Xiaomi has just introduced the latest addition to its Mi 9 lineup, the Mi 9 Pro 5G. An upgrade from the standard Mi 9 Pro, this one carries Snapdragon 855+, 12GB RAM, and up to 512GB of storage. We put this smartphone up against another device that’s an upgraded version of another pro smartphone, the Redmi K20 Pro Premium.
| Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro 5G | Redmi K20 Pro Premium |
|---|---|
| 6.39-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) Super AMOLED display, Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | 6.39-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) Super AMOLED 19.5:9 display |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ |
| Adreno 640 GPU | Adreno 640 GPU |
| 8GB, 12GB LPDDR4 2133MHz RAM | 8GB / 12GB RAM |
| 128GB / 256GB / 512GB storage | 128GB / 512GB storage |
| 48MP F1.75 + 12MP F2.2 + 16MP F2.2 triple rear cameras | 48MP Sony IMX586 F1.75 + 13MP F2.4 (ultrawide) + 8MP F2.4 (telephoto), rear cameras |
| 20MP front camera | 20MP elevating front camera |
| Dual VoLTE, 5G Connectivity | 4G LTE |
| Dual SIM | Dual SIM |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| NFC support | NFC Support |
| Fingerprint recognition (Haptic feedback) | In-screen fingerprint recognition |
| VC Liquid Cooling system | N/A |
| Xiao AI 3.0 phone assistant | N/A |
| MIUI 11 | MIUI 10 |
| 4,000mAh battery w/ 40W wired fast charging, 30W wireless flash charging, 10W wireless reverse charging QC4+ support | 4,000mAh battery w/ 27W fast charging |
| USB-C | USC-C |
Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro 5G
- 256GB storage option
- Higher secondary and tertiary camera resolution
- 5G connectivity
- VC Liquid Cooling System
- 40W wired fast charging, 30W wireless flash charging, 10W wireless reverse charging QC4+ support
Redmi K20 Pro Premium
- Larger screen-to-body ratio
- Elevating front camera
- More affordable
Both the Mi 9 Pro 5G and the K20 Pro Premium sport a 6.39-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display. The two devices have the same resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels as well. One difference is that the Mi 9 Pro 5G has a drop notch where its front camera resides, while the K20 Pro Premium is an almost full-screen phone with very slim bezels and no notches. Instead, the smartphone’s front camera is housed in an elevating mechanism. We want to give this round to the K20 Pro Premium’s display, as those thin bezels and 91.9% screen-to-body ratio are incredibly appealing.
The two devices don’t differ much when it comes to performance as they’re equipped with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset and paired with either 8GB or 12GB RAM. Compared to the Snapdragon 855, the 855+ has a higher clock speed and provides a smooth gaming experience. With that chipset and massive RAM, either smartphone will certainly deliver top-notch performance and allow graphics-heavy games to run as smooth as butter. Xiaomi has noted that the Mi 9 Pro 5G is equipped with a VC Liquid Cooling system to prevent it from heating up, while the K20 Pro Premium has an 8-layer graphite stock cooling system. Storage-wise, the Mi 9 Pro 5G, and K20 Pro Premium have 128GB and 512GB. The Mi 9 Pro 5G trumps this one though, by offering up a 256GB storage in between.
When it comes to cameras, the handsets have triple-rear setups. The Mi 9 Pro 5g has a set of 48MP main + 12MP + 16MP snappers, while the K20 Pro Premium’s setup consists of 48MP main + 13MP + 8MP lenses. While their main cameras have the same resolution, the Mi 9 Pro 5G’s two other cameras have the higher resolution. As the K20 Pro Premium is a device based on the K20 Pro, it also carries a pop-up camera module, with the 20MP lens sitting inside. Meanwhile, the Mi 9 Pr0 5G’s 20MP front camera resides in a notch. The smartphones’ cameras might be similar in a couple of aspects; however, we’ve yet to see the actual performance in both units.
Just as its name suggests, the Mi 9 Pro 5G supports 5G connectivity and will not have a 4G version. As the world is slowly moving forward to 5G connection, the Mi 9 Pro 5G trumps this department by an inch due to the K20 Pro Premium’s inability to do so. Then again, few territories carry 5G connectivity, so the K20 Pro Premium’s 4G LTE connectivity is still a welcome one.
The Mi 9 Pro 5G ships out with the company’s latest MIUI 11, in contrast to the K20 Pro Premium’s MIUI 10 skin. Both devices are equipped with a USB-C port and a 4,000mAh battery, but the Mi 9 Pro 5G has 40W wired fast charging, 30W wireless flash charging, and 10W wireless reverse charging. The K20 Pro Premium’s 27W fast charging certainly fall flat against that.
The smartphones are priced as follows:
Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro 5G
- 8GB + 128GB – CNY 3,699 (~PHP 27,155)
- 8GB + 256GB – CNY 3,799 (~PHP 27,889)
- 12GB + 256GB – CNY 4,099 (~PHP 30,092)
- 12GB + 512GB – CNY 4,299 (~PHP 31,560)
Redmi K20 Pro Premium
- 8GB + 128GB – CNY 2,699 (~PHP 19,856)
- 8GB + 512GB – CNY 2,999 (~PHP 22,063)
- 12GB + 512GB – CNY 3,199 (~PHP 23,534)
The prices don’t stray too far from one another but the K20 Pro Premium is certainly the more affordable smartphone between the two. Looking back at all the other specs though, both seem to offer the same premium smartphone experience, just with a couple of quirks in between.
What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
