Redmi K20/K20 Pro Are Overpriced: Are They A Big Disappointment? (Opinion On Pricing Strategy)

The much-awaited Redmi K20 series finally launched in the country after a long wait, and many aren’t happy with the prices. Launched at a very budget pricing in China, the K20 smartphones in India cost around 2,000 or 3,000 rupees more.

The regular Redmi K20 starts at Rs 21,999 and the top model, the Redmi K20 Pro starts at Rs 27,999.

The former was launched in China at around Rs 20,000 (converted), while Redmi K20 Pro starts at around Rs 25,000 (converted). The big differential with the price in India turned out to be a big disappointment for many.

Xiaomi has a big fan base in the country, and most were eagerly waiting for the K20 series in India since the initial launch in May.

Redmi K20 Smartphones Are Overpriced: Expectations vs Reality

Xiaomi is known to bring in products at a very aggressively priced categories. Be it their last Redmi Note 7 series or any other smartphone, the company has always been the frontrunner when it comes to offering quality devices at a very budget-friendly pricing.

Now coming to what went wrong with K20 series, it’s actually when we expect a lot from some company.

We did have reason to expect. The Poco F1 is the perfect example. A Snapdragon 845 premium smartphone starting at Rs 17,999. Who could do it in India other than Xiaomi? Even their latest Redmi Note 7 series also came at a very aggressive pricing, letting us to think that they will again do it with Redmi K20 series.

Redmi K20 Series Pricing In India: What Went Wrong?

After the launch, most are unhappy with the increased prices in the country. The smartphones in India cost around 2,000 or 3,000 rupees more. Many were expecting it to be the same as the China pricing, or a bit pricier given the excise and custom costs.

But the regular Redmi K20 has been launched starting at Rs 21,999 and the top model, the Redmi K20 Pro starting at Rs 27,999.

While in China, Redmi K20 was launched at around Rs 20,000 (converted), while Redmi K20 Pro starts at around Rs 25,000 (converted). The big differential with the price in India turned out to be a big disappointment for many.

Will Higher Prices Of Redmi K20 Series Affect Its Sales?

It will. Xiaomi can go wrong with their pricing, and it has previously faced a lot of criticism for it. For example Xiaomi Mi A2. The second-generation Mi A series smartphone was launched in the country starting at Rs 16,999. And what happened next?

The sales got badly affected. Mi A2 couldn’t match the success of its very popular predecessor, Mi A1.

Now Mi A2 is selling at Rs 9,999, down from Rs 16,999. A big 7,000 difference over a period of three quarters.

While Redmi K20 Pro is still cheaper than the other entity premium flagships as Asus 6Z or OnePlus 7, it’s not at par with other great Xiaomi devices. Already a hashtag #Refund855 is trending on Twitter, asking Xiaomi to refund the 855 rupees it took as a pre-booking amount at the Alpha Sale.

Realme CEO Madhav Sheth too took a dig at Xiaomi for launching Redmi K20 series at a higher price. He urged Xiaomi fans not to be disappointed, and buy their newly launched Realme X smartphone with the refund of Rs 855 at Flipkart.

Xiaomi is yet to comment on it, while we don’t know whether the prices will see any drop soon. The K20 smartphones will definitely get cheaper with time, all we need to see is how early.