MediaTek unveiled the world’s first mobile chipset with an integrated 5G modem earlier this year. Though not as advanced as Qualcomm’s offering, the aptly named 5G chipset should start shipping to device partners later this year, with the first releases expected in early 2020, and reports already suggest the chipset might find its way into first to a Xiaomi smartphone – the Redmi K30.
While Xiaomi has yet to confirm the same, Redmi General Manager Lu Weibing already confirmed the Redmi K30 will be Redmi’s first device to support 5G connectivity. Details about the device are still largely unavailable, however, an image teaser releaser last month suggest the Redmi K30 will have an elongated dual hole-punch cutout.
Gizchina News of the week
Now, reports from China suggest the K30 might come equipped with a MediaTek SoC – specifically, the Mediatek 5G SoC. Previous reports suggest the device could come with Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 7250 chipset, which has dual-mode 5G support. However, it is likely the brand might opt for the 5G Mediatek SoC, given its recent romance with the Taiwanese chipmaker for the Helio G90T powered Redmi Note Pro.
While the Redmi K30 specs sheet remains a mystery at this point, the brand in an earlier presentation hinted that the device will come with dual 5G support. It will offer both SA (Standalone mode) and NSA (non-standalone) networking and is also backward compatible with 2G to 4G networks.
Redmi K30 launch date
If indeed the K30 and K30 Pro will come equipped with MediaTek’s 5G SoC, then we expect both devices should become official early next year, perhaps as the first devices to use the SoC from Mediatek.