Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro (8GB RAM, 256GB)  +1 variation

Design

• Xiaomi has gone big on the design front this time - the Redmi K20 Pro has a glass back with one of the most evocative gradient patterns you'll come across on any phone today - it's both premium to feel, and stunning to look at
• The gradient effect that kicks in under the right lighting condition is quite mesmerising
• The front is modern and sharp too, with a 'full screen' notch-less display (the selfie camera is a 'popup' one)
• Good in-screen fingerprint sensor - quick and reliable
• Face unlock mechanism is a little clunky - you have to first wake the screen and swipe up for the camera module to engage (this might get sorted via a software update though)

Display

• Gorgeous, 6.39-inch Super AMOLED display - easily one of the best panels you'll find in this price segment - it has vibrant colors and excellent contrast levels, and sunlight readability is great as well
• Of course, the lack of a cutout means you get an all-screen front, and the minimal bezels at the top and bottom create an immersive experience when playing games or viewing videos on the device

Software

• MIUI, especially with it's recent improvements continues to one of the better, more cohesive custom Android UIs around - and it's packed with features like gesture navigation, anti-flicker mode, reading mode, second space, dual apps, themes, etc
• The K20 Pro also adds the POCO Launcher on top of MIUI - which brings the Dark Mode and App drawer to the K20 Pro
• Xiaomi is also rolling out a Game Turbo feature that prioritizes bandwidth and mutes incoming notifications when you're in a game
• One issue with MIUI in recent times is the ads in the interface & notifications - those are still there (though a little less intrusive) - and while there are ways to disable them, it's a technical solution that a lot of prospective buyers will not be aware of

Performance

• Top-notch flagship performance with the top-notch Snapdragon 855 chipset at the core - the K20 Pro is expectedly a performance beast - and gets the highest Antutu scores of any Android phone at the moment

Camera

• Very good triple rear camera setup - the phone has a 48MP primary camera backed by an 8MP telephoto lens and a 13MP wide-angle shooter
• Image quality is great in all sorts of lighting conditions - they look crisp, vibrant, and details are captured well
• The ultra-wide sensor and 2x telephoto lens also produce generally good results
• The K20 Pro also comes with a dedicated night mode that does the usual multi-frame processing, and the results are pretty good - it gets more light in, and makes things sharper
• Decent 20MP popup selfie camera, with a good portrait mode
• Overall, the rear camera setup on the K20 Pro is the best for this price bracket, and matches up well to more expensive phones like the OnePlus 7 and Asus 6Z

Audio

• Has a 3.5mm jack, that a lot of flagships these days tend to skimp on
• Loud (single) downward firing speaker

Battery

• Very good battery life with a 4000mAH battery - combine that with a very efficient 855 processor, and you will comfortably get 1.5 days of use
• Fast charging support - up to a cool 27W (a 27W capacity charger will however need to be purchased separately for super fast charging - that said, Xiaomi does include a still-very-fast 18W charger in the box)

Verdict

• Xiaomi has again hit the ball out of the park with the Redmi K20 Pro, providing a still-excellent-value successor to the super successful Poco F1 - this is the cheapest price point at which you will get the flagship Snapdragon 855, along with all the latest features of 2019 - full screen, popup selfie camera, and in-display fingerprint sensor - people who attach more value to the software experience though might still want to spend a little more and go for the OnePlus 7 or Asus 6Z, for a cleaner experience