Exclusive! Poco X2's success will decide if we target more price bands, says C Manmohan

Smartphone enthusiasts had to wait one-and-a-half years before the arrival of a new Poco smartphone in India but the next device from the company can drop sooner than that, but there is a proviso. Poco had made its way to the country as a Xiaomi's sub-brand in 2018 and launched its new smartphone Poco X2 this week, after establishing itself as an independent brand. Interestingly, both the smartphones were positioned in the same segment. The Poco F1 was priced little over Rs 20,000 and is now selling for Rs 14,999 after multiple price cuts. And, the Poco X2 price in India has been set between Rs 15,999 and Rs 19,999.

The company now plans to launch more than a smartphone per year and target different price bands but only if the Poco X2 turns out to be a success, Poco India General Manager C Manmohan told Zee Business, in an exclusive conversation on the sidelines of its recent launch. Manmohan made it clear that the company doesn't want to leave the Poco F1 behind either and will continue to market it.

"First of all, we need to focus on Poco X2. We also don't want to leave behind Poco F1 which is still doing well. So, for now we will be focusing on these two smartphones and if we achieve success, we will look to target more price points," he said. Speaking about the gap between the first two smartphones, Manmohan said that the company wanted to take its time and deliver on the basis of feedback they received for the first smartphone.

"We have taken our time. That's why it was one-and-a-half years. We were a small group of individuals who were trying to do something different in an organisation. Poco F1 was a great success. We got a lot of love and feedback for that smartphone. It took us time to work on that and come up with Poco X2," he said.

WATCH | Poco India's C Manmohan's exclusive interview

Poco isn't the first company to split from its main brand. Its closest competitor, Realme was one of the firsts to separate from Oppo and launch itself as an independent brand. Recently, iQoo has come to India as an independent brand even as it continues to operate as vivo's sub-brand in China. Manmohan believes that the trend doesn't suggest that most companies are moving away from the idea of sub-brands.

"It's not like that. Poco was based on the philosophy - 'Everything you need. Nothing you don't'. We decided to go independent to achieve that and go in that direction. It allows us to be more agile. That's why we took this route - first as a sub-brand and then, as an independent brand," he said.

The new smartphone comes with several top-end features like a 120Hz display and 27W fast charger inside the box. In fact, Poco is now the most affordable smartphone to feature 120Hz panel in India. Manmohan added that these allow it to be different from other smartphones in the market.

"This is the first time a smartphone is offering a 120Hz refresh rate screen at this price point. Usually, this display costs a lot. Sometimes, up to Rs 40,000. Also, we are offering 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage at that price," he said, while adding that his favourite feature on the phone is the 120Hz display which makes your experience really smooth.

WATCH | Poco X2 First Look

"There are other exciting features like 64-megapixel camera and 27W fast charger inside the box but if I have to pick one, it has to be the 120Hz refresh rate display," he said.

Interestingly, Poco named its new smartphone 'X2' -- with Realme already selling a smartphone by the same name. But, Manmohan clarified that the new smartphone is not a successor to the Poco F2 and that's why the company opted for a new name altogether.

"This is not Poco F2 because it comes with a different series chipset altogether. It has a very different philosophy and nature. Hence, we came up with the 'X' series. Now, why X2? We have learnt that if you have same number across all series, it helps," he concluded.