Xiaomi’s Pocophone F1, which came out 18 months ago, is one of the first things that comes to mind when talking about devices that have disrupted the smartphone industry in recent years.
With flagship-class specifications and features matched by an unheard-of mid-range price, the Poco F1, as it is also known, changed the game forever, while handing its maker ammunition to continue matching similar offerings from compatriot BBK Electronics, the force behind brands like Oppo and OnePlus, themselves forces to reckon in the industry.
What set the Poco F1 apart from other Xiaomi devices was also the software its users eventually got hooked on: a version of Xiaomi’s MIUI specially customized for the device dubbed “MIUI for Poco”.
That arrangement, and the fact that right from its first day, Poco was a sub-brand of Xiaomi, probably explains why the first generation Pocophone was missing when Xiaomi released its Android 10 roadmap last year. Of course, that was before we got assurances by the brand’s leaders that the update was still on the way.
Now, it’s arrived.
Poco F1 users who have been part of the device’s Android 10 beta programme, as well as members of the Mi Pilot community, are reporting receiving a stable build number 11.0.4.0.QEJMIXM via an over-the-air (OTA) update that brings Android 10 to the device.
Much as that is the case, the beta testers who are receiving the stable build are meant to act as part of a soak test before the update is rolled out, over the next few weeks, to all the users of the device around the world. Given that the Pocophone F1 has been available in Kenya since the end of 2018, users of the device in the country can also look forward to getting the update in coming days and weeks.
The update arrives at a time that the Poco brand is turning over a new leaf. Recently, Xiaomi spun it off to become an independent standalone brand meaning that it would be in charge of its own research and development for both software and hardware as well as sales and marketing decisions.
As a new standalone entity, the first priority, besides, of course, updating the first-generation device, is releasing a successor to the Pocophone F1, something that we can expect to happen soon if all the teasing is anything to go by.
