Xiaomi Play pegged for December 24 launch; could be a rebranded Poco F1

Though we are approaching closer to the end of this year, it looks like Xiaomi is not done with the launches for this year. Fresh information from China claims that the company is all set to announce a new lineup of smartphones called Xiaomi Play on December 24. This device is likely to be a rebranded version of the Poco F1 for the Chinese market.

As per the information shared by a tipster on Weibo, Xiaomi is all set to host a launch event sometime between December 17 and December 26. But there are increased possibilities for the launch to happen on Christmas Eve. The tipster hasn't revealed any other details regarding the upcoming Xiaomi smartphone.

Is it the rebranded Poco F1?

The upcoming device alleged to be dubbed Xiaomi Play could be a gaming-friendly flagship smartphone with an impressive battery life. Back in June, Honor launched a gaming-focused smartphone dubbed Honor Play with high-end specifications seen on flagship devices. The device is priced at 1,999 yuan (approx. Rs. 21,000). This makes us believe that the Xiaomi Play could be a gaming-centric smartphone within a budget.

Furthermore, there are speculations that it could be a rebranded version of the Poco F1. Notably, it is the cheapest smartphone using the Snapdragon 845 SoC. There are increased chances that the device could be rebranded as Xiaomi Play in the company's home market China.

What makes us skeptical is that the company has a dedicated gaming smartphone lineup called Black Shark. And, it has launched two models in this lineup including the latest offering - Black Shark Halo. This makes us believe that the rumored Xiaomi Play could be a rebranded Poco F1. For the uninitiated, the device is dubbed Pocophone F1 in the global markets outside of China.

Xiaomi Poco F1 price in India

Notably, the Poco F1 was launched in India in August starting from Rs. 20,999 for the base variant and goes up to Rs. 28,999 for the top-end variant. Recently, the company announced that it has sold over 700,000 units of the Poco F1 across the world since its launch.