Pepsi moves into mobile phones

Reflecting the company’s audio expertise, the Marshall London has twin headphone jacks and a dedicated audio chip embedded, while Caterpillar’s Cat phones are built with a rugged design, reflecting the construction equipment company itself. PepsiCo said that the phone is similar to other licensed products it has across the world, reports PC Magazine.

Recent leaks on Chinese social networking website Weibo had revealed that Pepsi planned to build a smartphone, which is likely to be a mid-range handset and could be launched in China on October 20.

If the rumors are to be believed then the Pepsi P1 is almost a smartphone that follows the rest of the budget category offerings available in the Chinese market. The device, aptly termed the Pepsi P1, is purported to have a 5.5-inch display with 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. The device will run on Android 5.1 software which will be pre-installed.

To be clear, the food and beverage company says it will not be getting into the mobile phone manufacturing business.

We’ve had Facebook phones and Obama phones, why not Pepsi phones? The fingerprint scanner isn’t missing either, while the 3000 mAh battery should provide enough juice for a full day of intensive use.

As to why the soda giant delved into the business of producing smartphones, they said that they are trying to connect with their target consumers through technology. It has worked with Bang & Olufsen and Del Toro for its soccer campaign products.

So far, the company has only disclosed that the Pepsi P1 phone will not be a high-end model; therefore it won’t cost more than $200. However, it would have been pragmatic for the company to launch a Pepsi app rather than partnering with someone else to launch a full-fledged smartphone.