time to prepare this smartphone. The point to note here is that the Flagship-grade Redmi K20 Pro and Mid-Premium Tier Redmi K20 both have the same design and build quality.
In fact, Xiaomi has also added a system-wide “Dark mode” in MIUI so that users can get rid of blinding white theme across the OS. The smartphone maker has also added support for 100% DCI-P3 color gamut on the smartphone.
Digging deeper in the display section, the Redmi K20 also comes with Widevine L1 certification. This means that Netflix subscribers can enjoy content in FHD resolution along with HDR color support.
One still ends up hunting for shade to properly see the content on screen due to the reflective nature of the screen.
Also offers 6GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of internal storage. However, there is no support for the external MicroSD card.
Talking about the display, yes, this smartphone can easily run PUBG Mobile at "High" frame rate and "HD" resolution. I did not face any gaps, shocks or crashes during my trial time.
The software on the Redmi K20 comes with two notable changes. Focusing on the first one, Xiaomi is now shipping the Redmi K20 series with Poco Launcher out-of-the-box.
The second notable change is removing advertisements from within the operating system. Xiaomi has stuck to its promise that it will not deliver any advertisements inside the OS.
To make things better, a dedicated software also offers "knight" mode. Redmi K20 manages to catch great images during the day. However, things are "just" in the night or in challenging light conditions
The photos captured insufficient light have a good amount of detail, good color reproduction and the appropriate amount of texture. It is worth noting that the HDR mode is off by default.
However, in our opinion, the price tag is not really an accurate picture. Pricing should be treated with the fact that the buyer is getting the latest snapdragon 700 series processor. For example, with the recently launched Samsung Galaxy A80, the same processor costs Rs 47,990.
Xiaomi recently launched its latest Redmi K20 series in India. This new series includes two smartphones, including the Redmi K20 and the Redmi K20 Pro.
The latter will compete with flagship smartphones in the market such as the OnePlus 7 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S10, Asus Zenfone 5Z and more.
The Redmi K20, on the other hand, competes with the likes of Realme X, Oppo F11 Pro, and Vivo V15 Pro to name a few.
Prices for the Redmi K20 start at Rs 21,999 and go up to Rs 23,999 for the top model. The pricing strategy, however, has caused a bit of a backlash from a small section of buyers.
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| Xiaomi Redmi K20 Review |
Prices for the Redmi K20 start at Rs 21,999 and go up to Rs 23,999 for the top model. The pricing strategy, however, has caused a bit of a backlash from a small section of buyers.
The issue escalated to an extent where Xiaomi India Managing director Manu Kumar Jain had to issue a statement addressing the concerns.
I have been using the Xiaomi Redmi K20 for over a week now, and it is clear that the price tag doesn’t always tell the complete story. Here’s our Xiaomi Redmi K20 review.
Design and build quality:
The first thing we need to talk about is the Redmi K20’s gradient finish design. This may not be the first device to boast gradient colors, but the texture is quite unique. |
| Xiaomi Redmi K20 Review |
As soon as you take the smartphone out of the box and glance at the back, you will be spellbound by the impressive design. Xiaomi is calling this unique finish as “Aura Prime” design and it is something that one has to experience.
Xiaomi has also added a metal frame in the smartphone that covers all sides of the Redmi K20. In addition to the metal frame, we also get a curved glass design on the back of the smartphone that gradually tapers to meet the metal sides.
Xiaomi has also added a metal frame in the smartphone that covers all sides of the Redmi K20. In addition to the metal frame, we also get a curved glass design on the back of the smartphone that gradually tapers to meet the metal sides.
The company has also added a pop-up camera on the top to remove any notches or punch holes on the display to actually provide a proper full-screen smartphone display.
Xiaomi added Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front so that it can be ensured that the display is protected from any accidental damage.
Xiaomi added Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front so that it can be ensured that the display is protected from any accidental damage.
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| Xiaomi Redmi K20 Review |
Another interesting element that Xiaomi has added is a blue LED light indicator on the edges of a pop-up camera. It helps to attract users' attention to the front camera for proper selfie.
The LED light also works as a notification indicator on the top of the smartphone. All these elements really shout premium build quality.
The use of smartphones really makes one feel that Xiaomi has taken the time to prepare this smartphone. The point to note here is that the Flagship-grade Redmi K20 Pro and Mid-Premium Tier Redmi K20 both have the same design and build quality.
Display:
The Redmi K20 flaunts a 6.39-inch AMOLED panel with FHD+ resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Similar to any AMOLED display, the colors produced are punchy with deeper blacks in comparison to LCD screens. |
| Xiaomi Redmi K20 Review |
In fact, Xiaomi has also added a system-wide “Dark mode” in MIUI so that users can get rid of blinding white theme across the OS. The smartphone maker has also added support for 100% DCI-P3 color gamut on the smartphone.
Digging deeper in the display section, the Redmi K20 also comes with Widevine L1 certification. This means that Netflix subscribers can enjoy content in FHD resolution along with HDR color support.
The difference between HDR and non-HDR content may not be directly visible, but the support is quite impressive. The display features impressive brightness though things may not be perfect under direct sunlight.
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| Xiaomi Redmi K20 Review |
One still ends up hunting for shade to properly see the content on screen due to the reflective nature of the screen.
The display also comes with an enhanced surface area with seventh-generation under-display optical fingerprint scanners. The display of the scanner is quite snappy and you have to wait immediately because it works immediately.
Xiaomi Redmi K20 performance:
As far as performance is concerned, the Redmi K20 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 SoC. This is the first smartphone to be launched in India with Snapdragon 730 SoC in the Indian market. |
| Xiaomi Redmi K20 Review |
Also offers 6GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of internal storage. However, there is no support for the external MicroSD card.
Talking about the display, yes, this smartphone can easily run PUBG Mobile at "High" frame rate and "HD" resolution. I did not face any gaps, shocks or crashes during my trial time.
Smartphones got hot in just a few minutes after launching a gaming session or a long photo session. However, it did not succeed in reducing performance when it was cooled faster than most glass-back smartphones.
Smartphones have been able to run high-end games such as Real Racing 3, Shadow Gun Legends, and Dead Triggers. Apart from this, the smartphone did a lot of work and did a lot of multitasking without sweating.
Smartphones have been able to run high-end games such as Real Racing 3, Shadow Gun Legends, and Dead Triggers. Apart from this, the smartphone did a lot of work and did a lot of multitasking without sweating.
Audio Quality Parameters such as loudness and clarity were excellent during a call with the built-in-firing speaker giving enough voice while watching YouTube videos and movies.
Software: MIUI 10 and Poco Launcher on Redmi K20:
Talking about the software, the Xiaomi Redmi K20 features the usual Android 9 Pie-based MIUI 10 skin. MIUI skin has been the bread and butter of all Xiaomi smartphones since the beginning so this aspect should not really surprise anyone.
The company also rolled out an update during my test period to bring the version number to MIUI 10.3.6 with June 2019 android security patch.
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| Xiaomi Redmi K20 Review |
The software on the Redmi K20 comes with two notable changes. Focusing on the first one, Xiaomi is now shipping the Redmi K20 series with Poco Launcher out-of-the-box.
The second notable change is removing advertisements from within the operating system. Xiaomi has stuck to its promise that it will not deliver any advertisements inside the OS.
However, that really has been replaced by push notification-based ads from Xiaomi apps such as the “GetApps” built-in App Store, and “Mi Video”. It is also amusing to see that launching an app once will result in about 4-5 notifications in a single day.
Thankfully, these push notifications can easily be disabled with in-app settings. Apart from this, there is nothing beyond the normal of any person using MIUI in the past. We find many in-house apps like Mi Video, Themes, Getapps, Mi Browser, Music and Compass.
Other apps include Mi Community, Mi Calculator, Notes, Security, Screen Recorder, Recorder, Scanner, Shareit, Weather, and more. It comes with built-in bloat, including the Delihant, Block Puzzle Guardian and Ludo Master.
Redmi K20 camera review:
Redmi K20 sports a triple-rear camera setup with a 20-megapixel selfie camera in a pop-up mechanism. Backward, we get a primary 48-megapixel sensor with af / 1.8 aperture.
Setup also has an 8-megapixel sensor with a telephoto lens and 13-megapixel resolution with the ultra-wide-angle lens. There is also a dedicated Dual-LED Flash Unit on the back for better images in the low light conditions of the smartphone.
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| Xiaomi Redmi K20 Review |
To make things better, a dedicated software also offers "knight" mode. Redmi K20 manages to catch great images during the day. However, things are "just" in the night or in challenging light conditions
The photos captured insufficient light have a good amount of detail, good color reproduction and the appropriate amount of texture. It is worth noting that the HDR mode is off by default.
This feature is rapidly becoming the "auto" setting in other smartphones. Toggle option on management to improve the dynamic range of images with better color reproduction. The ultra-wide lens also manages to handle barrel distortion well during the processing of software.
You can test camera specimens to make your comments about the camera's quality of the smartphone.
However, in low-light conditions, there are not much details, texture or proper colors in the images. In fact, the images usually turn out to be somewhat muddled due to lack of light.
However, in low-light conditions, there are not much details, texture or proper colors in the images. In fact, the images usually turn out to be somewhat muddled due to lack of light.
The dedicated “Night” mode does take a bit longer to take multiple images and then fuse them while processing. However, the results are not that stellar as it only, slightly improves the details and texture of the images.
Xiaomi could use some software patches to improve this aspect of the smartphone.
The images shot on the Redmi K20 can compete with other devices in this range. But, they are no match for images taken from flagship devices.
The images shot on the Redmi K20 can compete with other devices in this range. But, they are no match for images taken from flagship devices.
The camera app also comes with a number of different modes including ‘Short Video’, ‘Video’, ‘Photo’, and ‘48M’. Other modes include ‘Portrait’, ‘Night’, ‘Panorama’, and ‘Pro’.
The app also comes with buttons to switch between the 0.6x zoom (ultra-wide), 1x (regular), and 2x (telephoto) modes.
Redmi K20 battery performance:
The smartphone comes with a 4,000mAh battery along with 18W QuickCharge 4.0 technology. I have tried to push the battery to its edge with extremely heavy usage.
During a regular weekend, the Redmi K20 managed to last for about 8-8.5 hours. This number shot up to 11-12 hours on workdays when I don’t really have time to mess with my smartphone.
The question of Price:
As mentioned, some potential Redmi K20 buyers took to the internet asking Xiaomi to reduce the price of the smartphone by up to Rs 2,000. Some even demanded that the base model should offer at least 128GB storage.
One user has also started a Change.org petition, which has seen thousands of sign. Xiaomi has already revealed that the cost of K20 depends on the higher cost of the Snapdragon 730 SoC.
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| Xiaomi Redmi K20 Review |
However, in our opinion, the price tag is not really an accurate picture. Pricing should be treated with the fact that the buyer is getting the latest snapdragon 700 series processor. For example, with the recently launched Samsung Galaxy A80, the same processor costs Rs 47,990.
Most users are comparing smartphones with Realme X which offer similar hardware support. But, there is also a processor which is cheaper than the old and comparable.
Verdict: Should you buy the Xiaomi K20 Pro?
When reviewing the Xiaomi Redmi K20, I couldn’t help but get a sense of Already seen. I am referring to this because of the impeccable package that Xiaomi has crafted for its users.
The company has constantly taken feedback from users, and improved its offerings over time. With the new Redmi K20 series, Xiaomi has taken the fight to Realme X, OnePlus 7, Asus 6Z, Samsung Galaxy M40, and more.
It does need to improve the camera quality in low-light conditions. But, beyond that, the Redmi K20 looks like another success story for Xiaomi.
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