Rumors of a new Xiaomi flagship smartphone have been abound for some time now, with an event announcement made nine days ago dropping further hints. Today, at an event in New Delhi streamed live on YouTube, the company has just taken the wraps off the Pocophone F1, a $300 smartphone that comes with top-of-the-line specs.
The Poco F1, as it is to be called in India comes with Xiaomi's custom flavor of Android Oreo, MIUI 9.6. More importantly, however, is the company's positioning of this device. Rewinding to 2014 would leave you in the vicinity of the announcement of the original "flagship killer" - the OnePlus One. Priced at $299 for flagship specs, the device was the talk of the town, boasting top-of-the-line specs at a completely unexpected price point.
That kind of value for money has been absent ever since, what with its successor in 2018, the OnePlus 6, being priced at a far more traditional (but reasonable, regardless) $529. It appears that Xiaomi now wishes to lay claim to that niche, with its offering. The Pocophone F1 comes accompanied by rather robust numbers.
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 + Adreno 630 GPU |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.18", 2246 x 1080 pixels (18.7:9), Gorillas Glass |
| Rear Cameras | 12MP f/1.9 + 5MP depth sensor, dual pixel PDAF, HDR, 4K video at 30fps |
| Front Camera | 20MP f/2.0 |
| Battery | 4,000mAh |
| Other | USB-C, headphone jack, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, stereo speakers, FM radio |
| Dimensions | 155.5 x 75.3 x 8.8mm, 180g |
The Pocophone F1 touts its 'LiquidCool' technology that aims to keep the device's thermals under control. It also comes with Qualcomm's QuickCharge 3.0 to top up the well-endowed battery when necessary. The device comes with stereo speakers - with the earpiece being the second output - and a headphone jack.
Moreover, the F1 comes with a mostly plastic build, which should be expected given its lower price point; let's leave the metal builds and glass sandwiches to the upper echelons. Said plastic comes in three colors - Graphite Black, Steel Blue and Rosso Red. There is, however, a special, "Armored" kevlar-backed edition of the device. The front of the device comes with minimal-bezels, unfortunately with the obligatory notch and a chin.
Of course, none of this matters if the pricing isn't competitive enough to go with it, and Xiaomi certainly doesn't wish to disappoint:
| Variant (RAM/Storage) | Price |
|---|---|
| 6GB / 64GB | INR20,999 ($300) |
| 6GB / 128GB | INR23,999 ($345) |
| 8GB / 256GB | INR28,999 ($415) |
| 8GB / 256GB (Armored Edition) | INR29,999 ($430) |
Sale of the device in India will commence on August 29. Global pricing and availability, however, will be announced on August 27 at simultaneous events in Hong Kong, Jakarta, and Paris. European pricing has slipped out via a Dutch retailer, with the device coming in at €399 for the 6GB/64GB model and €439 for the 6GB/128GB variant.
Source: GSMArena, Twitter (1), (2), (3) via Android Police
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