The K-r introduces a new SAFOX IX autofocus system and has a 3-inch display.

The image quality of Pentax K-r and K-x is identical,[3][4] but colour fidelity in JPEG output has been increased.

[5] The K-r has been improved over the K-x in other areas, such as the K-r showing the active focus point in the viewfinder when the shutter button is half-pressed, the K-r offering the joint second-widest ISO range in the Pentax line-up along with K-30—100-25600 in extended mode, which only the K-5 exceeds (K-x: 12800 in extended mode), having the joint second-fastest continuous shooting (6.0 fps) of current Pentax DSLRs (same as the K-30), and using rechargeable battery Li-Ion D-LI109 as standard, but having the ability to use 4 × AA batteries with optional battery holder (the K-x uses AA batteries exclusively).

[3] The K-r also has a slightly larger, and much higher resolving display at 921,000 pixels vs. the K-x's 230,000.

In contrast to its predecessor, the Pentax K-r offers the option to auto-align the images.