Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro: An affordable premium phone that exceeds expectations

Chinese technology company Xiaomi has so far had an eventful journey in India. In the five years since it launched its first product (smartphone) in the country, it has built for itself the reputation of being a brand for the price-conscious consumer. However, Xiaomi has now shown an intent to expand in other price categories while remaining strong in the budget and affordable smartphone segments. The company launched in India its premium offering, the Redmi K20 Pro, soon after the product was unveiled in China.

Business Standard takes a look at the ambitious product and assesses how it fares on key metrics:

Design

The Redmi K20 Pro does look quite different from other Redmi-branded phones. It has a premium glass-metal sandwich design with a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on front and back. The phone has a glacier-inspired (blue-colour edition that we reviewed) arc-shaped gradient reflective design on the back which looks mesmerising and distinctly different from any other iteration of gradient reflective design. On the front, the phone has an obstruction-free profile with no cut-out area for notch or punch-hole. Overall, Xiaomi has done a great job in keeping the phone’s design minimal yet functional. The phone looks modern and has a dazzling design. It fits perfectly in your hand and feels comfortable to hold and operate with its compact and lightweight build.

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How to remove advertisements, irksome app notifications from Xiaomi MIUI 10

Chinese technology company Xiaomi makes money from its smartphones in various ways. One of them is monetization of its MIUI 10, the default user interface that comes loaded on most Xiaomi smartphones. The MIUI 10 is a customised skin layered on top of Android operating system. It comes pre-installed with several company apps, including Mi Video, Mi Music and Mi File Manager, and some bloatware that randomly shows irrelevant advertisements and pushes irksome notifications. While the company justifies making money from advertisements and bloatware, its smartphone users and technology enthusiasts have repeatedly criticised these for ruining user experience.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to remove advertisements and stop notifications from built-in apps in MIUI 10:

How to remove ads from MIUI 10 on Xiaomi smartphones

Step 1: Connect the phone to internet using WiFi or network service

Step 2: Go to the phone’s settings and click on additional settings

Step 3: Search for the Authorization and Revocation option and click on it

Step 4: Look for ‘msa’ service in the Authorization and Revocation option and disable it

Step 5: Once the ‘msa’ service is disabled, go to the phone’s settings => Additional Settings => Privacy => Ad services => Personalised ad recommendations, and disable it.

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Mi 5th anniversary sale: Discount on Xiaomi phones, TVs and other products

Chinese technology company Xiaomi is hosting a sale to celebrate the fifth year of doing business in India. Dubbed the Mi fifth anniversary sale, the three-day discount festival started on July 23 at 12 am and will continue until 11:59 PM on July 25. The sale is currently active on the Mi online store, partner e-commerce platforms and offline stores, including Mi Homes and Mi Stores. As part of the sale, the company is providing discountsand other offers on several products, including smartphones, televisions and ecosystem products. Here is a look at the best offers:

Smartphones

Redmi 7: The company’s budget offering is available with a discount of Rs 2,500 on 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage variant. This brings down the phone’s effective cost to Rs 7,499.Redmi Note 7S: The most affordable smartphone with a 48-megapixel camera is getting a discount of Rs 2,000. It is now available at Rs 9,999 and Rs 11,999 for 3GB RAM/32GB storage and 4GB RAM/64GB storage variants, respectively.

Redmi Y3: This selfie-centric smartphone is available at a discount of Rs 3,000. The 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB variants are being sold for Rs 8,999 and Rs 10,999, respectively.