Realme C11 killer? Redmi 9C touted to launch as a Poco device in India

Over the past few weeks, Xiaomi has released a new budget phone, the Redmi 9C, in several markets, including Malaysia, China, and Europe. It would appear, however, that the phone is set to arrive in India, but not with the Redmi crest on its back.

The Redmi 9C has now appeared on the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) website with the model number "M2006C3MI". Interestingly, though, the phone seems to carry the Poco branding, not the Redmi one. Supposedly, the Poco-branded Redmi 9C for the Indian market bears the codename "angelicain", versus the global Redmi 9C which is codenamed "angelica".

After releasing the Poco F1 as an entirely new device back in 2018, Poco's new strategy is rebranding Redmi phones for the Indian market. The Redmi K30 4G was rebadged as the Poco X2; the Redmi K30 Pro was rebranded as the Poco F2 Pro, and the new Poco M2 Pro is, at heart, a Redmi Note 9 Pro. That trend is apparently set to continue with the Redmi 9C—not that it's a bad thing.

The Redmi 9C is expected to be positioned against the Realme C11 when it finally makes its way over to India. Both phones sport similar specifications: the same Helio G35, 5000 mAh battery, RAM, and storage. The Realme C11 is priced at Rs 7,499, and the Redmi 9C will have to be priced competitively.