Xiaomi Pocophone Poco F1 will be Flipkart exclusive, indicate teasers on the e-commerce site.
Xiaomi’s upcoming sub-brand Pocophone will launch its Poco F1 device in India on August 22. Now it looks like the Poco F1 will be Flipkart exclusive. Flipkart’s mobile app is showing a banner for the Poco F1, though it does not specifically mention the device. However, given the similarity in the promotional material of the Poco F1 and the banner on Flipkart, its safe to assume this will launch on the e-commerce platform.
For those who are not aware, Pocophone will be a sub-brand of Xiaomi, and Poco F1 will be the first flagship phone. Poco is focusing on speed and performance when it comes to the device. Pocophone has hinted that the phone will come with the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, and a leaked unboxing video has also hinted at something similar.
According to leaks, Poco F1 will have a 6.1-inch FHD+ display, 6GB or 8GB RAM coupled with 64GB or 128GB or 256GB storage space. It will support a dual-rear camera as well with 12MP+5MP combination, a 20MP front camera and a big 4000 mAh battery.
Another interesting feature of the Poco F1 could be a liquid cooling system. It remains to be seen if Xiaomi’s sub-brand Pocophone will pitch this as a gaming-centric phone in the market. The expectation is that the price could be above Rs 30,000, which will put this in competition with phones like OnePlus 6, Huawei Nova 3, Asus Zenfone 5Z, etc.
Poco F1 will compete is the mid-premium segment, a space where Xiaomi has not done well in India. Xiaomi is known more for its budget smartphones like the Redmi series, which continue to drive volumes, while devices like Mi 5, Mi Mix 2 etc have not exactly been the biggest hits.
In the premium segment, OnePlus 6 is dominating in India ahead of players like Samsung and Apple, according to the most recent data shared by research firm Counterpoint. Another firm IDC put OnePlus at the number two spot in the $500 and above smartphone market, which is above Apple but below Samsung.
With Xiaomi entering the segment with Poco F1, we will have to wait and see whether it will successfully challenge brands like OnePlus and Samsung in this price band.