Pepsi is making a phone

Mobipicker first reported that there were rumors about the smartphone, but Reuters confirmed its truth: a PepsiCo spokeswoman told the news outlet that her company is indeed releasing a phone. “Available in China only, this effort is similar to recent globally licensed Pepsi products which include apparel and accessories”, said a Pepsi spokesperson. The Pepsi smartphone, dubbed Pepsi P1 will be manufactured by one of the Chinese companies that delivers such devices.

All we know is: the phone is reportedly a mid-range device that’ll cost about ¥1,299 ($205/£133) when it launches on 20 October in China. The device is said to be only sold in China where consumers have a lot of options for cheap smartphones.

It’s probable that the Pepsi Phone will remain a foreign endeavor if it ever does come to fruition since PepsiCo. The one detail that Pepsi did confirm?

The Pepsi P1 will be running Android 5.1, but as it will be a Chinese phone, there won’t be any Google services like Gmail, Maps, or the Play Store. That’s quite unlikely and we think Pepsi is just trying to press its luck in this product segment. The Pepsi P1 smartphone will sport a 13 megapixels rear camera along with a 5 megapixel front facing camera for selfies and video chats.

The dark satanic rumour mill has manufactured a hell on earth yarn which says that Pepsi’s official Weibo has also teased a phone. Leaked images show a potential sensor and physical buttons. If so, the Pepsi P1 might not be available anywhere else unless the manufacturer invests in shipping it for sale outside of China.

Tech analysts however do not expect much innovation from the new smartphone, especially in light of Pepsi’s announcement that it has no objective in staying on the market for too long.