Xiaomi may finally enter the US smartphone market this year

[Greg S]

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi could finally break into the United States market after much struggle. Both Huawei and Xiaomi have discussed US sales strategies in the past, but Huawei has since been under intense scrutiny and may not come to the US at all, leaving an open opportunity for Xiaomi to jump in.

According to Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun, the company could begin marketing to US consumers within the next year. At the same time, Xiaomi is also working on its initial public offering to raise capital for expansion. Having only started in 2010, Xiaomi has rapidly grown to be one of the largest smartphone makers now valued at as much as $100 billion.

Even though Xiaomi is not yet in the United States market, it is still an absolutely massive tech company. With over 15,000 employees and more than $15 billion in annual revenue, the stage is set for some real competition to occur. Xiaomi may even have Samsung reexamining sales strategies after taking the number one rank for units sold during the fourth quarter of 2017 in India.

For now, Xiaomi continues to sell its accessory products throughout the US and Europe, but will takes its time to ensure that the introduction of smartphones is done right. The Mi Mix 2 offers specifications similar to that of flagship phones including 128 GB of storage, 6 GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 835 processor, Bluetooth 5.0, and bezel-free display. All of that can be found for slightly under $500.

The Redmi line of phones from Xiaomi offers even more affordable pricing on phones that greatly resemble the iPhone. Redmi phones start around $150 and go up to around the $300 price point. These may not impress enthusiasts with their specs, but a 3,000mAh battery and microSD card slot combined with low price could certainly make them appealing to some.

The introduction of Chinese smartphones to the US market could have a significant impact on sales of current leaders Apple and Samsung. Now that nearly all smartphones perform well for daily use, the differentiating factors that allow premiums to be commanded are slowly finding their way into budget smartphones.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/73552-xiaomi-may-finally-enter-us-smartphone-market-year.html

 

[QuantumPhysics]

The only market they disrupt is the low-end Android market.

iPhone will be undisturbed.

It's Samsung, LG and HTC who will suffer.

 

[OutlawCecil]

The only market they disrupt is the low-end Android market.

iPhone will be undisturbed.

It's Samsung, LG and HTC who will suffer.

I'm not sure I agree here. For one, iPhones are not better quality. Diehard Apple fans buy iPhones because they are made by Apple... Nothing more. The last Iphone removed a bunch of loved features and they included a price tag of $999 so there's a chance Not-So-Diehard Apple fans may seek a phone that is LESS THAN HALF the cost for close to the same specs.

I bought a family member a low-cost Xiaomi Note 4 (global) for $145 which has been an outstanding phone so far. My wife and I own OnePlus 3Ts which were $430 each and they could not be a better phones. They're amazing. There's NO reason to spend more than that unless you are paying for a brand.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

I'm not sure I agree here. For one, iPhones are not better quality. Diehard Apple fans buy iPhones because they are made by Apple... Nothing more. The last Iphone removed a bunch of loved features and they included a price tag of $999 so there's a chance Not-So-Diehard Apple fans may seek a phone that is LESS THAN HALF the cost for close to the same specs.

I bought a family member a low-cost Xiaomi Note 4 (global) for $145 which has been an outstanding phone so far. My wife and I own OnePlus 3Ts which were $430 each and they could not be a better phones. They're amazing. There's NO reason to spend more than that unless you are paying for a brand.

iOS vs Android

There is no cross shopping

 

[Evernessince]

I'm not sure I agree here. For one, iPhones are not better quality. Diehard Apple fans buy iPhones because they are made by Apple... Nothing more. The last Iphone removed a bunch of loved features and they included a price tag of $999 so there's a chance Not-So-Diehard Apple fans may seek a phone that is LESS THAN HALF the cost for close to the same specs.

I bought a family member a low-cost Xiaomi Note 4 (global) for $145 which has been an outstanding phone so far. My wife and I own OnePlus 3Ts which were $430 each and they could not be a better phones. They're amazing. There's NO reason to spend more than that unless you are paying for a brand.

iOS vs Android

There is no cross shopping

For the most part. That's what a locked down ecosystem will do. As an android user myself though, I wouldn't mind buying an Apple phone if they actually offered a phone I wanted at a decent price. The problem is, Apple will likely never do that and that's precisely what makes them Apple. That's a problem, because Apple's userbase can only ever shrink, they don't really try to appeal to other users.

 

[Vulcanproject]

Xiaomi make incredible quality devices for their cost. Their low end offerings would be very well reviewed but it doesn't end there. As soon as U.S consumers can walk into a store and buy say a Mi7 flagship for $450-500 with specs that match rivals at $700-800 there will be plenty of people that will take notice.

 

[p51d007]

Unless they tie it to a carrier or carriers, it won't happen, and, considering what happened to Huawei, you can bet the Apple/Samsung k-street lobbyist will shell out more money to keep anyone out of the USA carrier branded market. Or, at least until people stop thinking they have to buy a phone in the USA from a carrier. Or, until the insane prices come down and people start buying phones without the 0% interest, which they think is a good deal, until you figure out what they are overcharging for service.