Xiaomi’s Pocophone F1 to go on sale next month in Korea
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Xiaomi’s affordable smartphone Pocophone F1 is arriving in Korea next month. The Pocophone F1, the first smartphone from Xiaomi’s sub-brand Poco Global, was first unveiled in early August. The F1 will cost 429,000 won ($376) here, around one-third of the price of an Apple iPhone XS and half the price of Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 9.
The phone has already proved to be a success in other markets, especially in India, where it raised 30 billion won in sales within the first five minutes.
The F1 comes with six gigabytes of RAM and three storage options: 64, 128 or 256 gigabytes. In Korea, only the 64 gigabytes will be available for purchase. SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ will start receiving preorders from Nov. 12.
Jay Mani, the head of product for Poco Global, said the core motivation for developing the Pocophone F1 was the market trend where fierce competition drives manufacturers to add all kinds of new functions and features that aren’t relevant to everybody.
“So the phones you have today – they have all these new functions but many do not appreciate them, nor are they excited about them, and yet the prices have come up to the current level,” he said in a press conference held in southern Seoul on Monday. “We wanted to buck this trend.”
The Pocophone F1 focuses on performance. Inside its plastic body, the F1 uses the same processor chip as the Galaxy Note9 and LG Electronics’ latest V40: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. Its battery storage is 4,000-milliampere hour, larger than most phones released this year and equivalent to the Note9. To ensure its high speed, the F1 has a cooling system that keeps the phone’s temperature down. The hotter a device, the slower it gets, said Mani.
However, it also adds some of the core features used in competitors’ top phones today. For example, the artificial intelligence-embedded camera can add 25 filters while taking a photo by automatically perceiving what the object is, while a camera on the front of the device allows for face recognition.
“Reaching out to loyalists, that’s something that takes time, but there are also a lot of people who we can make think: ‘Does [my phone and its price] make sense?’” said Mani.
Questions & Answers
Q.Which storage capacity version of the Pocophone F1 will be available for purchase in Korea?
Which storage capacity version of the Pocophone F1 will be available for purchase in Korea?
In Korea, only the 64 gigabytes storage option of the Pocophone F1 will be available for customers. Other storage capacities are not mentioned as being on sale in this market.
Q.What is the core reason Pocophone F1 was developed, according to Poco Global’s head of product?
What is the core reason Pocophone F1 was developed, according to Poco Global’s head of product?
Jay Mani stated that the F1 was developed to buck the market trend where manufacturers add many irrelevant functions, driving up prices. They aimed to offer performance without unnecessary features.
Q.Which specific processor chip powers the Pocophone F1?
Which specific processor chip powers the Pocophone F1?
The Pocophone F1 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor chip. This is the same chip found in competitors like the Galaxy Note9 and LG Electronics' latest V40.
Q.When can customers in Korea begin pre-ordering the Pocophone F1?
When can customers in Korea begin pre-ordering the Pocophone F1?
SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+ will start receiving preorders for the Pocophone F1 from November 12. This allows customers to secure their device before its general sale.
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