Established as a “small outfit within Xiaomi”, the Poco project is supervised by Jai Mani, a former Googler and Mi India’s Lead Product Manager for the past four years. But this is not an India-only operation, and globally, Alvin Tse, Xiaomi’s ex-head of sales, will be in charge of the Pocophone brand.
The handset that’s been prematurely revealed in Europe a good couple of weeks back under the Pocophone F1 name is now officially and properly announced in India as the Poco F1. Its mission is simple - deliver raw speed on par with the vast majority of high-end devices on the market today at a fraction of the price.
The new Xiaomi-backed “master of speed” aims to even take on inexpensive flagships like the OnePlus 6, purportedly scoring higher AnTuTu scores and sustaining said scores “consistently for a longer period of time.”
That’s made possible by Qualcomm’s cutting-edge Snapdragon 845 processor, as well as proprietary LiquidCool Technology capable of dissipating heat “300% faster than competition flagships.” Now that’s a cool feature, and figuratively speaking, the same goes for the hefty 4,000 mAh battery under the Poco F1’s hood, paired with Quick Charge 3.0 technology.
Instead of following the latest “premium” design trends, the Poco F1 does its own thing, adopting a hard-coated polycarbonate (read plastic) unibody construction billed as “seamless, sturdy and comfortable to hold on to.” Also, presumably cheaper to manufacture than an all-glass chassis.
But incredibly enough, a special “Armoured Edition” is coming soon too, boasting a Kevlar Aramid Fiber build that apparently “takes durability to a whole new level.” The Poco F1 Armoured Edition is also “5 times more expensive than glass”, making it Xiaomi’s “most premium smartphone yet.”
The 6.18-inch “edge-to-edge” FHD+ display does come with both a “trendy” notch and a fairly generous chin, but for what it’s worth, you can easily camouflage the iPhone X-inspired screen cutout right out the box.
The Poco F1 unsurprisingly ticks all the obligatory AI photography boxes of today, featuring a 12 + 5MP dual rear camera setup and single 20MP selfie shooter. Other impressive specs include up to 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage space, as well as lightning fast infrared face unlock capabilities, and top-shelf Dirac HD Sound technology.
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Of course, the truly impressive part is the new handset's pricing structure, starting at the rough equivalent of just $300 (Rs. 20,999) in a 6/64GB configuration. The 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant is set to cost 28,999 rupees, or $415, while the super-premium Armoured Edition will only fetch an extra Rs. 1,000 for a total of $430 or so. Just as expected, this makes the Poco F1 the most affordable Snapdragon 845 phone around.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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