Xiaomi’s offshoot Redmi has finally launched its most awaited K40 series and like every year, the smartphones are focused on seamless performance and speeds.
The Redmi K40 series consists of three handsets: the Redmi K40, Redmi K40 Pro, and Redmi K40 Pro plus. As expected, all three handsets use Snapdragon 800-series chipsets. The vanilla K40 comes with the all-new SD870 SoC while the other two handsets are driven by the flagship SD888 mobile platform.
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Design and Display
The K40 trio shares similar aesthetics and boasts the same display specifications. Design-wise, they feature a Mi 11-like design aside from the added sensors on the camera bump. Every model is available in three color variants: Bright Black, Dreamland, and Sunny Snow.
The phones are built around a 6.67-inch Samsung-made E4 AMOLED panel with 1080 x 2400 resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate, and 360Hz touch sampling rate, one of the highest yet.
Furthermore, the display comes with support for DCI-P3 color space and HDR10+ that have been termed as ‘A+’ by the DisplayMate. It also provides a peak brightness of 1300 nits.
The fingerprint sensor on all phones is mounted on the side, combined with the Power button, even though it is an AMOLED panel and could have worked with an under-screen fingerprint reader.
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Internals and Storage
Internally, the vanilla Redmi K40 is powered by the Snapdragon 870 which is a revamped version of last year’s SD865 with the speed of its prime core cranked up to 3.2 GHz. In terms of storage, it offers 6 GB, 8 GB or 12GB of RAM and 128 GB or 256 GB of onboard storage.
The other two phones in the series are powered by the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform that runs in combination with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB storage on the Pro+ model. The Redmi K40 Pro offers storage specifications similar to the vanilla Redmi K40 except for the 12GB RAM variant.
The software front is handled by MIUI 12 flavored Android 11. In terms of connectivity, the Pro and Pro+ lack mmWave 5G, but they do have Wi-Fi 6E, which can reach speeds up to 3.5Gbps. The Redmi K40 comes with Wi-Fi 6 (non-E) compatibility. Moreover, as compared to the vanilla K40 that comes with BlueTooth 5.1, both the Pro models pack BlueTooth 5.2. All three phones come with Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification for BlueTooth.
As far as the audio is concerned, the phones feature stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio certifications. However, this time, they have ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack. Also, the handsets come with an additional X-axis linear motor for better haptic feedback.
Cameras
The Redmi K40 trio sports a similar triple sensor camera setup configuration. However, the primary sensors are the differentiating factor. The K40 Pro+ is equipped with the 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM2 sensor measuring 1/1.52-inch. It comes with support for 9-in-1 binning as well. The complimentary sensors are an 8 MP ultrawide-angle camera (119°, f/2.2) and a 5 MP telephoto macro.
Instead of the 108 MP main sensor, the Redmi K40 Pro gets a 64 MP sensor with a 1/1.7” optical format and the Redmi K40 gets a relatively small ½-inch Sony IMX582 sensor with 48 MP resolution and 0.8 µm pixels.
For selfies, the smartphones are equipped with a 20 MP single shooter.
Battery and Pricing
All three models are powered by a 4,520 mAh battery that charges up to 33W over USB-C using standard protocols. It supports USB Power Delivery 3.0 and QuickCharge 3.0+. According to the company, the charging process is optimized so the battery goes from 0% to 100% in just 52 minutes.
The prices of the smartphones are as follows:
| Redmi K40 | |
| 6/128 GB | CNY 2,000 ($310) |
| 8/128 GB | CNY 2,200 ($340) |
| 8/256 GB | CNY 2,500 ($387) |
| Redmi K40 Pro | |
| 6/128 GB | CNY 2,800 ($433) |
| 8/128 GB | CNY 3,000 ($464) |
| 8/256 GB | CNY 3,300 ($510) |
| Redmi K40 Pro+ | |
| 12/256 GB | CNY 3,700 ($572) |
Specifications
| Specifications | Redmi K40 | Redmi K40 Pro | Redmi K40 Pro+ |
| CPU | Octa-core (1×3.2 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 585) | Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680) | Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680) |
| GPU | Adreno 650 | Adreno 660 | Adreno 660 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8250-AC Snapdragon 870 5G (7 nm) | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 (5 nm) | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 (5 nm) |
| OS | Android 11, MIUI 12 | Android 11, MIUI 12 | Android 11, MIUI 12 |
| Networks | 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G | 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G | 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G |
| Display | OLED Super AMOLED, 1B colors, 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) | OLED Super AMOLED, 1B colors, 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) | OLED Super AMOLED, 1B colors, 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) |
| Memory | (6GB,8GB,12GB)/(128GB,256GB) | (6GB,8GB)/(128GB,256GB) | 12GB/256GB |
| Camera | Primary: 48 MP + 8 MP + 5 MP | Primary: 64 MP + 8 MP + 5 MP | Primary: 108 MP + 8 MP + 5 MP |
| Selfie: 20 MP | Selfie: 20 MP | Selfie: 20 MP | |
| Connectivity | LTE, USB type-C 2.0, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1 | LTE, USB type-C 2.0, GPS, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 | LTE, USB type-C 2.0, GPS, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Fingerprint scanner | Side-mounted | Side-mounted | Side-mounted |
| Battery | 4520 mAh (33W charging) | 4520 mAh (33W charging) | 4520 mAh (33W charging) |
