Xiaomi has officially launched the Redmi K40, the Redmi K40 Pro and the Redmi K40 Pro Plus earlier today. From the design point of view, Redmi has taken a fresh approach and completely revamped its high-end smartphone series. However, the camera module looks awfully similar to the recently launched Mi 11 smartphone. Other than that, the company has managed to make the smartphone somewhat lighter and thinner than its previous generations. Currently, the Redmi K40 Series will only be available in China.
Must See: Redmi K40 will have three models instead of two
However, the looks alone aren’t what makes it stand out from the rest of the devices out in the market. It’s the specifications that the Redmi K40 series brings to the table along with mind-blowing pricing. After today’s event, most of the competition brands might rethink their strategy because of the bar that the Redmi K40 series has set in terms of high-end chipsets used such as Snapdragon 870/888, the latest E4 AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and of course the unbelievable pricing. Redmi has somehow pulled a Poco F1 out of nowhere without any compromise. If not, the Redmi K40 series will remain as one of the potential Flagship killers throughout this year.
Redmi K40: Specifications
At its core, the new Redmi K40 is powered by the brand new Snapdragon 870 SoC which is an overclocked version of the Snapdragon 865+ chipset. That said, Redmi outdid itself as its predecessor merely came with the Snapdragon 730G chipset. The new smartphone is paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
The display is among one of the most exciting aspects of the Redmi K40. The new smartphone has gotten rid of its mellow LCD display which came with its predecessor. It houses a 6.67″ FHD+ AMOLED E4 display. The E4 AMOLED used is one of the latest generation panels. Furthermore, there are features like 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz Touch Sampling rate, True Tone technology, and super-resolution touch. The display has a DCI-P3 colour gamut, HDR10+, 1300 nits of the maximum brightness, and MEMC. The display is covered in Gorilla Glass 5. The displays get an A+ rating from DisplayMate.
For optics, it has included a lesser number of cameras than its predecessor. The new Redmi K40 houses a triple camera setup which consists of a 48MP Sony IMX582 primary camera with f/1.79 aperture, a 5MP telephoto macro camera with a 50mm focal length, and an 8MP ultrawide angle camera with 119° FOV. Whereas at the front it houses a 20MP camera in one of the smallest punch holes i.e 2.76 millimetres.
The Redmi K40 draws its power from a 4520mAh battery which supports 33W fast charging. According to the presentation, the company claims that the device will be fully charged in 52 minutes. Other than that, it also supports Quick Charge 3+ and Power Delivery 3.0. On the software part, the device runs on MIUI 12 out of the box which is based on Android 11.
Additionally, both the Redmi K40 Pro and the Redmi K40 Pro Plus features a USB Type-C port, stereo speakers, Dual 5G standby SIM support, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio, Hi-Res Audio Wireless, IP53 rating, X-axis linear motor, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, Color temperature sensor GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, NavIC, Galileo, Beidou and Wi-Fi 6.
Redmi K40 Pro and Redmi K40 Pro Plus: Specifications
The Redmi K40 Pro and Redmi K40 Pro Plus are powered by the top tier Snapdragon 888 SoC. The K40 Pro is paired with up to 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Whereas the K40 Pro Plus is paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
Similar to the non-pro variant, both the Redmi K40 Pro and the Redmi K40 Pro Plus features a 6.67″ FHD+ AMOLED E4 display which is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5. It also retains features like 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz Touch Sampling rate, True Tone technology, and super-resolution touch. The display has a DCI-P3 colour gamut, HDR10+, 1300 nits of the maximum brightness, and MEMC. Similarly, both of their displays get an A+ rating from DisplayMate as well.
Now the main difference between the Redmi K40 Pro and the Redmi K40 Pro Plus lies in its primary optics. The Redmi K40 Pro houses a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 and 119° FoV and a 5MP telephoto macro camera. Whereas the Redmi K40 Pro Plus houses a 108MP Samsung HM2, f/1.75 primary camera, 8MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2, 119° FoV and a 5MP telephoto macro camera. There’s a 20MP selfie camera on both smartphones.
Both of them retains the same 4520mAh battery with 33W fast charging support. It also supports Quick Charge 3+ and Power Delivery 3.0 similar to the Redmi K40. On the software part, the device runs on MIUI 12 out of the box which is based on Android 11.
Additionally, both the Redmi K40 Pro and the Redmi K40 Pro Plus features a USB Type-C port, stereo speakers, Dual 5G standby SIM support, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio, Hi-Res Audio Wireless, IP53 rating, X-axis linear motor, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Color temperature sensor GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, NavIC, Galileo, Beidou and Wi-Fi 6E.
Pricing and availability
The Redmi K40 is available in three colour variants – Bright Black, Sunny Snow, and Dreamland. Whereas, the Redmi K40 Pro and the Redmi K40 Pro+ comes in two colour options – Ink Feather, Fantasy land.
As for its pricing, the Redmi K40 starts at CNY 1999 (~$310) for its 6GB/128GB variant, CNY 2199 (~$340) for its 8GB/128GB variant, CNY 2499 (~$387) for its 8GB/256GB variant and CNY 2699 (~$418) for its 12GB/256GB variant.
On the other hand, the Redmi K40 Pro starts at CNY 2,799 (~$434) for its 6GB/128GB variant, CNY 2,999 (~$465) for its 8GB/128GB and CNY 3,299 (~$511) for its 8GB+256GB variant.
Lastly, the Redmi K40 Pro+ costs CNY 3,699 (~$573) for its lone 12GB/256GB variant.
Redmi K40 and K40 Pro will open for pre-sale of CNY 100 deposit from today and will be available on Xiaomi’s website and most major e-commerce portals from March 4 onwards. Whereas, the Redmi K40 Pro+ will go on sale in late March. However, a recent rumour suggests that the Redmi K40 might launch as the POCO F3 in some markets outside China.
Terry Ts 
Rudhra Nandu