REDMI K20 PRO V/S SAMSUMG GALAXY NOTE 10
The Redmi K20 Pro, something Redmi calls the Alpha Flagship, has been out for a while now, but it's been requested by you guys quite a bit. And since it's one-third the price of a brand new Galaxy Note 10, I figured it was a good time to compare the two and talk about how good inexpensive feature-rich phones are getting. And oh boy does this K20 Pro look crazy. It's kind of like the abyss that Gandalf fell into when fighting the Balrog. Or some freaky glimpse into the upside-down.
It's time to find out if the K20 Pro is durable. Seriously though, I can't get over this color scheme. It's like if 9 years old I wanted a Charizard themed smartphone. This would have been my number one choice. Nine-year-old me would also be super pumped about this motorized pop-up camera. I mean, the current me is also still pumped about it. Especially because the thing lights up on either side of the lens as it pops out of the frame. If that's not the kind of innovation we’ve all been waiting for, I don't know what is. The accent lights are only visible from the front and only turn on when the camera is motorizing up and motorizing back down. There's also a very unique sound being made each time the camera moves. This can be changed of course, and there are several to choose from.
I'm going to go with the magical sound because that's what nine years old I would have wanted. Looking at the K20 Pro you might be wondering if all this loud bling is totally necessary...and it's probably not. But I'm definitely not complaining. The LEDs that shine up into the pop-up camera also include a ring on the outside of the phone for notifications and a charging indicator. It'll be cool to see how this whole light contraption works when I take the phone apart to see the inside.
Redmi has also included this same drop protection feature that we've seen in the OnePlus and Oppo pop-up cameras, where if the phone senses a fall, it'll start to close the camera automatically. Personally, it feels kind of slow. The phone will probably bounce once or twice before the camera retracts, but it's a good thought. Let's get to work. The reason I want to compare this Rs. 24,000 smartphone to a $70,000 smartphone like the premium Note 10, is because when you look at both phones side-by-side on paper they're really similar. Both have the same screen size and resolution. And even though the Note 10 is using gorilla glass 6 and the K Pro is using Gorilla Glass 5, they both scratch the same with scratches at a level 6 and deeper grooves at a level 7. Both phones have wall to wall bezel-less screens and nearly non-existent earpieces. Instead of a cheerio cut out in the display like the Note 10 has, this K20 Pro has a 20-megapixel pop-up camera. And the lens that protects the camera is made from glass.
The red side LED light-up bars are made from plastic - a kind of translucent red acrylic. The whole thing feels very secure though. I'll test this out more in just a minute, but the back of the camera is also made from plastic. He's a happy little guy. The sides of the phone are made from aluminum with a metal volume rocker and a metal power button. If we rotate the phone up here to the top, we get the motorized pop-up camera and some more metal. And instead of the s-pen, the K20 Pro has a headphone jack. I'm sure there are a few people who would gladly make that trade.
The top of the pop-up camera is made from plastic which is fine because there's plenty more metal on the other side of the phone. The bottom has a loudspeaker, a USB-C port that can quick charge at 27 watts. The regular Note 10 is a 25-watt fast charge. Very similar. And neither the Note 10 nor the K20 Pro has an SD card slot. One perk the Rs.70,000 Note 10 has over the $24,000 K20 is water resistance. But since Samsung doesn't warrant or guarantee any of that water resistance, it's more of a helpful perk and not something you should be totally trusting anyway. Even the back panels of the two phones are similar. Both made of a psychedelic glass catering to our inner child. And each phone has three different perspective cameras. A 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle at the bottom, a normal 48-megapixel main camera in the center, and an 8 megapixel 2x optical zoom lens up top.
These are the exact same perspectives as Samsung Note 10. The similarities just keep coming. Both phones have under-screen fingerprint scanners. Yeah, the Note 10 is an ultrasonic and thisK20 is optical, but they both accomplish the exact same thing in basically the same timeframe. And both of them can handle being scratched up by level 7 deeper grooves.
One perk the K20 has over the Note thoughts a bigger battery. It's a 4,000 milliamp-hour which is quite a bit bigger than the Note 10's 3500. You might be thinking that I'm trying to roast the Note 10, which I'm definitely not. There are software differences of course that need to be taken into consideration and warranties and customer service and durability and camera quality. So many factors go into choosing a phone, but if you need a car to get you to work and back, you probably aren't going to go, buy a Ferrari, when a Honda Civic will work just fine. The same goes for cellphones. Both the Note 10 and the K20 have 1080p AMOLED displays that recover when the flame is taken away. And both phones are incredibly flashy and good looking. Let's see if the K20 pop-up camera can handle a bit of abuse. I've tested the OnePlus 7 and Oppo Reno pop-up cameras and each time I've been impressed with the mechanical build quality. And so far, this K20 is no different. Rated for 300,000 protrusions like the others, it's probably also being built with the same hardware and design as it's predecessors and can handle me pulling it out and pushing it in with no adverse reactions.
The K20 Pro pop-up camera can take a beating. I might make fun of the wispy black and red coloring, but I'm actually glad that phones are getting loud designs. The ring around the camera is an LED by the way. It's just a super reflective colorful coating. Jumping into the bend test. When the K20 Pro is bent from the back, there’s minor flex to the phone, but no creaks or cracks. Flipping it around to bend from the front we get similar results. No flex or permanent damage to the frame. The screen is still fine. The K20 Pro is a solid well-built device with premium materials and I'm a fan.
Let's be real. Everyone can choose themselves whether they want to spend Rs. 24,000 to browse social media or spend Rs. 70,000 to browse social media. Of course, there's nothing wrong with buying an Rs. 70,000 flagship, but it's just good to keep in mind that there are plenty of good options for a fraction of the price that accomplishes the exact same thing. Whether it's last year's model or a brand new budget phone like this K20. There are plenty of ways to keep money in your pocket. Don't buy a Ferrari if it makes your wallet hurt. I forget to mention Redmi includes a little protective case in the box which is nice of them.
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