Xiaomi unveils Redmi K40 Pro+ with 108 MP camera and S888 chipset, K40 Pro and K40 follow

2021-04-13

Xiaomi unveiled the new Redmi flagships and the theme is, as always, speed. The K40 trio shares the AMOLED display that boasts 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling rate (one of the highest we’ve seen yet).

Xiaomi unveils Redmi K40 Pro+, K40 Pro and K40

And all three use Snapdragon 800-series chipsets, though the hierarchy is clear as the vanilla model gets a 7nm chip with a fresh coat of paint, the other two pack the latest Snapdragon 888.

The second division happens at the camera level – the K40 Pro+ is equipped with a 108MP sensor in its main camera, the Pro gets a 64MP sensor instead and the vanilla has to settle for a 48MP sensor.

Main camera comparison: K40 Pro+ with 108 MP, K40 Pro with 64 MP and K40 with 48 MP

First, let’s look at the display as that is the same across the board. It’s a Samsung-made E4 AMOLED panel with 1,080 x 2,400 px resolution. The display supports the DCI-P3 color space and HDR10+, which earned it an A+ mark from DisplayMate. Brightness can be adjusted smoothly in a total of 8,192 steps and peaks at 1,300 nits.

All three models are powered by a 4,520 mAh battery, which charges at up to 33W over USB-C using standard protocols – USB Power Delivery 3.0 and QuickCharge 3.0+. The top speed may not seem high, but the charging process is optimized so the battery goes from 0% to 100% in just 52 minutes.

Connectivity features include sub-6 GHz 5G as well as Wi-Fi 6 for fast data speeds on the go and at home. There’s also Bluetooth 5 with Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification, also on board are NFC and an IR blaster.

The phone has stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio certifications, but no 3.5mm headphone jack. There’s also an X-axis linear motor for better haptic feedback.

Also, all three are rated at IP53, meaning they have solid dust resistance and can shrug off spraying water. The display is guarded by Gorilla Glass 5 and even though it’s an AMOLED, Xiaomi went for a side-mounted fingerprint reader (combined with the Power button).

Let’s look at them individually.

Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+

The Redmi K40 Pro+ boasts the 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM2 sensoe, measuring 1/1.52” and coming with support for 9-in-1 binning, which makes for an effective pixel size of 2.1 µm. It supports dual native ISO and Super Night Scene 2.0 to tackle every lighting condition.

The Redmi K40 Pro+ boasts the 108 MP ISOCELL HM2 sensor with 9-in-1 pixel binning

Joining it is an 8MP ultrawide-angle camera (119°, f/2.2) and a 5MP telephoto macro, plus a 20MP camera on the front. There cameras are shared with the other two models, the Pro+ advantage really is in that main cam.

It can record 8K video at 30 fps and 4K video at 30 and 60 fps. Slow-motion clips can be shot at up to 960 fps at 1080p resolution. The selfie camera tops out at 1080p at 30 fps for regular videos and 120 fps at 720p slow-mo clips.

The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 888 (5nm). It packs a fast Cortex-X1 CPU core, the Adreno GPU is 35% faster than that in the S865 and the NPU lends 26 TOPS of processing power to AI algorithms. The chipset is hooked up to fast LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1.

The Pro and Pro+ may lack mmWave 5G, but they do have Wi-Fi 6E, which can reach speeds up to 3.5Gbps. They also bump the Bluetooth version up to 5.2.

The Redmi K40 Pro+ will be available in only one configuration with 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage. That will cost you CNY 3,700 ($575/€470). You can pre-order now, shipping starts on March 4.

Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro

The Redmi K40 Pro gets a 64MP sensor for its main camera with a 1/1.7” optical format. With 4-in-1 binning enabled, the effective pixel size is 1.6µm – not bad, but if the camera is a priority, you should look at the Pro+. On the plus side, it can record 8K video at 30 fps, just like the Pro+.

The Redmi K40 Pro starts at CNY 2,800 for the 6/128 GB model ($435/€355). Strangely, there’s no way to get a Pro with 12GB of RAM, even though that’s an option for the vanilla K40. You can pre-order one today, shipping starts on March 4.

Redmi K40 Pro
6/128 GB	CNY 2,800
8/128 GB	CNY 3,000
8/256 GB	CNY 3,300

The Redmi K40 Pro will be available in three colors

Xiaomi Redmi K40

The Redmi K40 is powered by the Snapdragon 870, a revamped version of the battle-tested 865. It cranks up the clock speed of its prime core to 3.2 GHz, the fastest currently on the market, and its Adreno 650 GPU should beat any current mid-ranger and the NPU is rated at 15 TOPS.

Xiaomi gave the chipset all the right tools for the job, including LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, just like on the Pro. The base configuration is pretty modest with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB storage, but models with 8 GB and even 12 GB RAM are available, storage goes up to 256 GB.

Moving on to the camera, it’s fairly basic. The main module is built around the Sony IMX582, which is a couple of generations behind. It’s a relatively small 1/2” sensor with 48MP resolution and 0.8 µm pixels, sitting behind an f/1.8 aperture.

Video recording is capped at a disappointing 4K/30 fps, even though the S870 chipset is capable of 8K/30 fps (and 4K/60 fps). The slow-motion mode and the selfie camera match the other two phones.

The connectivity section includes sub-6 GHz 5G, Wi-Fi 6 (non-E) and Bluetooth 5.1.

The Xiaomi Redmi K40 is available for pre-order at CNY 2,000 for the 6/128 GB model (that works out to $310/€255). You can pick from three colors: Bright Black, Dreamland and Sunny Snow.