Lu Weibing says IP53 for the Redmi K30 Pro is sufficient - social media users disagree and persuade him to consider IP68 for future Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones

The Redmi K30 Pro smartphone is packed with features but the flagship-killer “only” comes with an IP53 rating. This means users don’t need to worry too much about light rainfall or lying on the beach while using their K30 Pro. However, it appears many Redmi fans would have preferred a bit more protection for a device that starts at 2,999 yuan (US$425) and certainly want it for flagships that cost way beyond that amount.

Xiaomi executive Lu Weibing seems very satisfied with the IP53 rating for the Redmi K30 Pro though, taking to Weibo to announce “Redmi K30 Pro supports IP53, which is enough to cope with splash-proof life! I don’t think IP68 is needed” (machine translated from Chinese). This statement caused something of a commotion, as the post now has well over 3,000 comments attached to it at the time of writing.

It seems many would prefer the IP68 rating, which offers much better protection against water and dust ingress than IP53. While some opined that IP53 is sufficient and owners of devices like the Redmi K30 Pro should simply just avoid using it near water or in rainstorms, others argued that IP68 should be utilized to offer users more protection against water or dust-related incidents.  

Cost definitely seemed like an important factor in the discussion, with some suggesting that Xiaomi or Redmi smartphones that cost more than 4,000 yuan (US$569), like the 12 GB + 512 GB variant of the Redmi K30 Pro Zoom Edition, should be offered with an IP68 rating. Clearly the views of his followers influenced Weibing, who shortly after declared that “since everyone likes IP68 so much, we will also consider the future products” (machine translated from Chinese).