Poco might be working on a smartwatch and it’s about time it looks beyond phones

Poco

Poco is a fast-growing smartphone brand. It started as a Xiaomi sub-brand, tasted success with the Poco F1, went independent and since then has been building on the initial success. So, it was only about time that Poco started looking beyond phones. It took a while. Just like it did to bring the F1 successor (or did it? there is still no F2). But, Poco is finally working on a smartwatch which could be it’s first non-phone product. Ironical, given that the company had announced its TWS almost two years ago. Poco Buds, they were called. Never arrived. Anyway!

Now, tipster Piyush Bhasarkar has shared a screenshot of a listing of the Poco smartwatch on the EEC – a Russian electronics certification database. It carries the model number Poco M2131W1. The manufacturer of the watch is listed as 70mai Co Ltd in Shanghai, China. The listing doesn’t reveal any other information about the upcoming Poco smartwatch.

However, the information leaked days after Poco India head Anuj Sharma suggested in an interview with News 18 Tech that if Poco enters the wearable category, it might launch a budget smartwatch instead of a fitness band. Earlier, another Poco executive had stated that the brand will introduce ecosystem products in 2022. He mentioned that Poco will try to keep these products aligned with its “brand philosophy and product philosophy” and so, will be starting small at first. Clearly, the brand is not looking at televisions, laptops or tablets.

If Poco decides to launch a smartwatch, it will be an interesting move from the company which, for long, has kept its focus on smartphones. In fact, Poco became popular among smartphone users because of the value it offered. Devices like the Poco F1, Poco X3 Pro and Poco F3 GT were among the best performers in their respective categories. But, only if launching phones was enough in 2022!

Almost every other brand, including some of Poco’s competitors, are trying to offer a whole ecosystem of products to their customers.

OnePlus seems to be doing really well with its audio products and has also launched fitness bands and a watch so far. The same goes for Oppo. It sells fitness bands, smartwatches and personal audio devices in the country. Realme has taken things to another level altogether. Initially, it was launching the IoT devices under the Realme branding but, later introduced a separate sub-brand for them. It’s called Dizo.

Honestly, Poco doesn’t need to go that far for inspiration. It just needs to look at Xiaomi. Currently, Xiaomi sells smart TVs, audio devices, smart wearables, smart home products, laptops and even lifestyle products like trimmers and shoes. More importantly, these products sell under both Xiaomi and Redmi sub-brands.

Not that Poco didn’t try! In 2020, Poco announced that it will launch a pair of TWS in India as well as in global markets. It even ran a Twitter poll to name the buds – Poco Buds. It’s been almost two years since then and we are yet to see the final product. The company has maintained since that the earbuds haven’t been cancelled. They are just not able to find perfection.

“A couple of earbuds versions of the Poco Buds we had were rejected during the testing. Sometimes the sound signature wasn’t coming along well or, the fit itself wasn’t fine. We haven’t been able to move forward with that testing of the version we have now but, they are definitely in works,” Sharma told India Today Tech last year.

Even then, he suggested that the buds may arrive by the end of 2021. Sigh..!

Will 2022 be different? Will we see more than just smartphones from Poco? The word seems to be positive. The intent is there. And maybe Poco realises that smartphones can only take it this far. To go beyond, it needs more. Hopefully, the wait is not too long.

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