PepsiCo joins Apple, Samsung in bandwagon; will launch own smartphone in China

It was reported that Pepsi will be releasing its own line of smartphones in China. According to MobiPicker, the new smartphone will be called Pepsi P1 and will have a 5.5-inch 1080p display. It will have a 1.7GHz processor, a 2GB ram with 16GB internal storage with a 3000 mAh battery. There will be two cameras; the front will have a 5-megapixel capability while the rear will be at 13-megapixels. It is reported that it will run on Android 5.1 Lollipop OS with a price tag of CNY 1,299 (at least $200). According to the outlet's Chinese sources, the Pepsi P1 will be presented in Beijing on Oct. 20.

According to a report by Reuters, the phones will only be available in China and is part of company's marketing plan for the country.

"Available in China only, this effort is similar to recent globally licensed Pepsi products which include apparel and accessories," a PepsiCo spokesperson told the outlet via e-mail.

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.

"Pepsi has always moved at the speed of culture, and today technology is a key cultural pillar at the heart of consumer interaction," the company said, according to the report by Daily Mail. "Pepsi has no plans to get into the mobile phone manufacturing business, but we are committed to engaging with consumers in innovative ways to grow our brand."

While the phone specs are average at best, the outlet added that the smartphone may come with a fingerprint scanner and "physical buttons" under the screen. Furthermore, the company is working with a licensing partner to market the smartphone and its accessories in China.

In other news, sales of the Diet Pepsi have continued to reduce after its conventional aspartame sweetener was replaced by a safer one. Customers complain that the taste of the drink has changed since then.

According to one customer, the new diet pepsi is "sickly sweet."

"It has a nasty aftertaste, and it's sickly sweet. You have to wash it out with water," said Davod Zimdars, a Diet Pepsi loyalist of 30 years, in an interview with Yahoo Finance.

The diet soda sales have fallen to 6.6 percent in the US after the aspartame-free Diet Pepsi was introduced to the market.