POCO, the sub-brand of Xiaomi, has re-entered the competitive local smartphone market after taking a hiatus of nearly two years. Ziauddin Chowdhury, Country General Manager of Xiaomi in Bangladesh talks to Dhaka Tribune about the product line up, future plans and more.
POCO became a phenomenon not by simply stacking budget phones with features, as had become the standard practice for the budget segment. But it made those features matter. What was the company’s philosophy behind this approach?
POCO as a brand believes in creating a product with everything you need, and nothing you don't need.
What makes POCO stand apart is the understanding of what our customers want. We ideally differentiate from others because we believe in performing at one aspect extremely well and make certain of the hygiene on all other parameters to suit the needs of the consumers at its best.
Our first smartphone, POCOphone F1, was incredibly successful and remains an extremely popular phone to date. At POCO, we are selective in our research and production to fit best into the expectations of the customers.
Why is “selective” research important for you?
POCO is known to stand true to its philosophy – “Everything you need, nothing you don’t” and we promise to democratize decision making and bringing technology that truly matters for the fans and community.
We believe in our philosophy, which encourages us to offer the finest of products, hence we are selective in our research and production to fit best into the expectations of the customers.
Talk about the newly released phones. Who you aim to reach with these?
Our aim is to connect with a wider audience, and we do so, with every new product that we bring into the market.
Recently, we have launched 3 products in different price segments. The POCO X3 NFC is a smartphone that falls into the mid-premium segment, the POCO M2 is a powerful mid-ranger while the POCO C3 is a budget smartphone.
Our focus is specific to the Bangladesh market, dedicating ourselves to the needs of the Bangladeshi fans. We have a niche market of tech enthusiasts and millennials who are accustomed to buying products loaded with features at affordable prices.
Do you think the new phones will generate as much interest as the original POCOphone?
We launched POCOPHONE F1 in 2018 and we have seen tremendous response from the fans and users earlier and we are thrilled to introduce three new smartphones.
The brand has been known for its performance since its inception and we continue to follow that legacy with the new handsets as well. All of the three smartphones have been launched globally and have seen incredible responses from our users locally as well as internationally.
Will POCO have lifestyle or accessories product line in the future?
At POCO, we spend a considerable amount of time getting feedback from the community and understanding what the consumers/fans require, listening to them and then eventually shaping the device that our customers and POCO fans want.
Listening to our fans and community, we might be looking at expanding our portfolio in future. We are evaluating and will come up with products based on market demand and need.