Pepsi-phone on the way?

Over the past few days, the rumour mill has been busy saying the Chinese subsidiary of PepsiCo is working on a Pepsi Android smartphone.

PepsiCo is wandering out of the world of soft drinks. Behind the scenes, there’s a 1.7 GHz MediaTek MT6592 processor, with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. That’s based of a pair of blurry renders though, and it’s possible the actual device could turn out pretty different.

But what seems even more interesting is the conclusion that, as technology costs come down, the devices we cherish and love essentially become throwaway items, ideal for marketing. It’s fitted with a 13-megapixel rear camera plus a five-megapixel front camera.

One rumored phone, as mentioned in a leak on a Weibo page is said to be named the “Pepsi P1”. Pepsi won’t be making the phones itself, though, opting instead to license its brand to another company that’ll make Pepsi-branding phones and accessories.

PepsiCo Inc didn’t name the licensing partner, who manufactures mobile phones in China.

It is thought that Pepsi has licensed its brand to another device manufacturer but it is not clear which one or why. The phone will be backed by a 3000 mAh battery. The images and the detailed specs of the budget handset have already hit the internet and the phone will be called Pepsi P1. It is reported that it will run on Android 5.1 Lollipop OS with a price tag of CNY 1,299 (at least $200).

Pepsi, a company best known for its worldwide range of beverages, is planning to announce its own Android smartphone, according to multiple reports from Android insider websites.

The Pepsi P1, however, doesn’t offer free drinks when you open it. Maybe a “Crystal P1” model reflecting a Crystal Pepsi dispenser, or a phone body made from Pepsi can aluminum will do.