Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO are related brands within Xiaomi’s wider smartphone business. They use different names and product strategies, but Xiaomi’s official global support policy covers phones from all three brands, and the official POCO store is hosted on Xiaomi’s global website.
Statements that Redmi or POCO became “independent” refer to brand positioning and operating teams. They do not mean that either brand was sold to an unrelated parent company.
Xiaomi is the parent company and broad flagship brand
Xiaomi was founded in Beijing in 2010 and listed in Hong Kong in 2018. Xiaomi Corporation is the public parent company, while founder Lei Jun remains chairman and chief executive officer.
Phones carrying the Xiaomi name generally represent the company’s broad global range and its higher-end camera, display, and flagship products. The same company also sells tablets, wearables, televisions, smart-home products, appliances, and electric vehicles.
Redmi focuses on volume and value ranges
Redmi began as a Xiaomi phone line and later received a more distinct brand identity. It remains part of Xiaomi’s smartphone business. Xiaomi leadership materials describe company executives as responsible for operations related to the REDMI brand, and Xiaomi’s support policies group Xiaomi and REDMI devices together.
Redmi commonly covers:
- Redmi numbered phones for entry and mainstream buyers;
- Redmi Note models in the high-volume midrange;
- Redmi K models in China, some of which have close relatives under other names in international markets;
- tablets, wearables, and selected ecosystem products.
The exact hierarchy changes by country and model year. A Redmi Note model in one market should not be assumed to match a similarly named product elsewhere.
POCO uses performance-focused positioning
POCO began with the Pocophone F1 and developed into a distinct global phone brand with F, X, M, and C product families. Its marketing usually emphasizes processor performance and price, but the balance of cameras, materials, software, and support varies by model.
POCO has its own name, launch events, and product pages, yet its current
official global store remains on mi.com. Xiaomi’s security-update policy
also explicitly covers Xiaomi, REDMI, and POCO smartphones. That is stronger
evidence of the present corporate relationship than old headlines describing
POCO as operationally independent.
Why some models look similar
Xiaomi can reuse a hardware platform across brands or regions. A phone sold as a Redmi model in China may have a related POCO or Xiaomi-branded version elsewhere, but specifications are not automatically identical.
Possible differences include:
- mobile-network bands;
- camera sensors or secondary cameras;
- charging hardware and included adapters;
- storage and memory combinations;
- preinstalled software and regional services;
- warranty provider and supported repair markets.
Compare the official regional specification pages by model number rather than relying only on photographs or a shared processor name.
Do they use the same software?
Current devices across the three brands use Xiaomi’s software platform, including HyperOS on supported models. Interface features, preinstalled apps, update schedules, and carrier requirements can still differ by product and region.
Xiaomi says it generally maintains smartphone security updates for at least two years after first shipment and may support some models for three years or longer. That statement is a general policy, not a promise that every Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO phone receives the same number of operating-system upgrades. Check the product’s current support listing before purchase.
Which brand should you consider?
- Consider Xiaomi when you want the company’s main global line or its most prominent camera and flagship products.
- Consider Redmi for broad entry-level and midrange selection.
- Consider POCO when processor performance and price are the main filters, while checking what the model gives up in other areas.
The badge is only a starting point. Regional warranty, network compatibility, software-support policy, and the exact model specification are more useful than assuming one of the three names is always better.
Sources
- Xiaomi company profile
- Xiaomi board and leadership
- Xiaomi global support policy for Xiaomi, REDMI, and POCO
- Official POCO store on Xiaomi Global
- Xiaomi global warranty information
Sources and brand relationships reviewed July 15, 2026.