POCO, a new sub-brand from Xiaomi, made its debut today with a mission to deliver "performance that truly matters." The first smartphone under the brand unveiled today -- the POCO F1 -- offers a powerful experience at a low cost.

The POCO F1 features the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 platform, the LiquidCool Technology cooling system, a 6.18-inch 1080p display with an 18.7:9 aspect ratio, up to 8GB LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB UFS 2.1 storage and a long-lasting 4000mAh battery.

The device easily achieves an AnTuTu score that exceeds 290,000.

Jai Mani, Head of Product, POCO Global, said: "POCO stands for 'a little' - we believe in starting small but dreaming big. As a small outfit within Xiaomi, POCO has the freedom to start from scratch, zeroing in on the product choices and technologies that matter. This is why we have created a smartphone that delivers unbelievable performance, focusing on the core innovations that truly matter, which we believe will resonate with tech enthusiasts."

The new powerhouse will hit the shelves in India on 29 August starting at INR 20,999, and roll out around the world gradually.

The smartphone also churns out images using its AI dual camera consisting of a 12MP Sony IMX363 primary sensor with Dual Pixel Autofocus.

On the front, POCO F1 deploys a 20MP sensor featuring Super Pixel technology that combines the information of four pixels into one large 1.8µm pixel. Both the rear and front cameras are supported by AI features for photos, such as AI Portrait, AI Beautify, and AI Scene Detection.

The device also comes with an infrared illuminator and infrared camera on the front, allowing the AI face unlock feature to securely unlock the device both in pitch-dark conditions as well as in bright daylight.

A new system optimization feature called "turbocharged engine", allows the smartphone to deliver faster app startups, faster gaming performance, as well as a faster-swiping experience, due to enhancements in the screen response and animation frame rate.

With a new POCO Launcher, POCO F1 comes with an app drawer that can automatically categorize apps. In India, MIUI for POCO incorporates taxi, music, and video streaming services.

Based on Android 8.1 Oreo, MIUI for POCO also prioritizes security with regular patches and updates from Google. It will receive the Android P update in the near future.

POCO F1 is also available with polycarbonate backs in Graphite Black, Steel Blue, and Rosso Red. POCO F1 will retail at INR 20,999, INR 23,999, and INR 28,999 for the 6GB+64GB, 6GB+128GB, and 8GB+256GB respectively.

At the event, ther company also showcased the POCO F1 Armoured Edition, featuring a back panel made of DuPont Kevlar. Besides the toughness and the heat-resistace, the textured surface gives POCO F1 a unique appearance and provides a comfortable grip.

The Armoured Edition comes in a single 8GB+256GB configuration and will retail at INR 29,999.

Xiaomi's second-quarter revenue soars 68 percent

In related news, Xiaomi Inc reported its second-quarter revenue surged 68.3 percent, as strong smartphone sales complemented a jump in revenue at its smaller, but fast-growing connected devices business.

Xiaomi said on Wednesday its revenue from overseas markets more than doubled from the year-ago period.

Revenue for the three months ended June 30 rose to 45.24 billion yuan ($6.58 billion) from 26.88 billion yuan, the company said in a statement.

It posted a net profit of 14.63 billion yuan for the period compared to a net loss of 11.97 billion yuan in the year-ago period. The company's international revenue was 16.4 billion yuan in the quarter, accounting for 36.3 percent of total revenue. Sales of internet-connected devices, including smart TVs, also grew rapidly.

Xiaomi generated 70 percent of its revenue from selling its popular and mostly cheap smartphones last year. But the margins on its phones are thin.