Xiaomi is one of the most well-known Android device makers around, but this week they've confirmed that they're launching a new Android brand.
POCO is a new smartphone brand from Xiaomi. According to a letter from Jai Mani, POCO's Head of Product, the Xiaomi sub-brand aims to offer a powerful smartphone that's also affordable:
Many of you have been wondering what POCO is really about. Here's our answer from @jaimani....#GoPOCO pic.twitter.com/f7CadsK68e
— POCOPHONE Global (@GlobalPocophone) August 10, 2018
The Xiaomi sub-brand hasn't made any announcements about what that first product will be, but the rumor mill has churned out a few leaks that've revealed the device ahead of time. Reportedly called the Pocophone F1, the device has been shown in leaked photos and a 9-minute long unboxing video.
Like many other recent Android phones, the Pocophone F1 has a notch at the top of its display and a chin at the bottom, as well as a dual rear camera setup and a rear fingerprint reader. Spec leaks have tipped the Pocophone F1 as having a Snapdragon 845 processor, a liquid cooling system, dual rear cameras, a 20MP front-facing camera, and a 4000mAh battery. It's also allegedly equipped with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
It's rumored that the Pocophone F1 could launch in Europe in mid-September and then in India in early October. There's no word on any other launches or pricing, but considering POCO's statement, expect the Pocophone F1 to be priced aggressively.
Based on these leaks, the Pocophone F1 doesn't seem like anything crazy different from what we've seen from some other Android makers lately. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though, as it's nice to see high-end Android phones with aggressive pricing for folks that can't or don't want to pony up $1,000 for a phone. Here's to hoping that we get an official Pocophone F1 announcement soon so we can learn more about what makes it tick and try it for ourselves.
