Xiaomi has just presented its Redmi K60, K60 Pro and K60E, new mid-range smartphones that stand out for their great technical characteristics and very reasonable prices. Future hits for 2023?
Xiaomi continues to enrich its impressive catalog of smartphones by releasing new models at a steady pace throughout the year. To so much so that it is sometimes difficult to navigate, especially since the Chinese manufacturer has two “sub-brands”, Redmi and Poco, in addition to its models stamped Xiaomi. And that’s without counting on the fact that the names of the devices change from one country to another! Precisely, he has just announced his Redmi K60 series in China, which, as usual, will most certainly arrive in France in a few weeks or a few months under another name – probably Poco F5. Three models were presented: the Redmi K60, K60 Pro and K60E – the firm also took advantage of the event to unveil the Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed, the Redmi Watch 3 and the Redmi Band 2. And the least we can say is that these new “little” Xiaomi could well be among the best mid-range models of 2023, with impressive performance and technical data given the price: on the menu, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (for the K60 Pro), in-screen fingerprint sensor, XXL battery life and wireless charging. Just that !
Redmi K60 K60 Pro K60E: very well-equipped smartphones
The Redmi K60 Pro, Redmi K60 and Redmi K60E all have an OLED screen with a QHD+ definition (3,200 x 1,440 pixels), a theoretical brightness of 1,400 cd/m², a 120 Hz refresh rate and an output rate of 480 Hz touch sampling. The Redmi K60 and K60 Pro hide a fingerprint sensor integrated into the screen, while that of the K60E is located on the side. Where the new range of Xiaomi creates the surprise is at the level of its chip. Indeed, the K60 Pro incorporates the very recent Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, which we thought the Chinese manufacturer would keep for its high-end products, such as the Xiaomi 13. As a reminder, it has an eight-core processor, i.e. one core high performance clocked at 3.19 GHz, four secondary cores at 2.8 GHz and three efficient cores at 2.0 GHz. It also offers a performance boost of 35% according to Qualcomm and better energy efficiency of 40%. The K60 is “content” with the chip of the previous generation, namely the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, which is still a nice upgrade compared to the previous model. As for the Redmi K60E, it has a Mediatek Dimensity 8200 SoC – one wonders if this variant will make the trip to us. Finally, the new smartphones are entitled to Wi-Fi 6E, 5G and MIUI 14, the new version of its overlay for Android 13, which offers a serious performance boost as well as some interesting new functions for the screen. ‘welcome.
On the RAM side, the Redmi K60 and K60 Pro are available with 8, 12 or 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, while the K60E is available with 8 or 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. The three models have storage spaces that vary between 128, 256 and 512 GB. The new generation gains in autonomy, with a 5,000 mAh battery on the Redmi K60 Pro and 5,500 mAh on the Redmi K60 and Redmi K60E – note that if the Pro model has a smaller battery than the other two, its SoC is less energy-consuming. Compared to that of 4,500 mAh of the previous generation, the devices should therefore benefit from increased longevity. Another nice surprise compared to the Poco F4: the 30 W wireless charge for the K60 and the K60 Pro, which complements a wired charge of 67 W and 120 W respectively. The K60E must do without it, a necessary compromise to have a more affordable price.
Redmi K60 K60 Pro K60E: wise prices despite inflation
The photo part of the Redmi K60s does not bring anything revolutionary. The base model has three rear cameras, with a 67 megapixel (MP) main sensor, an 8 MP ultra wide-angle and a 2 MP macro lens. Ditto for the K60 Pro, except that the main Sony IMX800 sensor is 50 Mpx and is helped by optical and software stabilization. As for the K60E, its main sensor is only 48 Mpx. It is really on the point of the photo that the difference will be felt compared to a high-end smartphone. Finally, the Redmi K60 and K60 Pro have a 16 Mpx front camera for selfies, and 20 Mpx for the K60E.
If the Redmi K60 range is launched this December 27 on the Chinese market, it will be necessary to wait a little before seeing it arrive in France under the name of Poco F5 – perhaps at the MWC 2023 show which will be held in Barcelona on February 27? The Redmi K60 starts at 2,499 yuan (338 euros) for the 8 GB/128 GB version and stops at 3,599 yuan (486 euros) for the 16 GB/512 GB model. For its part, the K60 Pro is available starting at 3,299 yuan for the base 8GB/128GB model and up to 4,599 yuan (621 euros) for the 16GB/512G. Finally, the K60E goes from 2,199 yuan (297 euros) for the 8 GB/128 GB at 2,799 yuan (378 euros) for the 12 GB/512 GB. Of course, European prices will be higher, especially with inflation, but should still remain attractive given the power of smartphones .