Redmi K40 series goes official in China with Snapdragon chips at competitive prices
Cheapest phone with the Snapdragon 888
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.
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.
Redmi K40
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 with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
It will be available in three finishes: Icy White, Glossy Black and Dreamland, which is a light pink to blue gradient. The entire phone is just 7.8mm thick and 196g in weight. Even at that sleekness, it manages to house a 4,520mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging, claimed to take 52 minutes for a full charge.
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 boasts of a JNCD of 0.36.
On the rear is a triple camera setup with a 48MP (Sony IMX582) primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 5MP macro shooter with a 50mm focal length. Other features include dual stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res audio and NFC.
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.
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Redmi K40 Pro
The Redmi K40 Pro takes things up a notch by opting for the Snapdragon 888 chipset with UFS 3.1 storage and LPDDR5 RAM running at 6,400 mbps. Along with 5G, it also supports Wi-Fi 6, capable of speeds up to 3.5 gbps.
The other major change comes with the cameras, as it opts for a 64MP (Sony IMX686) primary camera, along with the same ultra-wide and macro lenses. The display, battery and charging specifications are the same, too.
At a starting price of CNY 2,799 (~Rs 31,500) for the base 6GB + 128GB variant, the Redmi K40 Pro is now the cheapest phone with the Snapdragon 888. The other variants are priced at CNY 2,999 (8GB + 128GB) and CNY 3,299 (8GB + 256GB).
Redmi K40 Pro Plus
Lastly, there’s the Redmi K40 Pro Plus, which opts for a 108MP primary camera (Samsung ISOCELL HM2) instead of the 64MP one. It is priced at CNY 3,699 (~Rs 42,000) and is available in a single 12GB + 256GB variant.
Along with these, the company also unveiled new laptops based on Intel’s 11th gen processors, the Redmi Max smart TV with a 98-inch panel (CNY 19,999), Redmi AirDots 3 earphones (CNY 199), a pair of attachable gaming buttons (CNY 69) and a cooling fan for gaming (CNY 99).
Aakash is the engine that keeps TechRadar India running, using his experience and ideas to help consumers get to the right products via reviews, buying guides and explainers. Apart from phones, computers and cameras, he is obsessed with electric vehicles.