Xiaomi Redmi K20 and K20 Pro will not show Ads in MIUI, company explains reason for high price

Xiaomi is known for its range of budget friendly smartphones, and one of the ways the company has been able to achieve this is through it's Ad-supported monetization system. Xiaomi's system Apps do come with Ads and this business model has always been met with a whole lot of criticism. 

Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi K20 and the Redmi K20 Pro in India and the company has decided to drop all system App Ad-support in MIUI on both models. At the launch event in New Delhi, Xiaomi's India Head of Marketing Anuj Sharm said,

“For a premium series, like the [Redmi] K-series that we are launching today, we are kind of looking at a different model here where these will not have ad-supported monetization,”.

After the launch event, Xiaomi fans in India expressed their disappointment at how high the prices of the K20 series smartphones are in India. Xiaomi’s MD India and Global VP, Manu Kumar Jain, wrote an open letter to clarify the issue and justify the prices of the K20 and the K20 Pro smartphones.

According to him he said the Redmi K20 Pro is a true flagship smartphone running on Qualcomm's latest premium chipset which is the Snapdragon 855. It is currently the fastest processor from Qualcomm and 45% faster than it's predecessor. He further explained that  the Redmi K20 Pro comes with specifications that are only available in flagship phones above Rs 40,000-50,000.

Both the the Redmi K20 and the Redmi K20 Pro features an Amoled FHD+ display with a 7th generation under-display fingerprint reader as well as a pop-up camera. Both phones also have premium build design with glass front and back separated by a metal middle frame.

The Redmi K20 is available in India at Rs 21,999 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB storage variant, while the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model is priced at Rs 23,999. The K20 Pro is available in two storage options which are 6GB + 128GB and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage. 

The 6GB RAM + 128GB storage version of the Redmi K20 Pro cost Rs 27,999, while the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant is priced at Rs 30,999. 

Both phones are available at Mi Home stores, Flipkart and Mi.com. You will be able to purchase the two devices starting from July 22 at 12:00PM.