One of the nicest surprises revealed by Xiaomi’s Redmi branch last year was the Redmi K series composed of premium mid-range and flagship-killer smartphones. Just recently, Redmi unveiled the Redmi K30S which comes as an incremental upgrade for the family. However, the rumor mill is already teasing the arrival of a new device dubbed Redmi K40. It’s not too soon for a release, after all the Redmi K30 family was revealed in December last year. That said, a device that seems to be the Redmi K40 passed on EEC certification with the M2011K2G model number.
Interestingly enough, a smartphone bearing
model number M2001K2C appeared on the MIIT certification database with 5G
connectivity. Perhaps, the new model number stands for the global variant of
the Redmi K40. For now, Xiaomi is keeping a low profile about the Redmi K40
family. According to recent rumors, the vanilla device will bring the
Snapdragon 775G chipset. There will also be a higher variant aiming at the
“affordable-flagship” segment with the Snapdragon 875 chipset. Worth noting
that Qualcomm will make the big reveal of Snapdragon 875 on December 1,
alongside a newer Snapdragon 7xx chipset.
We’re not one hundred percent sure that
Redmi K40 Pro will make its debut this year with the SD875. However, rumors are
claiming so. Releasing a Snapdragon 875 chipset based on the 5nm process before
2021 may also serve as Qualcomm’s response to Apple and Huawei which already
have commercially available phones with 5nm chipsets. While the K40 Pro isn’t
an undeniable truth, the vanilla Redmi K40 may still be revealed towards the
end of the month with an SD7xx chipset.
The vanilla Redmi K40 may come with a
MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ Octa-Core chipset with 5G connectivity support. This
chipset provides a flagship-like performance at a lower price. The device will
also feature a 64MP camera (Sony’s IMX686) and will have support for 33W
fast-charging technology. The battery capacity should be between 4,500mAh and
5,200mAh just like recently released Xiaomi phones.
Lu Weibing, General Manager of the Redmi
Brand and President of Xiaomi Group China, said that the Redmi K30 Pro will
soon be discontinued. This is a strong hint of the arrival of the next
generation. We expect more details to keep coming in the next days, after all,
December is just around the corner.
