Xiaomi Redmi K20, K20 Pro to be launched tomorrow: Can this really be a flagship killer?

Xiaomi is set to launch the highly awaited Redmi K20 series in India on Wednesday and pre-booking for these smartphones has already closed. Ahead of the Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro launch, Xiaomi had announced an Alpha sale, allowing the customers to buy the latest offerings - before the launch. The Alpha sale announced by Xiaomi was different from the flash sales the company used to host earlier. The sale started on July 12 and ended today at 12 noon. However, significantly, the prices of the latest offerings by Xiaomi will be announced at the launch event along with their availability. 

Xiaomi is already the leading smartphone brand in India when it comes to budget smartphone segment but with the K20 series, it is set to take a huge leap (Realme might differ though). The K20 and K20 Pro are the first two flagship devices by the Chinese manufacturer and are being hailed as flagship killers, with Xiaomi taking multiple digs at OnePlus. In fact, the launch date has also been kept as July 17 (1+7) - no points for guessing what happened there. 

Even though this is these are the first two flagships by Xiaomi, the company has flirted with the premium segment in the past with the Poco F1 and a handful of Mi phones. The Poco F1, of course, was an instant hit among smartphone lovers, probably giving Xiaomi the confidence to further push its case. 

What do you get in K20 series?

Since both the K20 series smartphones have already been launched in China, most of their features are already known. However, there is a chance that the Indian variant might come with some tweaked specs. In China, the K20 Pro comes with a 6.39-inch AMOLED full HD+ display with 19:5:9 aspect ratio. It sports an in-display fingerprint sensor and is one of Xiaomi's first smartphones to sports a pop-up selfie camera. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s top-end Snapdragon 855 processor and aims to take on the OnePlus 7 Pro which launched amid massive fandom earlier this year. 

The K20 Pro also sports a triple-camera setup featuring 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor, 8-megapixel telephoto lens and 13-megapixel wide-angle sensor. On the front, it offers a 20-megapixel camera. The phone is powered by a 4,000mAh battery along with 27W fast charger and also supports a 3.5mm headphone jack. 

Can it take on the biggies?

There is no doubt that the specs sound impressive but Xiaomi's success in the Indian market will depend a lot on how much the smartphone is priced. The OnePlus 7 Pro price in Indian starts at Rs 48,999 and goes up to Rs 57,999 which is a lot more than what Xiaomi might price its phone. But, K20 series' other competition in the Indian market could be the recently-launched Realme X which costs between Rs 16,999 and Rs 19,999. The phone comes with some impressive features like a 48MP camera and a powerful Snapdragon 710 processor. 

In China, the Redmi K20 Pro is available four variants, 4GB+64GB, 6GB+128GB, 8GB+128GB, and 8GB+256GB. The Redmi K20 Pro price in China starts at Rs CNY 2,499 (Rs 25,200 approx). In India, the price is expected to be around the same mark but Xiaomi has a history of surprising its fans.