Redmi K20 Pro camera review: Xiaomi steps up its camera game

Xiaomi last week launched a new premium smartphone, Redmi K20 Pro, in India. With the price starting at ₹27,999, Redmi K20 pro is set to compete with the likes of Asus 6Z, OnePlus 7, OnePlus 7 Pro and other premium smartphones.

Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro is also the cheapest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor-powered phone in the market right now. While performance is a big highlight of the phone, Redmi K20 Pro also offers impressive camera specifications.

The latest Redmi phone comes with a triple-rear camera setup consisting of 48-megapixel (Sony IMX58 sensor, 1.6μm large 4-in-1 large pixel, 6P, f/1.75 aperture), 8-megapixel telephoto lens, 2x Optical Zoom, 1.12μm pixel size, f/2.4 aperture, and 13-megapixel 124.8-degree super wide-angle lens, 1.12μm pixel size, f/2.4 aperture. The camera supports laser focus with PDAF, up to 4K UHD video recording at 30fps/60fps, and 960fps slow-motion video recording. The phone offers EIS for image stabilisation. For selfies, it has a 20-megapixel front-facing camera with full HD video recording support.

Redmi K20 Pro: Camera UI

Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro comes with a slightly modified camera interface which makes it easier to access the key features. For instance, 48-megapixel camera mode is now part of the bottom modes instead of being buried under the in-app settings.

Upon launching the camera app, you get the default camera settings. On top, you have flash, HDR, AI, and preloaded filters shortcut. Tapping on the hamburger button on the right top corner, you can access Settings and other key features and modes like timer, square (1:1), tilt-shift and straighten. Under the Settings, you can tweak a few things such as enable/disable save location info, correct distortion in ultra-wide shots, camera frame and more.

At the bottom you have different modes such as short video, slow motion, video, photo, 48MP, portrait, night, panorama, and Pro.

Redmi K20 Pro: Daylight shots

Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro thrives in daylight conditions. Images are bright and crisp. Unlike some other smartphones in this segment and even in budget segments, photos aren't oversaturated. The smartphone also captures great details when taking close-up shots. If you love macro photography, Redmi K20 Pro will not disappoint you.

Redmi K20 Pro: Lowlight performance

Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro takes decent indoor photos but it struggles a bit when it comes to capturing photos outdoors. There's a fair amount of noise and some photos came off little blurry. The dedicated Night Mode does help improve quality. That said, Redmi K20 Pro's lowlight performance isn't any better or worse than OnePlus 7 Pro. There's very little difference between the two phones when it comes low light shots.

Redmi K20 Pro: Using modes, lenses

Xiaomi's Redmi K20 Pro comes with the 48-megapixel rear camera. It's the same Sony IMX586 sensor. The phone, however, offers much better details than its budget counterpart. Another upgrade you will notice is how fast the 48-megapixel photos are processed. The mode itself is still at nascent stages and it's likely to improve with future generations of the phone. For instance, who'd not love to have an optical zoom with 48-megapixel sensors.

The AI and HDR mode are on par with what you get on other phones. The features bring auto optimisation of your shot which makes a lot of sense for casual mobile photography enthusiasts. HDR mode is also satisfactory.

Redmi K20 Pro is one of the rare phones that allows users to take photos using all three lenses separately. The feature is buried under the Pro mode. As expected, results come out very different when you take the same shot from each lens. The wide-angle is much better than a lot of phones we've seen in the budget and mid-range categories. The post-processing helps get rid of the fish-eye effect. Compared to premium phones, however, Redmi K20 Pro's wide-angle could have been much better. Speaking of the Pro mode, Xiaomi should work to bring more controls and flexibility for serious photographers.

Redmi K20 Pro misses out on OIS but it doesn't really make a difference if you're able to manage right frame and timing for shots.

Verdict

Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro has its own hits and misses. Good news is that it is still among the best in this price category, thanks to better ISP and image optimisation. Redmi K20 Pro is pitted against OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro. On most occasions, Redmi K20 Pro managed to match OnePlus 7's features and performance.