When Hugo Barra left Google to join Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, many people saw that as a sign that the company might be the next big thing to sweep the globe in the smartphone industry. To some extent, that has proven to be true. Xiaomi has quickly risen to become the third largest smartphone manufacturer. That achievement has been accomplished on the back of their sales success in China and India. With some impressive devices, many are hoping Xiaomi will expand to other markets sooner rather than later, but in a recent interview with the BBC, Barra says not so fast.
Barra did confirm that Xiaomi has some ambitious, or as he puts it “insane,” plans to expand their global footprint. However, despite rumors flying during CES 2015, Barra says it will still be a few years until the company expands to European markets or the U.S. According to Barra, the market saturation and demands from consumers in those markets present some challenges for Xiaomi compared to some of the markets they are working on like India, Brazil, Russia, Turkey and Mexico.
Do you think Xiaomi will eventually succeed in European and North American markets if they take their time or will they miss a window of opportunity? Would you consider buying a Xiaomi smartphone if they were generally available in the U.S.?
source: BBC
Why not, they are decent quality (some of the models are even better than the flaghsips here in the western markets) and most importantly they are cheaper as well. So if a quality product gives you a value for money as well – that is a no brainer for me.
OnePlus One was a typical example. I have reviewed it as an excellent handset on my blog becuase it was good built, powerful specs and half the price of the other top players. I absolutely loved that phone. Wanted to see more of the Xiaomi handsets to emerge in western markets but it appears that it may take a few years now.
I’m in Asia now, and saw some of their stuff in stores. And I must say, I’m impressed! Build quality on par with Apple! (Ok, by quick “hold in hands” comparison).