Xiaomi sub-brand POCO launched its first smartphone – the POCO F1 – last August. It is undoubtedly one of the best smartphones of 2018 which comes with impressive hardware at an equally impressive price. But, there’s one thing about the POCO F1 which has proved to be a deal-breaker for many: the lack of Widevine L1 support. However, POCO has now announced that it’s bringing the Widevine L1 support for F1 with the latest beta update.
POCO India’s General Manager Manmohan Chandolu has announced that the company is rolling out MIUI beta update 9.2.25 for the POCO F1. This update brings in Widevine L1 support to the phone which means you can now stream videos on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in HD quality.
Guys! You asked for it, we got it. #POCOF1 is now Widevine L1 certified. We have started rolling out an OTA update (version – 9.2.25) for beta users . Once the beta test is complete, we shall roll it in the upcoming stable updates. We really appreciate your patience.@IndiaPOCO
— C Manmohan (@cmanmohan) February 26, 2019
While Amazon Prime Video users may be able to stream videos in HD after installing this beta update on their POCO F1, Netflix users may still have to do with low-resolution streaming as it requires Netflix to whitelist the POCO F1 to allow HD streaming. So yes, the POCO F1 getting Widevine L1 support doesn’t guarantee HD streaming on Netflix.
That said, now that POCO has rolled out Widevine L1 support for F1 through a beta update, those running a stable build of MIUI on their F1 can expect an update soon that would let them stream videos on Amazon Prime Video in HD.
POCO F1 Specifications
- CPU: 2.8 GHz Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor
- RAM: 6/8 GB LPDDR4X
- GPU: Adreno 630
- Operating System: MIUI 10 based on Android 9.0 Pie
- Display: 6.18-inch Full-HD+ (2246 x 1080 pixels) IPS display with 18.7:9 aspect ratio, 1500:1 contrast ratio and 403 ppi pixel density
- Rear Camera: 12 MP (1.4μm pixel size, f/1.9 aperture) dual pixel auto-focus + 5 MP (1.2μm pixel size, f/2.0 aperture) with Portrait Mode, HDR, AI Beauty Mode, AI Scene Detection, EIS for video recording, and, dual LED flash
- Front Camera: 20 MP Super Pixel with f/2.0 aperture, AI Portrait Mode, AI Scene Detection
- Internal Storage: 64/128 GB UFS 2.1 (with 6 GB RAM), 256 GB UFS 2.1 (with 8 GB RAM)
- External Storage: Expandable via microSD card
- SIM: Dual Hybrid Slot
- Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 3.5 mm headphone jack, USB Type-C
- Other: Fingerprint Scanner, IR Face Unlock, LiquiCool Technology
- Colors: Graphite Black, Steel Blue, Rosso Red, Armored Edition (available in 6/128 and 8/256 memory configuration)
- Battery: 4000 mAh with Quick Charge 3.0
POCO F1 Price in India and Availability
- POCO F1 (6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage): ₹19,999
- POCO F1 (6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage): ₹22,999
- POCO F1 (8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage): ₹27,999
- POCO F1 Armoured Edition (6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage): ₹23,999
- POCO F1 Armoured Edition (8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage): ₹28,999
- Availability: Available on Mi.com and Flipkart
Do check out our POCO F1 review if you are planning to buy it.
