Xiaomi has unveiled our new sub-brand POCO with the mission to deliver performance that matters. Prior to the unveil, we had a chat with Alvin Tse and Jai Mani, key members of the POCO team and spokespeople for the brand. They shared an inside look into their journey on POCO. Let’s dive deeper:

1.When did you decide to start this new brand? What is your ambition?

As a small outfit within Xiaomi, POCO has the freedom to start from scratch, zeroing in on the product choices that matter. For the first product, we got back to basics and focus entirely on speed. Not just peak performance speed, but actual, real world speed.

2.Why do you call your brand POCO? What does it mean?

POCO stands for “a little”—we believe in starting small but dreaming big. POCO sets out to deliver technologies that truly matter. This is why POCO has built a smartphone that delivers unbelievable performance, which we believe will resonate with tech enthusiasts and develop a strong following amongst them.

3.Why not just launch the POCO F1 as a new Xiaomi flagship. Why create a new brand?

POCO F1 has a different positioning from Xiaomi’s Mi devices. While Xiaomi’s Mi series consists of  all-rounded flagship smartphones that set industry standards, POCO zeroes in on perfecting one aspect that truly matters, providing a user experience that is set to get tech enthusiasts super excited,  while maintaining an extreme bang for the buck proposition.

At the same time, we are entirely open about being part of Xiaomi. You can even see on the device that it’s POCO by Xiaomi.

4.I saw on your product that POCO by Xiaomi. What does it mean?

It means that we are sharing Xiaomi’s supply chain and service infrastructure with us while we oversee the sales, marketing and product development.

With some of those sub-brands from other smartphone vendors, a slightly tweaked product can be given a name change and appear in both the parent and sub-brands’ lineups. With POCO F1, this phone is completely different and not available in the Xiaomi lineup.

But we do get resources and support from Xiaomi. We share their supply chain and service infrastructure which includes logistics, after-sales, customer support and quality testing.

5.The smartphone market has already been very saturated. Why have you decided to launch this brand now? Who are your target consumers?

POCO understands the core elements of a great smartphone experience and focuses on providing exactly that. We think this is what users want, instead of abundant features that aren’t crucial  and in fact add to costs. So POCO delivers a fluid, speedy and flagship experience at an irresistible price tag. Our devices offer the ultimate performance with no frills.

6.Why should people buy POCO instead of other already well-known products?

POCO F1 speaks for itself as soon as you look at its specs. You can draw a parallel to a Superbike — it’s all about sustained raw performance. We weren’t satisfied with just Snapdragon 845 as we want the phone to run very fast all day long so we added LiquidCool technology to achieve that. Face Unlock is all good but we also wanted it to unlock securely under low light conditions so we added IR. Our rear dual camera setup with 1.4um on primary camera comes with Dual pixel autofocus that further gives superfast autofocusing in any condition. And we insisted on giving this powerful engine a 4000mAh such that it could last a full day despite running at such high speed. You can see that we have pretty much not held back on anything that could add to its performance. And in addition, the price to spec ratio is jaw dropping!

7.Is the focus of your brand on speed?

I wouldn’t say so – the focus for us is on delivering a phone that goes back to basics and in the case of POCO F1 it’s all about speed. The focus of our devices is to get tech enthusiasts really excited while delivering an extreme bang for the buck proposition.

8.When will you launch your second product? Any specific plan you can share?

We have some exciting ideas but it’s too early to share at this stage. Give us time, we just launched POCO F1!

9.Do you think you can replicate the success of Xiaomi?

It’s not our intention to replicate the success of Xiaomi. We are focused on our own mission, delivering technologies that truly matter.

POCO F1 sets a new benchmark in the smartphone industry by redefining flagship performance, while maintaining an honest pricing

NEW DELHI, INDIA, 22 August 2018—POCO, a new sub-brand from global technology leader Xiaomi, made its debut today with a mission to deliver performance that truly matters. Created by a highly-experienced team within Xiaomi, POCO seeks to redefine the smartphone experience by offering the ultimate performance with no frills.

The brand’s mission is encapsulated in its very first smartphone unveiled today, POCO F1, which offers an unbelievably fluid and powerful experience like no other. It features the flagship Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 platform, the industry-leading LiquidCool Technology cooling system, up to 8GB RAM and 256GB UFS 2.1 storage and a long-lasting 4000mAh battery.

Jai Mani, Head of Product, POCO Global, said: “POCO stands for ‘a little’—we believe in starting small but dreaming big. As a small outfit within Xiaomi, POCO has the freedom to start from scratch, zeroing in on the product choices and technologies that matter. This is why we have created a smartphone that delivers unbelievable performance, focusing on the core innovations that truly matter, which we believe will resonate with tech enthusiasts.

The new powerhouse will be available at an irresistible price tag, echoing Xiaomi’s mission to make amazing products available to everyone at honest pricing. It will hit the shelves in India on 29 August starting at INR 20,999, and roll out around the world gradually.

POCO F1, Master of Speed

POCO F1 is a dream come true for power users, who can enjoy gaming at high frame rates and use intensive applications without worrying about slowdowns resulting from overheating. This is thanks to the powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 SoC paired with the highly efficient LiquidCool Technology cooling system, enabling it to deliver sustained peak performance for extended periods. Internal testing shows that this system is 300% more effective than conventional, non-liquid cooling solutions as it allows heat from the CPU to dissipate quickly.

Moreover, POCO F1 features a 4000mAh battery that can sustain 8 hours of non-stop gaming. Coupled with up to 8GB LPDDR4x DRAM and super fast 256GB UFS 2.1 storage, POCO F1 easily achieves an AnTuTu score that exceeds 290,000.

AI dual camera and 20MP front camera for uncompromised photography

POCO F1 churns out gorgeous images with its AI dual camera consisting of a 12MP Sony IMX363 primary sensor with Dual Pixel Autofocus, together delivering amazing photos even in low light and backlit scenarios.

On the front, POCO F1 deploys a 20MP sensor featuring Super Pixel technology that combines the information of four pixels into one large 1.8µm pixel for clearer images with less noise. Both the rear and front cameras are supported by AI features for photos, such as AI Portrait, AI Beautify, and AI Scene Detection.

POCO F1 also comes with an infrared illuminator and infrared camera on the front, allowing the AI face unlock feature to securely unlock the device both in pitch-dark conditions as well as in bright daylight.

MIUI for POCO

To fully unleash the performance beast, MIUI has been deeply customized on POCO F1 for a lighter, faster, and smoother experience.

Introducing a system optimization feature called “turbocharged engine”, POCO F1 delivers faster app startups, faster gaming performance, as well as a faster swiping experience due to enhancements in the screen response and animation frame rate.

With a new POCO Launcher, POCO F1 comes with an app drawer that can automatically categorize apps, helping users finds apps easily. In India, MIUI for POCO incorporates taxi, music, and video streaming services for an even more robust user experience.

Based on Android 8.1 Oreo, MIUI for POCO also prioritizes security with regular patches and updates from Google. It will receive the Android P update in the near future.

Armoured Edition with DuPont™ Kevlar®

At the event, POCO F1 Armoured Edition with a back panel made of DuPont™ Kevlar® also made its debut. The super-tough, heat-resistant material is widely used in the aviation industry, the military, and high-end cycling. Its textured surface gives POCO F1 a unique appearance and provides a comfortable grip.

POCO F1 is also available with polycarbonate backs in Graphite Black, Steel Blue, and Rosso Red. POCO F1 will retail at INR 20,999, INR 23,999, and INR 28,999 for the 6GB+64GB, 6GB+128GB, and 8GB+256GB respectively. The Armoured Edition comes in a single
8GB+256GB configuration and will retail at INR 29,999.

(Google, Android 8.1 Oreo, Android Pie are trademarks of Google LLC.)

Download product images here: POCO F1