Xiaomi’s never been one to launch their flagship phones in India and now reports apparently say that Lei Jun, co-founder and CEO of Xiaomi, doesn’t think that the Mi Mix 2 and India made the ‘best fit’. And, since the earlier flagship didn't do very well in the Indian market, its successor, the Mi Mix 2S might not launch in India either.
According to India Today, Lei Jun stated, “I think the Mi Mix 2 might not be the best fit for some of the target audiences in India. It uses four sided curved ceramic body, and 18K gold coating. A lot of these things might not necessarily be suitable for the Indian market."
He followed up saying, "Actually, it's a piece of art. The Indian market will still take some time to accept this product. So with regards to whether we should work on the Mix or not, I and Manu shared different opinions. I always insist that we should not just blindly take all products to India. That might not be appropriate.”
His justification was that the products that Xiaomi brings to India aren’t just for the sake of expanding their portfolio but about making sure they’re popular. This follows from the fact that the Mi Mix 2 wasn’t a that big a hit, thus, the Mi Mix 2S won’t be appreciated either since it’s the successor to the Xiaomi flagship.
Lei Jun credits the popularity of the Mi Mix 2S in China to its wireless charging feature. According to him, the charging speed is exceeding average expectations and the main boon is the fact that the wireless charging dock is sold at much cheaper price than the market norm.
He added, “Next year, or the year after, on premium phones, we can introduce wireless charging in India as well.” This basically implies that Xiaomi doesn’t have plans of launching its flagship models in India for a while. It’s not surprising strategically considering that the Mi Mix 2 and the Mi 5, both, didn’t do nearly as well as Xiaomi’s Redmi series.
If the previous statement seems vague, Lei Jun also said, “Our team has limited bandwidth, so right now there are no plans to bring the Mi Mix 2S to India.”
Xiaomi Mi A1
What about Android One phones?
There’s hope yet. The Mi A2, the Android One version of the Xiaomi Mi 6X, may still be landing in India. Lei Jun confirmed, “Yes, there’s a plan to bring more Android One devices to India because there are still quite a few users in India who prefer Android One.”
He also shed light on Xiaomi's future plans, stating, "We need to do things step by step. We already have five successful lines. Our next logical focus would be between 15,000 and 20,000. Then 20,000 and 30,000. Then 30,000 and above."
The Xiaomi brand is mainly known for its budget phones in India. Entry-level phones and mid-range phones are their forte and they know how to take on the competition. They currently have the larger market share in the India, toppling over Samsung, as of Q4 2017.
A lot of anticipation has built around the Mi A2 in the past couple of days with Xiaomi releasing teasers on Weibo and specification leaks online. It's expected that the phone will launch along side the Mi 6X on April 25.
- Rumours about the upcoming Mi A2 phones,
- Mi A2 leak pops online, reveals detailed specification
- Xiaomi Mi 6X with dual cameras, slim metal design teased