Xiaomi’s POCO brand garnered a very strong fan following ever since the launch of its first phone, the Pocophone F1, back in August 2018. However, we haven’t really heard much about POCO in the past few months and there have been rumors floating around that Xiaomi could kill off this brand. Now, an IDC analyst reveals that scrapping the POCO lineup could be in the cards after the release of the affordable Redmi K series in India.

POCO had established a very unique segment in the smartphone industry. The POCO F1 featured the flagship Snapdragon 845 processor at a never before seen sub-$300 segment. However, this year, Redmi seems to be keen to take over this market segment with the launch of the new Redmi K20 series. Given that the K series also focuses on bringing the latest Snapdragon flagship processor to the affordable market, it could be said that the new lineup replaces POCO in its market segment.

“Poco was launched to give high-end chosen few specs at mid-range prices, with clear compromises on design language. It was launched as an upgrade option for large Xiaomi base without breaking bank required to buy a flagship phone. It saw a mixed response really,” said Navkendar Singh, research director at IDC India to The Economic Times.

“But now, with this aggressive pricing of K series by Xiaomi with its absolute flagship specs, hardware, and design, the reason for the existence of Poco as a brand is in doubt,” he added.

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Xiaomi stunned the smartphone industry when it launched the Pocophone F1 with flagship-grade specs but cheap pricing. This immediately drew some comparison with the OnePlus models which also affords buyers to lay their hands on flagship hardware at price tags that won’t tear a hole in their pockets. Some might argue that the OnePlus 6 model is far superior to the Poco F1 but then, that is disputable. Xiaomi may just have tested the waters with the F1 as there are clues that the Chinese company may likely introduce the Pocophone F2 within the next 6-8 months.

The clue is contained in a poster for Flipkart’s Big Billion Days deal for the Poco F1. The entire package offers the device Rs 21,999 for the 6GB + 64GB variant. But there are other perks attached including a Rs 1000 yuan flat discount and Rs 500 off as minimum exchange value. Flipkart also placed a 70% Buyback value of Rs 14,700 on the F1 when the buyer upgrades to a new Poco phone within 6-8 months. This is the clue as it puts the net cost of owning the F1 at just Rs 5,800 ($78). There’s a catch, though, as buyers will have to purchase Buyback Guarantee Policy for just Rs 149 while purchasing the phone.

Read Also: Confirmed: Pocophone F1 supports Quick Charge 4.0 and is splash resistant!

This deal offer doesn’t categorically state the Pocophone F2 will drop within the next 6-8 months. But then, who swaps an old phone for a new one of the same model? So, for Flipkart to roll out this program now, it is strongly possible that Xiaomi will be releasing the Poco F2 in half a year’s time. That would fall in the first half of 2019 which sounds just right. Xiaomi would wont to consolidate on the success of the F1 by releasing the F2 early next year. We can’t say for sure what will change in the design and specs of this year;’s version. We might like get a redesigned body and perhaps, Qualcomm’s latest 2019 chipset, Snapdragon 855.

(source)

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