Poco C3 existence as a likely rebadged Redmi 9C is yet another step away from the halcyon days of the Xiaomi Pocophone F1

It appears that Poco is preparing to unveil another rebadged device for the Indian market, with the potential Poco C3 standing in for one of the latest budget Redmi smartphones, which is more than likely going to be the Redmi 9C. Yet another Poco-related rebrand will dismay the remaining fans of the brand, who had high expectations for a sequel to the much-loved Xiaomi Pocophone F1 and ended up with a Poco F2 Pro that was a Redmi K30 Pro in disguise.

The Poco C3 name appeared in Bluetooth certification (alongside an equally mysterious Redmi 9AT device). The model number for the Poco C3, M2006C3MI, is very close to that of the Redmi 9C – M2006C3MG – but with “I” for “India” instead of “G” for “Global”. If the Poco C3 retains the Redmi 9C’s specs, then it will be a cheap 6.53-inch smartphone with a MediaTek Helio G35 chip, base 2 GB RAM, base 32 GB storage, 13 MP + 5 MP + 2 MP main camera system, 5,000-mAh battery, and a 5 MP selfie camera.

There’s nothing wrong with the Redmi 9C smartphone coming to the Indian market as the Poco C3; it will be a handy budget smartphone with an estimated price of around ₹7,590 (US$102). But when Xiaomi announced Poco was to be independent of its parent company, more was expected, such as smartphone releases that fell in line with the flagship-level (at the time) Xiaomi Pocophone F1. But Poco seems to be content with just rebadging Redmi devices for the time being, which is a shame for a company that once evoked such high hopes from fans.