Pepsi to Launch Smartphone and Mobile Accessories in China
PepsiCo Inc. is joining the list of non-tech corporations venturing into the mobile business by launching its own line of smartphones and accessories in China soon.
In an unexpected turn of events, PepsiCo Inc. announced on Monday that it has tied up with a licensing partner to launch smartphones and accessories in China in the very near future. However, the company said it will not enter the phone manufacturing sector, according to Reuters.
"Available in China only, this effort is similar to recent globally licensed Pepsi products which include apparel and accessories," Reuters quotes the PepsiCo spokeswoman's statement via email.
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PepsiCo's licensing partner has not been revealed in the statement, and no other details about the upcoming smartphone were mentioned, the report adds.
On Oct. 11, tech site Mobipicker published a report saying PepsiCo's upcoming mobile phone would be called the "Pepsi P1." The site also said the food and beverage giant will release the midrange device on Oct. 20, the report relays.
Mobipicker's report was based on a sighting of a page on China's social network Weibo titled "Pepsi Phone." The said page included tags mentioning IT products, mobile phone manufacturers, and electronics, PC Mag reports.
The tech site posted a follow-up report detailing the specs and features of the upcoming Pepsi P1 smartphone. According to the post, the device will run a 1.7 GHz MT6592 SoC processor with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage. It will also come with a 13-megapixel rear snapper and a 5-megapixel front camera, and will be powered with a 3,000 mAh battery. Pepsi P1 will run on the Android 5.1 Lollipop mobile OS and will come with a price tag of $205 (CNY1,299), the report details.
In addition, the name of Chinese firm Shenzhen Technology Co. came up on the Weibo page.
PepsiCo's plan to launch the Pepsi P1 smartphone is not the first time that the company has stepped outside the food and beverage industries. The firm has already launched its own Social Vending System and ventured into the stereo and shoe businesses.
