Xiaomi has launched the Redmi K70 series of triple Android smartphones. But in recent years, the company has announced some very strange collaborations.
Redmi took the opportunity to announce a partnership between the company and supercar brand Lamborghini. The end result is the (petrol) Redmi K70 Pro Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse.
Failed partnership?
While Lamborghini makes multimillion-dollar supercars, Redmi is a budget smartphone maker, and it's a messy business. So it's hard to remain serious when Lamborghini's motorsport boss says Redmi has the same goal, the same vision and the same DNA.
It's fair to say that car-specific phones are more desirable than anything else. This means that at least some people buy a phone with a car's name on it because they are fans of the car company but can't afford the car at all. You also have to assume that some people buying car brand equipment are car owners and want everything associated with that brand.
However, Redmi has always been a values-oriented brand, even within the Xiaomi family. For Lamborghini, which has long been a premium player, it makes more sense to partner with the flagship brand Xiaomi. Redmi's value positioning will initially conflict with Lamborghini's multimillion-dollar supercar brand.
I can also name a few other suitable partners for the Lambo cell phone outside of Xiaomi, such as Samsung, Sony and Huawei. Of course, Lamborghini's partnership with smartphones seemed more appropriate. The company has previously partnered with OPPO to launch special editions of its flagship phones OPPO Find X and OPPO Find X2 Pro.
However, this is not the first time Redmi has been associated with a car brand. Previously, the company released a special version of the Redmi K50 phone in collaboration with the Mercedes F1 team. There was a collaboration with a Formula 1 team, but overall the Mercedes partnership still seems like a better fit than the Lamborghini deal.
However, automotive smartphone partnerships are not just about bringing together similar brands. These connections are often aimed at facilitating performance and highlighting a certain aesthetic. The device looks like a supercar in smartphone form, but when you look under the hood, it looks similar to the top-end K70 Pro.
Features and prices of Lamborghini phones
The Redmi K70 Pro Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse offers 24GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage. The phone has an unusual design with a beveled back panel in green or yellow. In fact , Android Authority's Amir Siddiqui made a clear comparison with phones from struggling luxury brand Vertu.
What do you think about the Redmi and Lamborghini deal?
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Redmi K70 Pro Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse is similar to K70 Pro. This means a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, a 5,000mAh battery with 120W charging, and a 6.67-inch QHD+ OLED display. You'll also find a fairly versatile triple rear camera setup here, which includes a 50MP f/1.6 main camera (LYT-800, 1/1.55-inch, OIS), two 50MP portrait cameras, and an ultra-light lens. Width 12 MP.
The standard Redmi K70 Pro is available in China for CNY 3,299 (~$466), rising to CNY 4,399 (~$621) for the 24GB/1TB model. Redmi Lamborghini has not disclosed the price of the model. Of course, you'll have to pay over $621 for the difference.
