The ‘new’ Poco M2 Pro is just a Redmi Note 9 Pro in disguise

At the turn of this year, Xiaomi announced that it’s spinning of Poco as a separate brand. Since that day, the company has launched the Poco X2 in India, and the Poco F2 Globally.

While Poco shares a ton of resources with Xiaomi including software and manufacturing, it has tried hard to push a narrative that it’s an independent brand. But with its new phone, the Poco M2 pro, the firm is making that hard to believe.

The $175 Poco M2 Pro is a new offering from the company, but it’s a love child of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Note 9 Pro Max, I’ll tell you why, but let’s look at the specifications of the new device first.

Specifications:

• Screen: 6.67-inch full HD+ display
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
• RAM: 4GB/6GB
• Rear camera: 48-megapixel primary + 8-megapixel ultra-wide + 5-megapixel macro + 2-megapixel depth sensor
• Front camera: 16-megapixel
• Internal Storage: 64GB/128GB
• Battery: 5,000 mAh

Now, Redmi Note 9 Pro has similar specs, but it ships with an 18W charger instead of a 33W charger available with the M2 Pro. The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max also ships with a 33W charger, but it has a 64-megapixel primary sensor.

All these phones have similar designs with a fingerprint sensor mounted on the power button on the side. Sure, the Poco M2 offers a slightly different gradient on the back as compared to its Xiaomi cousins. But the similarity is unmissable.

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My first ever story for TNW was about Xiaomi’s confusing series of phones, and while the company had managed to streamline and untangle its portfolio in the last two years, here we are again.

The phone is available in three variants: 4GB + 64GB for ₹13,999 ($187) , 6GB + 64GB for ₹14,999 ($200), 6GB + 128GB for ₹16,999 ($226). The device will be on sale from July 14.