Xiaomi's POCO is now an independent smartphone brand

We finally have some official word from POCO, the Xiaomi sub-brand that launched the Pocophone F1 back in 2018. Fans of the affordable flagship phone would be happy to know that POCO is now an independent company. This means, we can actually start anticipating a new POCO smartphone, evidence of which was found not too long ago.

Xiaomi shared a media release with Android Authority announcing POCO’s new standalone identity. The company says that POCO will now run with its own team and go-to-market strategy.

“What started as a sub-brand in POCO has 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,” Xiaomi VP and India MD, Manu Jain said in the emailed release.

Is it a clean break?

Unlike Redmi, which also spun off as an independent brand earlier this year, it looks like POCO will have no ties with Xiaomi whatsoever. The Redmi brand still falls under Xiaomi’s umbrella but the same doesn’t seem to be the case for POCO.

We tried to get some clarification from Xiaomi but it looks like the company is not ready to share more details just yet. However, the announcement was welcomed by the current POCOphone Global Head, Alvin Tse on Twitter.

Tse is also the General Manager of Xiaomi Indonesia, so it’s unclear if he will continue to head POCO or not.

Also read: First Redmi, now POCO: What’s the deal with all the Xiaomi sub-brands?

All we know for now is that POCO is no longer with Xiaomi. Will the two companies continue sharing design and research resources? We expect to hear more on that in the following days.