Xiaomi revealed plans to follow in the footsteps of China-based rival Huawei by launching a smartphone sub-brand, though unlike its competitor Xiaomi appears to be targeting only the Indian market.

In a tweet, executive Jai Mani said the vendor established the Poco brand to buck the trend of slowing innovation and rising prices in the smartphone sector. The sub-brand will focus on producing devices with real-world functionality, making use of Xiaomi’s broader economies of scale and manufacturing capabilities.

“Poco is all about making a powerful smartphone with technologies that truly matter,” Mani stated.

Several reports indicate the brand’s first device, Pocophone F1, will live up to the goal, sporting Qualcomm’s high-end Snapdragon 845 chipset and a 4000mAh battery: specifications which put the device on par with Samsung’s freshly unveiled Galaxy Note 9, on paper at least.

Android Central stated Pocophone F1 will also feature a liquid cooling system; 20MP front camera with facial recognition; and will buck recent trends by also including a 3.5mm headphone jack and a notch.

The website tipped a model with 6GB of RAM and 64GB storage to sell for around $480, with a version sporting 128GB of storage priced around $540.

Cementing position
Xiaomi’s move comes after data from Canalys showed the vendor remained neck-and-neck with Samsung in the Indian smartphone market, tying for first place with shipments of 9.9 million units during the second quarter. Xiaomi trumped its South Korean rival in India during Q4 2017.

The Chinese vendor this week announced Holitech Technology, a key component supplier, is preparing to set up shop in India. The company will produce a range of smartphone parts at a facility in Andhra Pradesh in a move tipped to increase Xiaomi’s input into the local supply chain while helping it meet government goals on domestic production.