After the numerous launches in the past month, i.e. Xiaomi Mi 5s, Mi 5s Plus, Mi Note 2 and Mi MIX; Xiaomi’s Vice President for global operations told to the media that none of their latest flagship smartphones will be coming to India. But what are the reasons of such a drastic decision?
Hugo Barra told Pcmag “The reason why is very simple to explain. Our portfolio in India is very small. We focus on having one flagship every year, which (for now) is Mi 5. From a portfolio perspective, we have one flagship a year in India”. He also said he hopes for the situation to get better next year.
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This decision comes after the very low sale numbers of the past Xiaomi Mi 5 and Mi 4 launched earlier this year, which haven’t done as well as other cheaper budget Xiaomi devices.
Indeed, smartphone buyers in India prefer more affordable handsets, just like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 which has had a huge success in that market, along with the Redmi 3s and Redmi 3s Prime, also received very positively.
This change of direction doesn’t stop Xiaomi from investing in India, though. They’re still going to create their “experience centers” called Mi Home in the Asian country.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Are you from in India and were interested in any of their flagship devices? Let us know in the comments below
brilliant decision….. People want alternatives from high priced phones at a reasonable price point. Mi seemed first choice. But then people realized Mi just dumps low spec phones in india. MI5 which is their flagship only sell 32Gb option not even 64GB . There is growing class of young people who want better devices with max 35k INR as budget. Oneplus realized this and reaping the benefits. even I saw sales executives prefer Oneplus as primary phone ditching Samsung, Sony LG etc. with this strategy Mi will always remain 2nd choice. Same applies to ZTE Nubia. Lenovo on other hand strikes a good balance with zuk and K series. Mi has put their collar up and showing Indians that they are not worth a market for mi niche devices. People will move on and you will soon feel the pinch.
Very true!!!
That’s bs. The problem is that people with money to spend are self conscious idiots and want to by what “seems” premium. Xiaomi released the redmi series. These inexpensive phones have made the brand into a cheap brand. Most idiots with “money” don’t want to be seen with what their peers deem as a “cheap” brand. Oneplus has only released expensive flagships so now their perception is that of a “premium” brand. Xiaomi is doing the right thing because what they will end up doing is move cheap redmi phones in mass and that will generate a heafty profit. They might as well remove their flagships all together and focus on moving mass quantities
You seems butt hurt by any indian who is expressing his opinion here. You know what we give people like you? BURNOL. Google it and buy some. Apply where your are burnt. Lol :)))
Unlike the rest of these nutcases, you actually discussed the topic instead of being butthurt and resorting to name calling. For that, I respect you.
I don’t agree. There different segments of Indian market . if Indians are so price sensitive apple,Sony,Samsung or lg may not even exist in India. The fact is xiomi emerged as a alternative to high priced phones with latest hw and affordable price. Hence people loved it. Initial days redmi was a hit among young people . Then a budding class of earning professional liked it but they want sonthing niche at least on hw. But looking at recent trends of xiaomi it was dissapointing say mi Max. A 6.4 inch device is not at all handy to carry. Many people prefer 5 to 5.5 inch phones. One plus set the tone right with high end specs and vanila android of course great camera and storage. They offerd a consiatant price point too and understood the 35k barrier. Xiomi on the other hand gone all wrong whats the point of a device with 32gb storage people will not buy it as they get a older flagship like g4 or z3 in same range.Now xiaomi complaining not doing well . how come you do well when you don’t undetand the dynamics. On top look the audacity saying Indian s not worth niche devices. On my thought mi note 2 64 gb at 30k would have been a hot cake. It would have xiaomi established as premium brand as Samsung . its a wrong move and it going to cost them
In general you have 3 different makers in a market place. The essential. The casual. The enthusiasts. The essential buy whatever they can afford because they need a device. The casual has money to spend. The enthusiast is self explanatory. The issue is that the enthusiast and casual market overlap but are completely different. The casual is the bulk of high end niche markets. The issue is that they don’t care a thing about specs. A lot of them dont know the different CE between a SD 650 or an sd820. They simply don’t care. This is why Apple and oppo are doing so well. They are offering phones that are nowhere near their prices spec wise yet they are doing well. This is basic universal human psychology. The Indian market is worth niche devices but xiaomi blew that chance when they dropped the redmi line. They are now known amongst casuals as that cheap phone that everybody has so they might as well save money and run with it.
Tldr For example there is a Walmart. Across the street there is a saks fifth avenue or expensive boutique. The Walmart is selling cheap clothes. Very few people is going to buy a very expensive outfit from the Walmart because Walmart is where they sell the cheap clothes.
The mi mix with 16gb at 35k with limited quantities and never selling the redmi series to begin with would’ve made xiaomi into how apple is perceived in the states. If you want to appear like you are the one ahead of fashion, tech, and all trends in general then you’d have to have one. That’s 100 times more important than specs. Apple, Oppo, Samsung have proven this already in every single market they’ve touched.