Redmi K40 coming next month, starting at under $500 (Updated)

Update: February 22 2021 (12:30AM ET): Redmi GM Lu Weibing has detailed more K40 display details on Weibo, saying it will be the first “straight-screen flagship” (i.e. flat) with a Samsung E4 AMOLED screen.

The executive notes that E4 screens offer higher screen brightness, better viewing in direct sunlight, and lower power consumption compared to the previous E3 AMOLED technology. It’s unclear if all phones in the Redmi K40 series will offer flat screens, but we’ll find out on Thursday when the launch takes place.

Original article: January 11 2021 (2AM ET): The Redmi K series is the Xiaomi sub-brand’s flagship family, starting with the Redmi K20 Pro in 2019 and continuing with the Redmi K30 Pro in 2020. Now, the sub-brand has confirmed that the Redmi K40 is indeed coming.

Redmi and general manager Lu Weibing confirmed on Weibo that the Redmi K40 is coming next month, but it also revealed that pricing will start at 2,999 yuan (~$463). Check out a screenshot of the post below.

The price tag means it’s in line with the Redmi K30 Pro’s Chinese pricing last year, and is cheaper than the 3,999 yuan (~$617) Mi 11. The K40’s price is for the Chinese market obviously, so we’d expect a solid price hike if it comes to global markets.

Other Redmi K40 details disclosed by Weibing include a battery size greater than 4,000mAh and the Snapdragon 888 processor. In other words, it certainly sounds like the upcoming phone will be a full-blown flagship in terms of horsepower.

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According to machine-translation, Redmi is also claiming that the new phone could be “the most expensive straight screen” device. That likely means the most expensive flat screen phone, as opposed to curved screen device. It seems like a strange thing to boast about, but Redmi is ostensibly trying to drive home the fact that flat screen phones can be premium too.

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