Today, Chinese sources have found a reference to an unknown Xiaomi smartphone in the source code of the new version of MIUI 12. This smartphone is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 series SoC. It is believed that this is the youngest version of the new Redmi K40 line.
The SoC has model number Qualcomm Snapdragon SM7350 and is the successor to Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G. It will be used in sub-flagships and mid-range smartphones.
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 7 Series platform is expected to be the main competitor to the 5nm Exynos 1080 platform with built-in 5G modem and Mediatek MT6893 SoC. The prototype based on this platform scored more than 530,000 points in AnTuTu; which means that it will be faster than the Snapdragon 765G; but still will not reach the Snapdragon 865, the result of which exceeds 600,000 points.
Considering that the Redmi K30 5G launched in late 2019 was built around the Snapdragon 765G SoC, the new Qualcomm Snapdragon SM7350 platform is expected to debut in the Redmi K40, while the Redmi K40 Pro will be powered by the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC.
Details about the Redmi K40 are kept secret for now. Earlier, Redmi CEO Lu Weibing announced that Redmi will be one of the first companies to launch smartphones based on the Snapdragon 888 SoC. The Snapdragon SM7350-based Redmi K40 is expected to be presented alongside the Redmi K40 Pro.
Redmi flagship to pack the Snapdragon 888, probably the Redmi K40 Pro
After many months of speculation, Qualcomm finally has taken the wraps off its next flagship chipset dubbed Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. The new flagship brings cutting-edge advancements and is based on a 5nm process. Shortly after the announcement, many smartphone makers started to tease their 2021 flagships sporting the new chipset. During the event, Lei Jun made a speech stating that Xiaomi Mi 11 will be one of the first smartphones coming with the SD888. Shortly after the event, Xiaomi posted a teaser affirming that the Mi 11 “will be the first flagship with Snapdragon 888”. Today, Redmi Manager, Lu Weibing, followed announcing that Redmi will also be among the first batch of flagships coming with the aforementioned chipset.
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Unlike Xiaomi that explicitly mentions the Xiaomi Mi 11 series, Redmi didn’t reveal the smartphone that will feature this new chipset nor the launch date. However, we don’t need to learn space engineering to know that this probably refers to the Redmi K40 Pro. Redmi established its name as an independent brand with the release of its flagship killer Redmi K series. The company unveiled its Redmi K30 series one year ago; and followed with the launch of the Redmi K30 Pro with the Snapdragon 865 a couple of months later. Now, we believe that the company is working on the Redmi K40 Pro which will also sit as a cost-effective flagship smartphone.
Redmi K40 Pro will stick with a pop-up camera
According to rumors, the Redmi K40 Pro will not be much different from its predecessor the K30 Pro. It will keep the bezel-less display design thanks to the pop-up camera mechanism. Most companies have left this design in 2020 in favor of the Punch-Hole selfie. While the next year may bring more in-display selfie smartphones; Redmi will stick with a design that proved to be successful. One year and several months have passed since the launch of the Redmi K20 Pro; and we haven’t heard about problems with the pop-up selfie. So the mechanism behind this pop-up camera seems to be reliable. We expect significant improvements in the camera department like a 108MP shooter. The device’s battery may be above 4,500mAh and it should come with fast-charging capabilities greater than 33W.
The Redmi K30 Pro arrived in March 2020; so we won’t be surprised to see the Redmi K40 Pro coming in the same month as its predecessor. After all, we don’t expect the Redmi flagship to come before the Mi 11 series.
