POCO M8 Power tipped to launch in India as rebranded Redmi Note 17 with 8,000mAh battery
The POCO M8 Power appears to be on its way to India, and a new leak suggests it could simply be a rebranded version of the Redmi Note 17 that launched in China. References to the device have reportedly been spotted in the latest HyperOS firmware, with the model number indicating an Indian variant of the Redmi device.
The discovery, by tipster Kacper Skrzypek, follows Redmi’s launch of the Note 17 in China yesterday. While the Chinese model carries the number 26021RN18C, the leaked POCO device is listed as 26021PC18I. The “RN” prefix denotes Redmi, “PC” stands for POCO, and the final “I” indicates the Indian market. This strongly suggests Xiaomi plans to bring the phone to India under the POCO brand instead of the Redmi name. This isn’t entirely surprising as Xiaomi has this strategy of rebranding Redmi devices as POCO for different regions.
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Expected key specifications
If the POCO M8 Power inherits all of the Redmi Note 17’s hardware, it’ll come with a massive 7-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1,800 nits peak brightness and 2396 x 1080 resolution. It could be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 chipset. Besides the display size, another highlight is expected to be its 8,000mAh battery, which recent leaks claim will remain unchanged for the Indian model. Earlier speculation suggested Xiaomi could reduce the battery capacity outside China, but recent firmware findings indicate Indian buyers may receive the same large battery found in the Chinese variant.
Other expected specifications include up to 8GB RAM, 256GB storage, a 50MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, 45W wired fast charging, 22.5W reverse wired charging, IP65 dust and water resistance, NFC, and AI-powered anti-fraud features.
On paper, the combination of a large OLED display and an 8,000mAh battery could give the POCO M8 Power a clear advantage over rivals in the budget 5G segment, where battery sizes may steadily be increasing but display is capped around 6.8 inches.
Market status
Neither Xiaomi nor POCO has officially confirmed the smartphone, so details around pricing and launch timelines remain under wraps. It’s also unclear whether the Redmi Note 17 will launch in India separately with changed specs or whether Xiaomi will position the POCO M8 Power as its equivalent for the market.
If Xiaomi brings the Chinese hardware package to India unchanged, the POCO M8 Power could stand out among affordable smartphones by pairing an unusually large battery with an OLED display and a modern Snapdragon chipset. However, prospective buyers may still want to wait for official pricing before making a decision, as value has traditionally been one of POCO’s biggest selling points.
