Pocophone F1 (Poco F1) Android 11 update: Will Poco join the '3 major OS updates' club?

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Here’s the thing, time is fast catching up with the Pocophone F1, sold in India as the Poco F1. The device caused quite a stir when it launched back in 2018 with its flagship specs for a third of the flagship price.

But that was then. The Poco F1 is no longer the only child in the Poco family of devices and for the most part, attention has shifted to the newer, beefier and 120Hz-totting youngsters from Poco.

Poco F1 was launched with Android 8 Oreo out of the box with MIUI 9. Several bug-fixes and major updates later, the device now runs Android 10 with MIUI 12 on top, although the rollout is still underway. More on the state of MIUI 12 for the Poco F1 here.

With this, the device has received its promised two versions of Android and as far as tradition goes, this might as well be the end of the road for Poco F1, at least officially.

But is it? Well, back in April, we saw reports that seemed to shine a ray of hope for users of the Poco F1 with respect to an update to Android 11.

In the reports, the forum moderator seemed to entertain the idea that an Android 11 build would be in the works for this device that has proved very popular among gamers and enthusiasts.

Today, the same forum moderator is shedding even more light at the possibility of Android 11 for the Poco F1. When asked by a user whether the device will get updated to Android 11, he says:

We don’t have any information regarding that. POCO F1 have already received the promised two major Android updates, so anything more will be a bonus for our users. We may get it eventually, but do not expect to receive it as fast as the newer devices. Let’s wait and see.
Source

Did the moderator just confirm an Android 11 build for the Poco F1? Obviously, we would expect newer devices to be first in line for an update to Android 11 but the idea that the Poco F1 might eventually get updated to Android 11 is huge!

In recent times, we’ve seen OEMs like Google, OnePlus and Samsung commit to update and support their devices (at least the flagships) for at least 3 years with 3 major Android updates.

And this makes sense, especially bearing in mind that modern smartphones are very capable, borderline complete overkill. This means that these devices remain relevant for 3-4 years after launch. It is only fair to have them supported for longer by the OEMs.

Also, Poco has been trying to differentiate itself from its mother company, Xiaomi, and this could very well be one of the ways it chooses to do so. Offering its devices 3 years of software support instead of the ‘industry-standard’ two years.

While this is still a far cry from what Apple offers its iPhones, it is a step in the right direction.

Let’s face it though. If you own a Poco F1, you’re a nerd, plain and simple! You also know that waiting on Xiaomi to oblige is only one way to get new Android versions on your device.

You also know that ReloadedOS and the good folks over at PocoPixel already have fairly stable builds of Android 11 for your Poco F1 with even more builds from Pixel Experience, HavocOS and more coming soon.

With that, whether Xiaomi obliges or not, you’re pretty much set for a while, all thanks to the awesome developer community behind the mighty Poco F1.

NOTE: We have these and many more Poco stories in our dedicated Xiaomi and Poco sections respectively.

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