Xiaomi’s Poco series, designed to provide high-end specifications at mid-range prices, is a fan favorite, especially in India. However, as Redmi recently released the K20 which offers an even better package for the same price, Poco’s future seems to be in jeopardy.
On top of this, Jai Mani, the top executive at Xiaomi India, responsible for the year-old Poco, has left Xiaomi leading to more doubts and speculations about the Poco series.
According to sources, Manu Jain, Xiaomi India’s head and international vice president, was non-committal on Poco’s future. In an interview, Jain said he had no answer for any questions related to Pocophone. He also said,
Whether the products are coming in brands or series… of course, we are working on something but what are those products and when will they come, we will not be able to share those details.
Navkendar Singh, research director at IDC India, said
Poco was launched to give high-end chosen few specs at mid-range prices, with clear compromises on design language, 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.
On the other hand, a spokesperson for India’s smartphone market leader, said, “For Poco, nothing changes because of an executive leaving and work will go on as planned”.
Even though we are getting mixed signals from Xiaomi India executives, analysts are adamant that Redmi and Mi are two different brands with Poco being the only overlapping entity, hence killing the sub-brand would make total sense.
