Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro review: Rewriting the flagship phone rulebook, circa 2019 

Xiaomi me its India debut on July 16, 2014 with Mi 3. biggest USP of Mi 3 was fact that it brought high-end specs, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset, at a price which was below Rs 15,000. Something which was reserved for flagship phones that cost at least 2x more. Something which was t heard or seen before. Come to think of it, Xiaomi’s Mi 3 was first flagship killer phone ever – in India. Clearly, it was way ahe of its time, Mi 3. 

Exactly five years later, Xiaomi has launched Redmi K20 Pro and I can’t stress eugh how it’s déjà vu all over again. Because it’s coming straight after  Poco F1 – and because it also has very similar aspirations - logic would dictate that’s phone it’s succeeding – re, replacing. While I am t sure about a Poco F2 happening anytime soon, I am sure about one thing - Redmi K20 Pro reminds me of Mi 3 in so many ways, I have absolutely doubts in saying, that’s phone that it is succeeding spiritually. Just like Mi 3, Redmi K20 Pro also marks start of an all-new journey for Xiaomi.  

It’s t that Xiaomi hasn’t me any flagship killer phones after Mi 3. re was Mi 4. Mi 5. Mi 6. Mi 8. Mi 9. But it’s also secret that Xiaomi has h a tough time selling its Mi-branded flagship killer phones in India as much as it would have liked – all but Mi 3. To a point that Xiaomi stopped bringing m to India altoger. Mi 6, Mi 8 and Mi 9 never me it to India. re was of course one-off Mi Mix 2 that ‘surprisingly’ me cut – but again, CEO Lei Jun has mitted that it might t have been best fit for Xiaomi’s India audience. 

Xiaomi’s Redmi phones have a different story. y've been selling like hot cakes. In fact, Xiaomi has become India’s top smartphone company on back of its Redmi phones. Xiaomi believes it’s time to capitalize on ir success w with a much more high-end Redmi phone – a Redmi phone that proves Xiaomi can make a premium phone on its own terms. Ala, Redmi K20 Pro. Like it did with Mi 3 once upon a time. As for selling it, Xiaomi might just be able to pull it off too. While Mi 3 h its relatively low pricing to back it, Redmi K20 Pro will be relying heavily on India’s new-found love for all things Redmi. 

Design – prime contender for best-looking flagship killer phone out re 

Earlier in year, Xiaomi gave Redmi a makeover. t only is it an independent sub-brand w, Xiaomi has also given it a fresh new look - one that brings Redmi in-sync with 2019. And change is (being) reflected across its entire Redmi portfolio and t limited to just more expensive models like Redmi K20 Pro. Redmi K20 Pro, being a high-end phone, of course takes all of that and magnifies it by a factor of 20! For obvious reasons. 

Redmi K20 Pro is based on Xiaomi’s new aura grient design scheme, but re’s a twist in pattern – as against Redmi te 7 Pro/Redmi Y3/Redmi 7. Even though Redmi K20 Pro, Redmi te 7 Pro, Redmi Y3 and Redmi 7 are all Xiaomi phones, it’s remarkable how each of m can stand out from rest – so telling one from or won’t be lost in translation. Redmi K20 Pro, being a high-end phone, has what Xiaomi is calling an ‘aura prime’ design and it’s safe to say that it’s  prime contender for best-looking flagship killer phone out re. 

Redmi K20 Pro is Xiaomi’s best smartphone ever – and its most ambitious

It’s hard to capture in words, but basically, grient shifts from sides inwards – like it is in Redmi Y3 and Redmi 7. But unlike se more affordable Redmi phones, Redmi K20 Pro uses depth – layering – to also entail in some never-seen-before light bending along sides. You can’t see this selective grient at all angles and in all lighting conditions, but it’s re, and when you see it, you can’t help but gawk at it. It’s so beautiful. Because Xiaomi is using same paint-job on mid-frame, whole thing feels like unibody – with light literally dancing into sides.  

ding some more glitz to an alrey glamorous phone is a pop-up selfie camera with custom LED lighting – that lights up every time it pops in and pops out. Clearly, this is a phone you’d love to flaunt – without trying too hard. This thing can stand on its own, as a style statement, of course.    

Redmi K20 Pro will be available in three colours - Glacier Blue, Flame Red and Carbon Black. While  Glacier Blue and Flame Red options look flamboyant and may even be too loud for some,  Carbon Black option is for those who like it subtle. So, re’s a little something for everybody. 

As for build materials, Redmi K20 Pro has a glass and metal sandwich design – worthy of its flagship killer credentials. Its smooth all-glass body may be slippery – and prone to smudge and fingerprints – but it’s built rock solid and Xiaomi is bundling a protective case in box, just in case. What I really like about Redmi K20 Pro though is its physical dimensions and even weight distribution – Redmi K20 Pro never becomes too overpowering, even when you’re using it for long. power button and volume rocker on right are placed just right and offer excellent tactile feedback. Xiaomi has also mand to keep hephone jack – something which is fast becoming a rarity in flagship phones. 

As for durability, Xiaomi is using Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on front as well as on back and sides are all-metal. re’s water-proofing as such but Xiaomi is using P2i hydrophobic coating in Redmi K20 Pro which makes it resistant to accidental splashes of water or rain. 

Display – over horizon, at half cost 

Redmi K20 Pro is Xiaomi’s first phone in India with a Samsung-me Super AMOLED display – Xiaomi is calling it horizon AMOLED. Needless to say that it’s a high-quality panel with deep blacks, abundant brightness levels and great viewing angles. display also supports DCI-P3 colour gamut and HDR10 standards. That display is 6.39-inch, boasts of a 1080p+ resolution and stretches nearly all way to corners by way – except for a slight chin, that could have been smaller.    

Redmi K20 Pro is also Xiaomi’s first phone in India with an in-display fingerprint scanner for biometric auntication – it's mostly fast and accurate, but re’s some room for improvement.  

Performance, software and battery life – Snapdragon 855 + 4,000mAh + s 

Redmi K20 Pro is a flagship through and through. phone is powered by a top-of--line Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor paired with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB stor (which is n-expandable). re’s a massive 4,000mAh battery under hood with support for 27W fast charging through USB -C – Xiaomi will be bundling an 18W fast charger in box. software inside is MIUI 10 based on Android 9.0 Pie – without s. 

Long story short – Redmi K20 Pro is most powerful Android smartphone that you can get at its price. It’s got a big battery too. Its software is also latest and greatest that Xiaomi has to offer at this point of time. While all of that’s fine, Redmi K20 Pro is Xiaomi’s first phone in India after a long, long time to ship without any s – and that is its main USP. 

For those unaware, Xiaomi is an Internet company first and a hardware company later. Because it limits all profit coming from hardware sales to 5 per cent (globally), one of ways it makes money is through s – s that often tend to show up across length and breth of MIUI. You can say that India was caught unaware when Xiaomi started serving s in MIUI one fine day last year, out of blue – with prior intimation. 

To this day, Xiaomi continues to serve s in MIUI, in India. move has – for obvious reasons - t gone down well with many privacy-conscious users (and critics) and has also become one of Xiaomi’s downsides that rivals such as Realme have started exploiting – letting buyers kw how ir phones don’t show any s. 

Although re’s option to limit s in MIUI, re’s full-proof mechanism to stop m altoger – t to mention, limiting m by selective tweaks in UI isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. 

FYI, re’s a difference between first-party tifications and s. Redmi K20 Pro does t show any s, but its first-party tifications maybe confused for s. First-party tifications are common in most phones, and it is possible to opt out from settings. 

Redmi K20 Pro is most powerful Android smartphone that you can get at its price

w that we have that out of our way, let’s talk basics -  

- Redmi K20 Pro is a performance powerhouse breezing through everything you can potentially throw at it without breaking a sweat. It can get hot when you’re out stress-testing it, but it’s also quick to cool down, so that’s nice.  

-Even though Redmi K20 Pro runs MIUI, Xiaomi is using  Poco launcher in phone – that me its debut with  Poco F1 and has since been garnering rave reviews for its different approach, biggest one being that it brings an app drawer into equation. You can group app icons into categories and hide apps directly from app drawer to protect m from prying eyes. Xiaomi also lets you customize app icons, so if you’re a fan of stock Android, you can basically turn whole experience closer to your liking. 

-It really helps that Xiaomi has been able to well optimize software with hardware. Redmi K20 Pro is easily fastest Xiaomi phone I have ever tested - and while phones like OnePlus 7 will feel faster, Redmi K20 can get close. 

-Lastly, Redmi K20 Pro has outstanding battery life – this is easily a one-day phone even for  most demanding users. 

Miscellaneous - 

-Phone calls me with Redmi K20 Pro are of excellent quality and I did t face any call-drop issues beyond usual on my review unit. 

- mo speaker out at bottom of phone can get really loud but overall sound quality could have been better (fuller).  

- Redmi K20 Pro also supports Hi-Res audio and built-in Hi-Fi DAC delivers outstanding audio via wired hephones. re’s also aptX for wireless audio.  

- Redmi K20 Pro misses out on Xiaomi’s signature IR-blaster. re’s micro-SD card slot eir. 

Camera(s) - fully loed  

 Redmi K20 Pro is Xiaomi’s first phone in India with three rear cameras, and a pop-up selfie camera – it's fully loed is what it is. Let’s get specifics out of way before talking about camera quality. re’s a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor behind f/1.75 26mm lens, an 8MP telephoto sensor behind f/2.4 52mm lens for 2x optical zoom, and a 13MP ultra-wide sensor behind an f/2.4 15mm lens. On front, Redmi K20 Pro has a 20MP camera.  

re are two key things to kw about Redmi K20 Pro cameras - 

- Redmi K20 Pro is Xiaomi’s fastest (focus locking/shutter speed) camera phone ever. 

- Redmi K20 Pro is Xiaomi’s best (all-round quality) camera phone ever. 

But thing is, re are so many good camera phones in market alrey, what you decide to pick will depend entirely on what you’re looking for, from your purchase – that's both a good thing and b. Good that re are so many options, b that re’s one phone you can say hits it out of ball park on all fronts even with so much capable hardware. 

Redmi K20 Pro is well stacked, but its all-round camera performance can be best summed up as being inconsistent. main 48MP sensor (that shoots 12MP photos by default) can capture some good-looking photos with good detail and good dynamic range in well-lit situations. But metering issues creep up every w and n resulting in over-exposed/blown out photos. re’s also Xiaomi’s highly aggressive colour-boosting algorithm that makes certain photos look artificial from time to time – I understand se photos will impress many, but for more neutral colours, you’ll be better off with an Asus 6Z or OnePlus 7. In low-light, Xiaomi’s highly aggressive ise reduction algorithm entails in softer-looking photos. Xiaomi’s long-exposure night mode helps shoot brighter, more detailed photos in such cases, but we’ve surely seen better from rivals. 

 Redmi K20 Pro is Xiaomi’s first phone in India with three rear cameras, and a pop-up selfie camera – it's fully loed is what it is

It certainly helps that Xiaomi is offering as much versatility here - 

- wide-angle camera offers a wider perspective so you can capture a lot more of your subject. quality may t be as good as primary camera – Xiaomi’s distortion correction works well mostly but re’s ticeable softness towards corners – but at least you get option.  

-2X zoom photos shot with telephoto camera come out well-detailed in good light with little ise – it helps when you want to get closer to your subject. For some reason, telephoto camera doesn’t work in low light – inste, Redmi K20 Pro fires up its main camera in such situations to shoot 2X digitally zoomed shots. 

Videos shot with Redmi K20 Pro have same plus and minus points as shooting stills – across board. 

20MP pop-up selfie camera may be Redmi K20 Pro’s weakest link. It’s t so much about being b-quality as it is about Xiaomi’s beautification algorithm that’s so aggressive, it destroys detail in almost all lighting scenarios. As such photos come out soft and because Xiaomi’s highly aggressive colour-boosting algorithm comes into play here as well, y look artificial. 

Should you buy Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro? 

Redmi K20 Pro is Xiaomi’s best smartphone ever – and its most ambitious. It’s most expensive too.  Redmi K20 Pro starts at Rs 27,999 for base variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB stor while top-end variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB stor has been launched at Rs 30,999. re was a time when Xiaomi didn’t launch a higher-end variant of its flagship phone in India, just because it would have crossed Rs 25,000 price barrier. Clearly, Xiaomi has come a long way – it's more confident and more efficient than ever. And, it is India’s top smartphone company.  

Does Redmi K20 Pro justify its asking price? Yes, it does. In fact, it more than justifies it. It’s Samsung Galaxy S10 or iPhone XS or Google Pixel or Huawei P30 Pro, but it can stand toe-to-toe with all se phones, with its he held high. That’s saying a lot about what Xiaomi has mand to pull off here. Unlike  Poco F1, Redmi K20 Pro has everything you could ask for in a 2019 flagship and n some – which is also possibly why it costs a little more in comparison.  

So, should you buy Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro? Absolutely. It is latest and greatest from Xiaomi. But since you’re shopping for a flagship killer, I assume you’re conscious about every rupee, in which case, you should also look at Redmi K20 – a phone that has almost every bell and whistle as Pro, only cheaper.   

Photos by Saurabh Singh