Pocophone brand is Xiaomi's answer to OnePlus, Samsung in premium segment

Poco, the newly announced sub-brand of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, is gearing up to make its India debut soon with the launch of a smartphone, likely to be named the Pocophone F1. The Poco brand is expected to add a touch of premium to the portfolio of parent Xiaomi, known mostly for its budget and midrange smartphones.

In a recent media interaction, Xiaomi India Managing Director Manu Kumar Jain said that the company had been working on a premium smartphone, which would not be from the company’s existing portfolio but a new offering designed specifically for Indian consumers. The phone is said to have premium looks, features and specifications. However, as informed by Jain, it will be a device for masses, and therefore, a reasonable price tag.

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Jai Mani, head of products at Xiaomi, and the mind behind Poco, recently posted a tweet detailing information about the new brand. According to Mani, Poco is a project initiated with support from the Xiaomi team to make powerful smartphones. It is a small outfit that will create premium products and use Xiaomi’s resources such as supply chain, operations and service infrastructure to deliver the final products.

He added, “the pace of innovation in smartphone industry has slowed down, while prices are creeping up with flagship smartphones now past the $1000 mark. We set out to build something to buck this trend.”