HIGHLIGHTS
- Poco intends to release new phones in all of its existing series.
- The Poco C31 was the brand's final model in the nation.
- In 2022, Poco intends to go beyond phones.
An official confirmed to Gadgets 360 that Poco — the brand set out from Xiaomi in 2020 — plans to debut a line of smartphones in India this year. To extend its market position, the Chinese brand plans to refresh its whole lineup in the nation and add more 5G phones to its portfolio as early as May–June. To begin its ambitions, the business is unveiling the Poco M4 Pro 5G in India this week as its first model for 2022.
Anuj Sharma, Country Director, Poco India, told Gadgets 360 that the brand planned to upgrade its whole line of phones to the fourth generation over the next four months.
"We're not adding additional complexity right now," he added, adding that the new models will join the existing Poco F, Poco X, Poco M, and Poco C series. "We'll surely have at least one model in each series," he says.
Poco's most recent model in India was the Poco C31, which launched in September of last year. The phone had a starting price of Rs. 7,999 and had features like as a MediaTek Helio G35 SoC, triple back cameras, and a 5,000mAh battery.
In December, it stated that the Poco C series, which includes the Poco C3 and Poco C31, had sold over three million devices in the nation.
However, Sharma emphasised that maintaining inexpensive pricing is difficult anymore.
"Affordability will be difficult since there hasn't been a lot of choice in the entry level lineup over the previous two, three years." "Things haven't altered all that much," he remarked.
While Poco is unlikely to enter any new inexpensive price divisions in the market, the executive stated that some of its future models will be priced around Rs. 30,000.
"I will certainly shatter the pricing points that we had on the Poco F3 GT and move up a bit further, but it may not be a huge jump, since I don't really want to shock the system," he said. The Poco F3 GT was released in India with a starting price of Rs. 26,999.
"We will continue to have longer life cycles than the industry." That, I don't think, will change," Sharma added.
Poco will debut the Poco M4 Pro 5G in the nation on Tuesday. In November, the phone made its debut in Europe.
Poco created the M4 Pro 5G for both the European and Indian markets, according to Sharma, but the debut in India was postponed because the firm initially expected to have enough supply of its existing models until January.
The ongoing supply chain shortages of various components pushed Poco to acquire new supplies.
"We had a modest portfolio; we quadrupled our quantities, but by Diwali, we were out of most models." So November, December, and January were really low months for us," he explained. Poco thinks it has corrected its forecasting errors this time, according to the executive.
New Poco 5G phones are on the way.
Poco already has two 5G variants on the market: the M3 Pro and the F3 GT. The M4 Pro 5G is the next model in the line-up. Nonetheless, Poco plans to release additional 5G phones this year.
Sharma told Gadgets 360 that since the government announced the 5G spectrum auction plans in its Budget 2022, demand for 5G will rise.
"I believe that having 5G phones now makes a lot more sense." And we will undoubtedly do so," he stated.
He noted that managing the total portfolio between 4G and 5G technologies will be difficult.
A critical priority is to look beyond phones.
Aside from phones, Poco has long been in the news for developing truly wireless stereo (TWS) earphones. It even stated in 2020 that the earbuds will be dubbed the Poco Pop Buds. The offering, however, did not make it to the market.
TWS earphones, according to Sharma, are still in the works. However, there is no word on when the earphones will be available.
"From a team standpoint, one of our big initiatives for 2022 is to expand beyond phones," Sharma explained. "I don't want to declare anything, like, 'We'll surely accomplish it,' because we've been trying to do it for the previous, I believe, five quarters." And we've basically struck stumbling blocks, largely internally saying that we don't like it or that this isn't really meeting that certain barrier."
Poco likewise started its community last year, claiming that it would enable them gain direct input from users and enhance the experience. Sharma stated that the community was initially in beta and just recently achieved a stable level, despite the fact that it has added 300 members who are actively engaging on the feedback side.
Poco has also developed a camera lab in India to begin providing consumers with localised camera experiences.
"It's crucial because you know that if you have a darker skin tone, even in broad daylight, devices sometimes struggle understanding what should be the person's exposure rating." And how do you keep it in harmony with the background? So all of those variables are only one element of what we're looking at," Sharma explained.
He also stated that the camera lab and the community will collaborate to improve the experience and make it more helpful for Indian consumers.
Poco was recently chastised for releasing a faulty update that harmed the user experience. The company recognised the issue and stated that it affected just 0.2 percent of the Poco X2 handsets sold in the nation. Several customers, however, have documented its influence online.
The introduction of the community will most likely aid Poco in resolving such challenges in the future. Nonetheless, the software on Poco's phones is still handled natively by Xiaomi's MIUI team. As a result, we may have to wait and see how developing the community may assist improve the experience.
Market analysts are bullish about Poco's prospects in India. According to IDC India Research Director Navkendar Singh, Poco as a brand has found excellent appeal with its smaller portfolio, fresh brand identity, and spec-heavy devices. "Considering the tough competition in a market where the top five are so dominating, Poco has been able to carve out a fair mindshare in the sub-Rs. 20,000 bracket," he added.
Faisal Kawoosa, Founder of market research and consulting firm Techarc, agreed with Singh that Poco had a strong brand equity and product positioning. He did, however, mention that one such brand has been harmed since the COVID-19 epidemic began in 2020.
"Going into growth mode now makes perfect sense, and it can capitalise on its capabilities," he said.
