Xiaomi yesterday launched the Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro in India. These are premium handsets under the company’s Redmi branding and are a clear step up from the Redmi Note series. While the specs and features of the Redmi K20 series are already known, there’s still a lot that Xiaomi has not mentioned on its specs page. Here’s a look at some of the top and hidden features of the Redmi K20 and K20 Pro.
Apart from a pure hardware viewpoint, Xiaomi has snuck in some surprises in the software of the Redmi K20 series as well. Below is a look at some of them as well.
Read: Redmi K20 Pro vs Redmi K20: What’s the Difference
Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro: Top Hidden Features
#1 No Ads
One of my biggest gripes with MIUI in recent times has been the sheer number of ads it comes with. Apart from pre-loading a bunch of bloatware, Xiaomi also displays ads across the System UI. The vast majority of users are not bothered by this but it has certainly ticked off more advanced users who have been vocal about this.
Given the premium segment that Xiaomi is targetting with the Redmi K20 and K20 Pro, it would have been an absolute horror if these phones also displayed ads. Thankfully, Xiaomi was smart enough to figure this out. Compared to the Redmi Note 7 Pro or just about any other Redmi device, you will find almost no ads on the Redmi K20 series. You will still get some spam notifications from some pre-installed system apps but things are not as bad as on budget Redmi phones.
#2 Poco Launcher
Surprisingly, the Redmi K20 and K20 Pro ship with Poco launcher as their default launcher out of the box. Xiaomi made no announcement of this in their launch event, and it is refreshing to see the company switch to the more feature-packed and customizable Poco launcher on its premium Redmi devices.
#3 DC Dimming
This point is only applicable for the Redmi K20 Pro. While both K20 phones feature an AMOLED panel, the 6.4-inch display of the Redmi K20 supports DC Dimming. Many users get a throbbing headache or eye strain when they use a smartphone with an AMOLED panel on low brightness for an extended period of time.
The DC Dimming feature aims to alleviate that issue. This is a feature that has only recently made its way to the likes of the OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7, Huawei P30 Pro, and other smartphones so it is nice to see Xiaomi include it on the Redmi K20 Pro as well.
#4 Quick Charge Support
The Redmi K20 series supports fast charging but while the K20 supports 18W fast charging, the K20 Pro supports faster 27W faster charging. However, Xiaomi is only bundling an 18W charger in the box with these phones. So, if you want to enjoy faster 27W charging speeds on the K20 Pro, you will have to invest in the 27W SonicCharger separately.
What is important to note is that the 27W fast charging on the Redmi K20 Pro is not Quick Charge 4.0 or any other variant of it. Instead, it is USB-Power Delivery — the same fast charging standard that Google uses on its Pixel lineup.
The good thing is that despite support for USB-PD, the Redmi K20 Pro is also compatible with Quick Charge 3.0. This means you can fast charge it at 18W speeds using a compatible QC charger which is far easier to find compared to a USB-PD one.
#5 Splashproof
The Redmi K20 and K20 Pro lack an IP certification. But just like the Redmi Note 7 Pro, they feature P2i nano-coating. What this means is that while the phones are not waterproof, they are water-resistant to a certain extent.
The nano-coating ensures that you can safely use the Redmi K20 or K20 Pro while it is raining. And you won’t have anything to worry about if you end up accidentally spilling some liquid on them. However, this does not mean that you can dunk the phone in a bucket of water and expect it to survive the ordeal.
What are some of your favorite features of the Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro? Drop a comment and let us know about it.