Getting a 5G-enabled phone right now is likely to cost you an arm and a leg, given the tech’s exclusivity to premium models. That’s set to change as Xiaomis of the world are leveraging the recently announced Snapdragon 765 series to bring 5G connectivity to cheaper handsets. Following its last week’s teaser, Xiaomi today announced the Redmi K30 5G in its home market for under $300 along with a 4G variant that’s even cheaper.
Barring their processors, the two Redmi K30 variants have a lot on common. Both have a 120Hz 6.67-inch FHD+ display in the 20:9 aspect ratio, which supports HDR 10 and has Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The screen is hole punched to accommodate a pair of cameras, while the rear setup includes four sensors. You can configure both variants with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. A 4500mAh battery powers the models, and can fully juice up in 68 minutes.
Xiaomi has used the gaming-focused Snapdragon 730G processor for the Redmi K30 4G, which came out earlier this year to meet the growing appetite for gaming phones. Similar is the case with the 5G model that uses the Snapdragon 765G — a slightly faster variant of the 765. The 5G-enabled chip comes with the Snapdragon X52 modem to deliver gigabit-class mobile internet speeds.
Check out the full spec sheet of the two Redmi K30 devices below:
SPECS
|
Processor |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G (Redmi K30)/Snapdragon 765G (Redmi K30 5G) |
|
OS |
Android 10-based MIUI 11 |
|
RAM |
6/8GB |
|
Storage |
64/128/256GB UFS 2.1 |
|
Display |
6.67" LCD (2400x1080), 120Hz, HDR 10 |
|
Battery |
4500mAh, 27W charging (Redmi K30) or 30W charging (Redmi K30 5G) |
|
Cameras (front) |
20MP, 78-degree FoV + 2MP, 83-degree FoV (for portrait blur) |
|
Cameras (rear) |
64MP, f/1.89, 79.8-degree FoV + 8MP ultra wide-angle lens, f/2.2, 120-degree FoV + 5MP super macro lens, f/2.4, 83-degree FoV + 2MP portrait depth of field lens, f/2.4, 83-degree FoV |
|
Connectivity |
5G (Redmi K30 5G), 4G LTE with VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.1, dual-band Wi-Fi |
|
Dimensions |
76.6 x 165.3 x 8.79mm, 208g |
|
Memory card |
Supported up to 512GB |
|
Ports |
USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack |
Those in China can grab the Redmi K30 4G at a starting price of 1599 yuan ($227). The Redmi K30 5G, on the other hand, will go on sale in January at 1999 yuan ($284) for its base variant, while the 8GB+256GB configuration will set you back 2899 yuan ($412).
We’re not quite sure when the two phones will make their international debut, but if Xiaomi’s release pattern is anything go by, they will launch first in some parts of South Asia and Europe. The Chinese brand is separately working on a flagship phone with 5G capabilities using the Snapdragon 865 processor, as outlined in the same teaser released last week.