It’s not really new for any corporate brand to start experimenting in industries that they are not exactly known for, but this one probably takes the cake as far as most surprising leaps from one industry to another are concerned. Where Pepsi has always been a brand associated with beverage, it seems that they are now making their presence known in a completely different territory – smartphones.
Here are a few facts that you have to know about the new Pepsi smartphone:
The Name and the Price
Called the Pepsi P1, it is the very first in a stream of smartphones and accessories that thebrand’s Chinese arm plans to release over the next few months. That all too familiar red and blue logo will not just be visible on bottles and cans anymore, but on the shiny exteriors of
phones as well.
The P1 is said to cost 1,299 Yuan, which converts to around $205. The planned release is around end of this month, with the next few phones in the series to be released right after.
The Specs
The Pepsi P1 will run on Android 5.1. It has a 5.5-inch display at 1080p, with a 13-megapixel rear
camera and 5-megapixel front camera. Using a 3000mAh battery, it gives up to 16GB of internal
storage, and has 2GB of RAM.
Sure, there’s nothing spectacular about these specs, but it proves to be a practical approach for
the brand knowing that this is their first time venturing into the smartphone scene. These are all
pretty basic, so it should be able cater to the basic needs of a regular consumer.
The Availability
Unfortunately, this new line of phones will only be available in China. Pepsi’s corporate office
actually says that they have no plans to break into the smartphone scene on a global scale, and
has only given a Chinese smartphone manufacturer license to manufacturer this new line of tech
products using their name and their brand. According to their spokesperson, Pepsi just wishes to
move where culture takes them, and at the moment, technology seems to be the key pillar of today’s culture.
This move is also in conjunction with the release of different apparel and accessories bearing the Pepsi brand in other parts of the world. Some of these partnerships include a football campaign done with the Italian shoemaker Del Toro, as well as a collaboration with the Danish luxury TV and stereo brand Bang & Olufsen. It’s not exactly a move to explore new business opportunities. For Pepsi, it’s just about building the brand further and making the name known in different circles.
So it looks like your favorite stores that sell electronics will not really have these phones in any of their shelves soon. But considering the huge publicity that Pepsi is getting out of this, they should make a decent amount of sales from the China market. The smartphone industry has been booming in their part of the world after all, and this new contender could snatch some of the audience away from the other mainstays.
Cesar is a Product Manager at Gadget Salvation, a leader in the refurbished electronics industry. An avid technology enthusiast, he’s always on top of the latest tech trends and applies that knowledge to drive product innovation.
