Redmi K30 Pro series announced: Snapdragon 865, 8K recording for under $450

The Redmi K20 Pro was arguably one of the best flagship phones of 2019, offering a pop-up selfie camera, flagship power, and a more affordable price. Thankfully, the Redmi K30 Pro and K30 Pro Zoom Edition have finally launched to pick up where the K20 Pro left off.

For starters, Redmi previously confirmed that the K30 Pro will offer a pop-up selfie camera too, complete with an LED light around the housing. This pop-up camera means you’ve got a full-screen display here, free of punch-holes or notches.

The Redmi K30 Pro’s full-screen display is a 6.67-inch OLED panel (FHD+), but it tops out at 60Hz compared to 120Hz seen on the standard Redmi K30. So fans of high refresh rate displays might need to look at the Galaxy S20 series, Redmi K30 or the realme X50 Pro 5G.

Interestingly enough, Redmi has confirmed that the K30 Pro and Zoom Edition have an IP53 rating for splash resistance. This is to be expected for many flagship phones, but devices with pop-up selfie cameras are tougher to seal against water.

Redmi K30 Pro ticking boxes

The new devices pack plenty of power too, featuring a Snapdragon 865 processor and 5G capabilities (SA/NSA). Redmi also confirmed that while the 6GB/128GB variant has LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 3.0 storage, other variants offer faster LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

Switching to the camera field, the Redmi K30 Pro packs a quad rear camera setup. You’re getting a 64MP IMX686 main camera capable of 8K recording, a 13MP ultra-wide shooter (123 degrees), 2MP depth sensor, and 5MP “telephoto macro” lens. Meanwhile, a 20MP pop-up shooter handles selfies.

The camera field is also where we see the only real difference between the K30 Pro and the Zoom variant. The Zoom model also offers a 64MP IMX686 main camera, 13MP ultra-wide sensor, and 2MP depth camera, but swaps out the 5MP camera for an 8MP 3x telephoto shooter. But the Zoom edition also delivers optical image stabilization on both the main and telephoto cameras, whereas the standard variant doesn’t offer this option.

Redmi’s latest phones are no slouch when it comes to endurance on paper, packing a 4,700mAh battery. And you can also expect 33W wired charging, delivering 100% juice in 63 minutes. There’s no wireless charging here, but that’s generally par for the course when it comes to many affordable flagships.

Other notable Redmi K30 Pro series specs include a 3.5mm port (yes!), an in-display fingerprint sensor by Goodix, a linear motor for improved haptic feedback, NFC, and MIUI 11 atop Android 10.

The Redmi K30 Pro starts at 2,999 yuan (~$424) for the 6GB/128GB model, 3,399 yuan (~$480) for the 8GB/128GB variant, and 3,699 yuan (~$523) for the 8GB/256GB option. Need that telephoto camera? Then the Zoom Edition will set you back 3,799 yuan (~$537) for the 8GB/128GB variant, and 3,999 yuan (~$565) for the 8GB/256GB tier.

By comparison, the K20 Pro launched at 2,599 yuan (~$367) for the 6GB/128GB model, all the way up to 2,999 yuan (~$424) for the 8GB/256GB variant. Do you think the extra features are worth the asking price over the K20 Pro?