Android flagship killer Pocophone F1 makes global debut [Complete list of countries]

Xiaomi's subsidiary Pocophone has launched the pocket-friendly premium mobile Pocophone F1 in three global cities—Paris, Hong Kong and Jakarta.

The new device originally debuted in India as Poco F1 on 22 August, but for reasons best known to the company, it is selling the phone as Pocophone F1 for international markets. On the bright side, the price range remains to be the same across several regions averaging around $300.

The new Pocophone F1 flaunts a sturdy polycarbonate shell on the back with a dual camera and a fingerprint sensor below it. On the front, it flaunts a 6.18-inch full HD+ display with iPhone X-like notch on the top housing an advanced 20MP camera with IR sensor for face unlock capability. It can even work in the dark environment.

Under-the-hood, it runs on Android Oreo-based MIUI software backed by the Snapdragon 845 octa-core, Qualcomm's most powerful and fastest processor to date and is backed by the Liquid Cool technology and the newly introduced DSP architecture with Artificial Intelligence (AI) performance that's three times higher than the previous generation. Supported by up to 8GB LPDDR4x DRAM, Poco F1 can render the most demanding games at high FPS for an unparalleled gaming experience, the company claims.

Pocophone is expected to get the Google's latest Android Pie 9.0 mobile OS update by the end of December 2018.

The new Pocophone F1 sports an AI dual-camera, a primary 12MP (Sony IMX363, F1.9, 1.4μm)  and secondary 5MP  with Dual Pixel Autofocus, HDR, Multi-frame Noise Reduction, more than 200 AI scene detection, AI Beautify, AI portrait mode.

On the front, it houses a 20MP sensor with 1.8μm pixel size, 4-in-1 Super Pixel, F2.0 aperture, HDR, AI scene detection, AI Beautify, AI portrait mode and Infrared illuminator + infrared camera for the Face Unlock feature.

Pocophone F1 comes packed with a massive 4,000mAh battery, which is sufficient to last a whole day if not more under mixed usage. It also supports Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

Besides the standard models, the company announced special Poco F1 Armoured Edition with a back panel made of DuPont Kevlar. The super-tough, heat-resistant material is widely used in the aviation industry, the military, and high-end cycling. Its textured surface gives POCO F1 a unique appearance and provides a comfortable grip, the company claims.

I have been using the Poco F1 Armoured Edition for close to a week and have to say, it has impressed me a lot. I didn't have much expectation on camera, but it has surprised me with AI camera feature and Portrait mode. Even the Face Unlock is super fast. Stay tuned. I will be posting the detailed review soon.

For now, the company has announced price of the Pocophone F1 for France, Hong Kong, Philippines and Indonesia. It is expected to be revealed for other markets in coming days.

With such top-end hardware and aggressive price-tag, Pocophone F1 is certain to disrupt the niche premium smartphone segment, which is dominated by Samsung, Apple, Google and OnePlus.

Here's list of countries Pocophone F1 will be released coming days:

Asia:

Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Europe:

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.

Middle East & Africa:

Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

America:

Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay.

Stay tuned. Follow us @IBTimesIN_Tech on Twitter and on Google News for the latest updates on Xiaomi's Pocophone brand.