POCO Will Release Kernel Source Code For F1 Next Week, Promises To Support Community Development

Xiaomi's budget phones are popular among developers because of their incredible price to performance ratio. Earlier this week, Xiaomi's sub-brand POCO unveiled its budget flagship smartphone: the POCO F1. The F1 boasts of impressive specifications including the Snapdragon 845, 6GB/8GB RAM, 4000mAh battery, and 12+5MP rear cameras at a starting price of Rs 20,999. POCO expects the F1 to be a hit among the developers, and it is taking steps to provide developers with all the resources they would need.

A brief summary of the POCO F1's specifications

At the launch event of the F1, Jai Mani, POCO's Head of Product, said the company will do its "best to support custom ROMs". Mani added on that the kernel sources for the F1 will be released on the day of the first sale, that is on August 29. Just as other Xiaomi devices, unlocking the bootloader will not void the warranty of the F1, and if customers run into any issues, they can get their F1 serviced at any of the 1000 Xiaomi service centres across the country.

Mani starts talking about updates and custom ROMs at 18:14

Mani was so supportive of community development that he brought up Project Treble to flash AOSP GSIs. OnePlus is known to encourage third-party development on its devices. And by providing developers with all the requisite means to modify their device, POCO is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring the F1 competes with rival OnePlus 6 in all aspects.

The POCO F1 is powered by Oreo 8.1 based MIUI 9 out of the box. An update to Android 9 Pie is promised by the end of the year. POCO has also promised security patches once in every three months.

[All images were sourced from POCO]

Krittin Kalra

Krittin Kalra is a 20 year old Android freak. Striving for passions, chasing down his dreams and living a life without regrets is his sole mantra. A bit moody, he also does custom ROM reviews for AndroGuider. Currently pursuing his B.Tech, he aspires to follow his heart.