The next POCO device could be a rebranded Redmi K30 series phone

Xiaomi’s Poco brand (known as POCOphone outside India) made waves a few days ago when it announced plans to get back into the mobile game in 2020.

The brand’s only phone is 2018’s well-received POCO F1, and it’s expected to deliver the POCO F2 in 2020. Now, 91mobiles has uncovered a listing for a new POCO device on the Bureau for Indian Standards (BIS) website. A cursory glance at the model number shows that this new phone might not be brand-new though.

The BIS listing reveals a POCO smartphone with the model number M1912G7BI, and this lines up with the Redmi K30 4G. Chinese listings for the Redmi K30 4G confirm that it offers the model numbers M1912G7BC and M1912G7BE.

Xiaomi has a long-standing tradition of using the last letter in the model number to indicate the target market, with “C” and “E” pointing to Chinese and European models respectively. Therefore, the “I” in the new model number likely points to the Indian region.

We’re not sure whether the Redmi K30 4G will be the basis for the POCO F2 or another device, but it’s clearly coming under the POCO banner according to the BIS listing. And when it comes, you can expect an upper mid-range Snapdragon 730G processor, 6GB to 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of expandable storage, and a 4,500mAh battery.

The Redmi K30 4G also packs a 120Hz FHD+ LCD screen (6.67-inches), a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, headphone port, and a dual punch-hole cutout for a 20MP/2MP sensor pairing. Speaking of cameras, the Xiaomi device offers a quad rear camera setup featuring a 64MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide sensor, 2MP macro camera, and 2MP depth sensor.

This device starts at ~$225 in China, so we can likely expect a similar price-point (if not slightly higher) when the phone eventually comes to India.

Would you buy a Redmi K30 or POCO-series phone at this price-point?