Xiaomi has fairly a large market in India due to its pocket-friendly smartphone range. Recently Xiaomi India launched the Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro. However, many were still waiting for the Poco F2 to release. It is very unfortunate that Xiaomi has decided to discontinue its Poco series. The Economic Times revealed the news of the Poco discontinuation.
Jai Mani was the head of Pocophone. After he left the company, the decision to discontinue the Pocophone was somewhat expected. As it turns out, Mani’s departure is one of the main reasons why this phone will soon be discontinued. Mani was the central figure in building up the Poco brand from scratch, and his departure may leave the company struggling with the keep up of the Poco brand.
This explains why recently Xiaomi is looking forward to building their brand on the premium side and withdrawing slowly from the budget side.
For Poco, nothing changes because of an executive leaving and work will go on as planned – Jai Mani, head of Pocophone
With the launch of the Redmi K20 and the Redmi K20 Pro, it was expected that the launch of Poco F2 and the Poco F2 Pro will be followed. That did not take place. Poco’s mantra which was to deliver a premium phone at a much lower price has been applied to the Redmi K20 series. The question which arises here is that did Xiaomi did this deliberately because they are discontinuing the Poco series? The answer to this question is not known yet.
The VP and India Managing Director said in an interview, “We will not be able to answer it (question) right now. 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.”
Poco was launched to give high-end chosen few specs at mid-range prices, with clear compromises on design language. It was launched as an upgrade option for large Xiaomi base without breaking bank required to buy a flagship phone. It saw a mixed response really – Navkendar Singh, the research director, IDC India
He added further, “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.”
