Pocophone F2 release date: Xiaomi maintains its silence about Jai Mani’s departure

The Pocophone F2 is speculated to drop sometime between August and September. At least, that’s what the initial assumption was since the device’s predecessor came out during that time last year.

But as we enter August, Xiaomi is still maintaining its silence about the Pocophone F2 and hasn’t responded to the recent shakeup within its rank. Two weeks ago, Poco head of product Jai Mani quietly left the company, and it’s still unclear why he parted ways with Xiaomi after working with them for almost five years.

The only reason Mani’s departure was noticed was when he changed his position on Twitter to “Ex- “Product Manager of POCO phone and Xiaomi India.” After news spread out, Android Authority’s C. Scott Brown reached out to both parties on July 19, but neither has commented about the issue. This could hint that Pocophone F2 is in trouble what with its anniversary just around the corner.

Pocophone F2 and the identity problem

The mid-range market has been eagerly waiting for news about the sequel since the first entry offered jaw-dropping specs for a handset that cost $300. It was even heavily speculated that the Pocophone F2 and the Redmi K20 is the same device branded differently based on what region it’s being sold.

But the Redmi K20 arrived in the Indian market a few weeks ago, and it has retained its name, finally dispelling the persisting rumor. Aside from Mani’s departure, the Pocophone F2 is also facing another problem.

The major reason why the Redmi K20 and the Pocophone F2 was assumed to be one and the same is due to the former’s specs. Put simply, it’s basically an upgraded Pocophone F1 almost complete with all the requests and suggestions that smartphone enthusiasts have been requesting from the Beijing-based company.

Alvin Tsu explains why they can’t comment about the Pocophone F2

So if the Pocophone F2 is to exist, it needs to sport specifications that will separate it from the Redmi K20. This separation will likely not be seen in the processor department as the sequel will probably be outfitted with the Snapdragon 855 SoC as well.

News about this front - and other details about the handset - will probably arrive in the third week of August. But don’t hold your breath for that since Xiaomi’s Alvin Tsu even said that the reason why they’ve been quiet about the Pocophone F2 is that they “can’t comment on speculations.” Could it be that the series will be discontinued? Well, judging by how the first entry was received by the community, it’s unlikely that Xiaomi will give up on the Poco just yet.