According to its global vice-president Hugo Barra, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi is not worried about the drop in global smartphone sales.
Xiaomi has become the most valuable startup, being considered the best-selling smartphone maker in all of China, even if it missed its sale target by 12 percent in 2015 and has reduced its overall sales by 45 percent.
Being an unconventional smartphone company, Xiaomi has sparked the interest of Western and Eastern users alike, allowing the business to sustain itself amid the current period of apparent financial uncertainty.
“Basically we’re giving handsets to you without making any money… we care about the recurring revenue streams over many years. We could sell 10 billion smartphones and we wouldn’t make a single dime in profits,” stated Hugo Barra.
A new contender in a recessive market
One of the highest-acclaimed moves made by Xiaomi is launching the Mi Note 2, a smartphone that mimics the specifications of Samsung’s failed Galaxy Note 7, which was prone to explosions caused by its battery. The Mi Note 2 has a curved display and a large, pristine screen, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset with 4GB of RAM.
The Mi Note also boasts a large 22MP rear camera, able to capture video at 4K resolution. The phone will also be compatible with Xiaomi’s VR headset, the Mi VR, which will come equipped with a motion controller. The Mi Note 2 list price stands at $413 for the 4GB model and $516 for the 6GB model.
Another interesting model is the Redmi 3S, becoming one of the best-selling smartphones in India. It features a 13MP camera with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 2GB of RAM. Its list price stands at $192.
There’s also the Mi Mix concept smartphone, with a beautiful edgeless display and 128GB of internal storage. It boasts a ceramic rear, which has been taken by users as one of its unique features. Currently, it os only sold in China, while it’s the most expensive smartphone sold by Xiaomi as of yet. It is one of the few smartphones whose screen takes all of the phone’s front section, allowing for an unprecedented visual experience that takes the user to another layer of immersion. Although it can be bought in the U.S. from third-parties, it may be impossible to get it fixed if it were to get damaged.
But even if the smartphones offered by Xiaomi appear to be worthy competitors of major brands like Samsung and Apple, the company has decided not to rely on smartphone sales for keeping itself afloat. Currently, Xiaomi is developing appliances, such as robot vacuum cleaners and smart rice cookers.
Perhaps this may change due to Xiaomi having announced that it would release a new “global” product at CES in January. There is no indication as to whether the reveal will be a smartphone or not. Most reviewers appear skeptical seeing that Xiaomi has to go over U.S. regulations for its products to be taken by service providers.
Source: IBT