Xiaomi has rolled out the open Android Pie beta update for the Poco F1 smartphone. The update has been released as a part of MIUI 10 Global Beta ROM 8.11.15 build. The news comes nearly 20 days after the company announced that it will release the stable ROM after fixing a number of issues that users reported via feedback for the Poco F1. The issues are related to Poco Launcher UI, gaming and Widevine L1 support for HD videos streaming on Netflix.
According to the company’s official forum thread, the size of the beta update is 2487MB. The release of the ROM implies that a stable Android 9.0 Pie will soon launch for the device. Previously, a tweet by Jai Mani, Head of Product at POCO Global, confirmed that the Poco F1 will receive an update for Android Pie as well as Android Q in the future. The tweet was in a response to a user’s query posed to Mani, asking for at least two version upgrades. Generally, devices enrolled under the Android One Programme get two OS updates and the smartphones that have been launched with Android 8.1 Oreo will get the Android P and Android Q in the future.
The Poco F1 has been one of the highlights of this year, and praised for packing flagship-grade hardware and being a close competitor to the OnePlus 6. OnePlus earned the name “flagship killer” because it got famous for incorporating highest available hardware and then offering them at low prices. OnePlus regularly rolls out security and OS updates. Poco F1 was launched with flagship specs at even lower prices than the OnePlus 6 and is now claiming to release OS updates to beat the Chinese counterpart.
To recall, the Poco F1 is the most affordable Snapdragon 845-powered phone that is coupled with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. It also has a 5.99-inch FHD+ LCD panel with 19:9 resolution due to the notch. It’s also regularly updated with bug fixes based on customer feedback. The phone features a 4,000mAh battery and comes with Quick Charge 3.0 technology. In the camera department, the Poco F1 has a dual camera setup at the back with the primary camera having a 12MP Sony IMX 363 lens and f/1.8 aperture, dual pixel PDAF technology and Real Time AI photography. The secondary camera has a 5MP sensor. On the front, there is a 20MP lens with Pixel binning technology, Portrait Mode and HDR.