How Does Poco Plan to Expand Its Ecosystem, Increase 5G Support in India? Interview With Himanshu Tandon

India is a priority market for Poco and it has planned an exciting 2023 for its consumers in the country.

Written by Siddhant Chandra, Edited by Jamshed Avari | Updated: 6 December 2022 13:19 IST

How Does Poco Plan to Expand Its Ecosystem, Increase 5G Support in India? Interview With Himanshu Tandon

Photo Credit: Poco

"India remains a priority market for Poco from a global standpoint...", says Himanshu Tandon

Highlights

Poco will soon announce software updates for its products
It is set to launch the budget disrupter Poco C50 in India
All 5G-enabled Poco smartphones will support NSA, SA networks

Poco says it has experienced "resounding success" with its recent 5G smartphone launches in the budget and mid-range segments. With the commencement of 5G services in India, the company plans to bolster its 2023 smartphone portfolio with 5G NSA (non-standalone) and SA (standalone) compatibility. Poco hopes to also explore the IoT space and other product categories to expand its ecosystem, which is currently dominated by smartphones. Gadgets 360 interviewed Himanshu Tandon, Country Head, Poco India, to get his take on Poco's performance in the country and its future plans.

Gadgets 360: As smartphone brands have begun to expand their ecosystems, how is Poco planning to branch out into other product categories such as wearables and IoT devices?

Himanshu Tandon: At Poco, we are working relentlessly to offer a seamless customer experience, and thus, our team has been working towards identifying a differentiator for products beyond smartphones. In the coming year, foraying into ecosystem categories will be one of the focus areas for us. We are exploring several IoT and other categories with a price-to-performance ratio fine-tuned for the market here. The aim is to bridge the need gap and bring products that truly redefine users' experiences – without compromising on value and features across any category we decide to enter.

Gadgets 360: Has Poco updated all its 5G-capable smartphones in India with support for next-generation network connectivity? When will all 5G Poco phones receive the update?

Himanshu Tandon: We at Poco anticipated the transition to 5G, and therefore managed to build an aggressive 5G smartphone lineup in 2022. We have a robust 5G portfolio with smartphones in different price segments, right from the Poco M4 5G to the Poco M4 Pro 5G, Poco X4 Pro 5G, and Poco F4 5G.

Along with providing support for relevant 5G bands, we are channelling our focus on the compatibility of NSA and SA networks for our handsets. All our 5G-enabled smartphones will support both, NSA and SA networks, wherein NSA networks of Airtel are compatible by default and SA network of Reliance Jio requires an OTA update. We are closely tracking the feedback of users on Android and security updates, and our 2023 portfolio would look to cater to these requirements of users in terms of assured OS and security updates.

Gadgets 360: Long-term Android updates have been a USP for many brands in 2022. Can we expect Poco to offer a similar commitment next year?

Himanshu Tandon: We at Poco are committed to delivering a seamless experience to our consumers with all our services and products. Our products are thought through from all levels of hardware and software to ensure satisfactory results and long product life. For instance, we provided a 2-year warranty against [the usual] 1-year warranty with the Poco F4 5G, a step that embodies the brand's seriousness in ensuring a no-compromise service. Also, in synergy with the global team, there would be an announcement on software updates for all our products soon.

Gadgets 360: Tell us about the progress Poco has made in expanding its after-sales network in India amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. What were the biggest challenges the company faced?

Himanshu Tandon: From a product purview, Poco has been selling majorly in the online space and most of our target audience is online. If you look at the stats, we are the #2 player on Flipkart and #3 player in the online space overall. Our main objective is to dominate online and become the leader in the space.

However, we are also aware that offline operations contribute to a fundamental growth in the overall customer experience. And thus, Poco forayed into the offline space this year with the launch of exclusive after-sales and service centres in Kolkata and Mumbai. We will continue working on expanding the after-sales network by opening similar centres in more cities across the country. Through these centres, consumers can also experience and buy Poco products, at their convenience.

Gadgets 360: Poco's product lineup in 2022 hasn't been as aggressive as it once was. Why is that?

Himanshu Tandon: Maintaining a clean and lean portfolio has always been Poco's core strategy and we bring devices in the C, M, X, and F series only. And the same will be in the future as well. If you look at 2022, there have been launches in each series; we started off the year by expanding the M-series with launches in the budget segment, and then progressed to the X-series with Poco X4 Pro 5G. Our flagship model Poco F4 5G recorded a stellar response from consumers. And now, we are all set to bring the budget disrupter, Poco C50.

Not only this, but all our devices have also been available at unmatched prices – we have ensured bringing something new with every launch. For instance, a leather-like finesse on the back panel of a budget smartphone is rare but we managed it with the Poco M5; or bringing the SD 870 [Qualcomm Snapdragon 870], a flagship chipset in the under-Rs. 30,000 segment with the Poco F4 5G.

Gadgets 360: What is Poco doing to speed up the launches of new handset models in India vis-a-vis the global market?

Himanshu Tandon: India remains a priority market for Poco from a global standpoint, and consumers will witness a lot of synergies and integration with the global launches, upgrades, and new features being rolled out on a device, among other things. Even in 2022, Poco India launched a few products simultaneously with [the rest of the world] such as Poco M5 and Poco F4 5G. Abiding by this approach, we have an exciting 2023 planned for Poco fans and consumers.

Gadgets 360: How have customers responded to recent 5G launches in India in the budget and midrange segments?

Himanshu Tandon: All our products launched this year have had resounding success in their respective segments. While 5G support in a smartphone is a plus for consumers these days, we thrive on empowering Poco users with power-packed products – the right mix of powerful specifications backed by aggressive pricing. Our aim is to launch no-compromise smartphones at the cusp of 5G.

Our budget and mid-range 5G smartphone portfolio consists of our hero products such as the Poco M4 5G – one of the most affordable 5G smartphones available; Poco M4 Pro 5G powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 810 SoC; Poco X4 Pro 5G – the complete package. Poco X4 Pro 5G also registered sales of 150,000 units during the festive sale on Flipkart, assuring consumers' trust on the brand and the products.

Gadgets 360: Poco phones have often seemed to be rebranded Xiaomi phones. How do you plan to change that perception?

Himanshu Tandon: All brands in the industry have a different modus operandi and various aspects factor in for the same such as target audience, product strategy, vision, among others. While there are limited innovations with respect to advancements in various departments by brands, at Poco we are focused on bringing the best experiences to our users and maintaining the price-to-performance ratio. Further, during the onset of the pandemic, Poco just like any other brand came to grips with the global chip shortage, rising forex cost, and supply chain constraints. And now, with 5G coming into play, there is a 5G tax on chipsets that has to be paid, leading to limited chipset options in budget categories. This in turn leads to similar specifications across brands.

At Poco, the intent is to enhance the consumer experience, and our approach is to bring technological innovations to the product lineup, in lieu of price parity; and we will continue taking up that challenge head on. So far, all Poco products launched have had a fine touch of innovation, right from design language to specifications, and all at unmatched prices.

Gadgets 360: How has the reception been to Poco's "mad" branding strategy? Has it shown results in the youth market or in any specific price bands?

Himanshu Tandon: We believe that in order to cater to a younger target audience, there is a need for "mad" ideas and a fresh approach, that too with every launch. Thus, we work closely with our e-commerce partners to understand consumers' buying behaviour and their preferences. According to insights shared by our partners, consumers are looking for smartphones offering sustained performance with no lag, smooth multitasking, good gaming performance, and other such requirements. Building on such insights, we bring products that are innovative and powerful without cutting any corners. And this has helped us in carving out a niche in the industry with positive response from the audience. Consumers' love and support is reflected in numbers with Poco C31, Poco M4 Pro AMOLED, and Poco X4 Pro 5G in their respective segments on Flipkart.

Also, Poco is "Made of Mad" that is, not doing the regular but always something unique, and this is what connects us better with our target audience. They also expect newer ways of engagement, innovative products, aggressive pricing, and relatability too.

Gadgets 360: Are there any areas in which you think Poco could have done better in 2022?

Himanshu Tandon: Just like our product lineup, 2022 has been an exciting year. Like I mentioned earlier, there were various launches from the house of Poco across price categories, but it was a big year for the brand from the perspective of venturing into the offline space. So far, we have received a positive response from our supporters and all stakeholders, but we ensure implementing consumers' feedback in our overall strategy. We believe in the journey and will strive to deliver better services and products, every time.

Some responses have been condensed and slightly edited for clarity.

What are the best smartphones you can buy in India under Rs. 30,000? There are a handful of options that we've discussed on this week's episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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