Xiaomi said today it is spinning off POCO, a sub-smartphone brand it created in 2018, as a standalone company that will now run independently of the Chinese electronics giant and makes its own market strategy.
The move comes months after a top executive — Jai Mani, a former Googler — and some other founding and core members left the sub-brand. The company today insisted that POCO F1, the only smartphone to be launched under the POCO brand, remains a “successful” handset. The F1, a $300 smartphone, was launched in 50 markets.
Manu Kumar Jain, VP of Xiaomi, said POCOFONE had grown into its own identity in a short span of time. “POCO F1 is an extremely popular phone across user groups and remains a top contender in its category even in 2020. We feel the time is right to let POCO operate on its own now, which is why we’re excited to announce that POCO will spin-off as an independent brand,” he said in a statement.
We still don’t have any clarity on what all of this entails but fans and enthusiasts who’ve been religiously asking for a Poco F2 from Xiaomi for a while now, will now have to drop in their requests elsewhere. Now you know where to ask, “when is the next Poco coming,” Xiaomi India said in a tweet while ‘re-introducing’ Poco India to netizens.
Xiaomi India head Manu Kumar Jain was meanwhile a little more informative about why all this is possibly happening, albeit still vaguely. “What started as a sub-brand in Poco has grown into its own identity in a short span of time. F1 is an extremely popular phone across user groups and remains a top contender in its category even in 2020. We feel the time is right to let Poco operate on its own now, which is why we’re excited to announce that Poco will spin-off as an independent brand. Join me in wishing the team.
the best!” Manu Jain said in a statement.