Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro/Mi 9T Pro review

Introduction

The Pocophone F1 by Xiaomi broke every rule of the smartphone market and pretty much redefined the term flagship killer. But it's been over a year now and a Pocophone sequel is still nowhere to be found. What if we tell you that not only one has been unveiled, but that it's already on sale? Get ready to meet the spiritual Pocophone successor - the Redmi K20 Pro, also known as Mi 9T Pro.

The Redmi K20 phones, available outside India as Mi 9T, truly feel and look like flagships. We've already reviewed the regular K20/Mi 9T version and it did spectacularly. It had the screen, the camera, the battery, and the connectivity of a flagship, but there was one place with room for improvement - performance. And this is where the Pro model steps in swapping the Snapdragon 730 with the flagship Snapdragon 855 chip.

So, the Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro/Mi 9T Pro features a 6.39" notch-less Super AMOLED screen shielded by a Gorilla Glass 5. The 20MP selfies camera hides on a motorized pop-up module - a common solution of the notch problem nowadays. Then on the back there is a triple camera, which aced all our tests the last time we tried it with its 48MP f/1.8 primary, an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto, and a 13MP f/2.4 ultrawide arrangement.

A bunch of premium features indeed, but what really elevates the flagship status of the K20 Pro/Mi 9T Pro is the Snapdragon 855 chip inside, which not only adds an excellent value to this already great package, but also makes the Redmi K20 Pro one of, if not the cheapest Snapdragon 855 smartphone on the market right now. And that's what the Pocophone was all about, wasn't it?

But wait, there is more. Indeed, the Redmi K20 Pro and Mi 9T Pro are super affordable phones with cutting-edge features, but if you need a further proof they are the spiritual successors of the famous Pocophone, look no further than the launcher. The Redmi K20 Pro runs on the latest Poco launcher 2, based on MIUI 10 with Android Pie core. Convinced already?

Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro / Mi 9T Pro specs

• Body: Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 5 front, glass back;
• Display: 6.39" AMOLED, notch-free, 2,340x1,080px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 402ppi; HDR 10 and DCI-P3 compliant.
• Triple rear camera: Wide - 48MP f/1.8, 1/2", 0.8µm pixel size, PDAF; Telephoto - 8MP, f/2.4, 1.12µm pixel size, 2x zoom; Ultra-wide - 13MP, f/2.4, 1.12µm pixel size; 2160p@60fps.
• Front camera: Motorized pop-up 20MP, 0.8µm pixel size, f/2.2; 1080p/30fps video recording; drop detection.
• OS: Android 9 Pie; MIUI 10 with Poco launcher 2.0
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855: octa-core CPU (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 Gold + 3x2.42 Kryo 485 Gold + 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485 Silver), Adreno 640 GPU.
• Memory: 6GB of RAM; 64/128GB storage or 8GB of RAM, 128/256GB storage
• Battery: 4,000mAh Li-Po (sealed); 18W fast charging.
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM; LTE-A, 4-Band carrier aggregation, Cat.15/13 (800Mbps/150Mbps); USB-C; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; dual-band GPS; Bluetooth 5.0
• Misc: Under-display fingerprint reader; single down-firing speaker; 3.5mm jack

We have to admit there is one feature we are going to miss from the K20 Pro and Mi 9T Pro and that's the stereo speakers. But considering the jaw-dropping price and that premium selection of features, we are going to live just fine without the earpiece acting as a tweeter.

Unboxing the Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro

The K20 Pro is packed within a stylish black box with a purple back that has a Godzilla-like monster printed on it. This is one of the few boxes that made us wait a bit and enjoy the view before peeling off the wrapper.

Inside this cool box is the Redmi K20 Pro, an 18W charger, and a USB-C cable.

There is a paper compartment, that also contains a thin plastic case for some extra protection, though it will compromise the phone's dazzling looks.