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Today saw the UK smartphone and consumer electronics with the launch of the flagship Mi 8 Pro smartphone, a solid portfolio of Android-powered handsets, a new store in London, and an electric scooter. How will Western markets take to the strange mix of Xiaomi's consumer products, smartphones, and impactful branding?
The bridgehead in the UK begins with the Mi 8 Pro smartphone.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro (image: Ewan Spence)Ewan Spence
High Specifications At A Low Price
Let's face it, the table stakes for a flagship device make for a great phone. The Mi 8 Pro has the requisite SnapDragon 845 system on chip, a dual camera setup (two 12 megapixel cameras), facial recognition for unlocking, a 6.21inch AMOLED display with a notch that looks exactly like that on the iPhone XR, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of internal storage. The presenter is the same – the in-display fingerprint reader.
The Mi 8 Pro is the latest handset that packs in the features, trims the margins, and looks to the community and the after-sales market for financial success. With prices starting at £ 499 (matching the similarly specious OnePlus 6T) the Mi 8 Pro is an attractive handset … but it has a transparent secret weapon to bring people to the Xiaomi ecosystem.
Xiaomi's Brand Leveraging
While the geekerati will get rather excited about the specifications of the Mi 8 Pro, it's the use of a transparent glass cover of the Mi 8 Pro that is going to be noticed. While the chips and circuitry are on the market, the market is looking for something else and the opportunity for Mi 8 fans to show off their handset.
Getting a community on board is a new endeavor for the smartphone market. OnePlus has been pretty much a part of their playbook, while the rabid support for Apple and the iPhone is a textbook implementation. MacBooks – and while there are no LEDs to throw out some futuristic lights on the chips, wiring, coils, and battery to create a silicon fascinator.
If you're on a call, people will see 'inside' the phone. If you want to show your new phone, the chips are going to be highlighted. The Mi 8 Pro could quickly become "the phone you can see inside" the UK as the Xiaomi community.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro (image: Ewan Spence)Ewan Spence
The Strategy Of Many Razors And Many More Blades
Although it is a powerhouse in its home country of China and the massive Indian market (which puts the company in the fourth place in the smartphone market), Xiaomi has taken its time to expand in the traditional 'western' markets. With a foothold in Spain, France, and Italy, the United Kingdom is arguably the biggest new frontier for the Beijing-based company. From Xiaomi's blog post:
Xiaomi's entry into the UK follows its arrival in France and Italy this May, and the official entry last in Spain, its first Western European market, where it had already become the # 3 smartphone vendor as per Canalys. Today Xiaomi has entered 74 markets globally and is top in 30 markets. As per Q2 IDC report, Xiaomi is ranked 4th in the global smartphone market with nearly 50% year on year growth rate.
Xiaomi is not changing its strategy for this launch. The handsets are a comparable price and while I would expect them to have some margin, there will be a huge margin on the handsets. The real value will be in the Xiaomi name, the peripherals, and the lifestyle products that are sold to the smartphones.
That's why the key part of the launch is not necessarily the flagship Mi8 Pro, the mid-range Redmi 6A. It's the reveal that Xiaomi will be opening at Mi Store in Westfield London. Establish the Xiaomi brands, bring users to the ecosystem, and offer them a wide range of products. It's working in China. It's working in India.
Now let's see if it works in the UK.
Many years ago I reviewed the Xiaomi Mi 4, what's changed since then?
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Today saw the UK smartphone and consumer electronics with the launch of the flagship Mi 8 Pro smartphone, a solid portfolio of Android-powered handsets, a new store in London, and an electric scooter. How will Western markets take to the strange mix of Xiaomi's consumer products, smartphones, and impactful branding?
The bridgehead in the UK begins with the Mi 8 Pro smartphone.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro (image: Ewan Spence)Ewan Spence
High Specifications At A Low Price
Let's face it, the table stakes for a flagship device make for a great phone. The Mi 8 Pro has the requisite SnapDragon 845 system on chip, a dual camera setup (two 12 megapixel cameras), facial recognition for unlocking, a 6.21inch AMOLED display with a notch that looks exactly like that on the iPhone XR, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of internal storage. The presenter is the same – the in-display fingerprint reader.
The Mi 8 Pro is the latest handset that packs in the features, trims the margins, and looks to the community and the after-sales market for financial success. With prices starting at £ 499 (matching the similarly specious OnePlus 6T) the Mi 8 Pro is an attractive handset … but it has a transparent secret weapon to bring people to the Xiaomi ecosystem.
Xiaomi's Brand Leveraging
While the geekerati will get rather excited about the specifications of the Mi 8 Pro, it's the use of a transparent glass cover of the Mi 8 Pro that is going to be noticed. While the chips and circuitry are on the market, the market is looking for something else and the opportunity for Mi 8 fans to show off their handset.
Getting a community on board is a new endeavor for the smartphone market. OnePlus has been pretty much a part of their playbook, while the rabid support for Apple and the iPhone is a textbook implementation. MacBooks – and while there are no LEDs to throw out some futuristic lights on the chips, wiring, coils, and battery to create a silicon fascinator.
If you're on a call, people will see 'inside' the phone. If you want to show your new phone, the chips are going to be highlighted. The Mi 8 Pro could quickly become "the phone you can see inside" the UK as the Xiaomi community.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro (image: Ewan Spence)Ewan Spence
The Strategy Of Many Razors And Many More Blades
Although it is a powerhouse in its home country of China and the massive Indian market (which puts the company in the fourth place in the smartphone market), Xiaomi has taken its time to expand in the traditional 'western' markets. With a foothold in Spain, France, and Italy, the United Kingdom is arguably the biggest new frontier for the Beijing-based company. From Xiaomi's blog post:
Xiaomi's entry into the UK follows its arrival in France and Italy this May, and the official entry last in Spain, its first Western European market, where it had already become the # 3 smartphone vendor as per Canalys. Today Xiaomi has entered 74 markets globally and is top in 30 markets. As per Q2 IDC report, Xiaomi is ranked 4th in the global smartphone market with nearly 50% year on year growth rate.
Xiaomi is not changing its strategy for this launch. The handsets are a comparable price and while I would expect them to have some margin, there will be a huge margin on the handsets. The real value will be in the Xiaomi name, the peripherals, and the lifestyle products that are sold to the smartphones.
That's why the key part of the launch is not necessarily the flagship Mi8 Pro, the mid-range Redmi 6A. It's the reveal that Xiaomi will be opening at Mi Store in Westfield London. Establish the Xiaomi brands, bring users to the ecosystem, and offer them a wide range of products. It's working in China. It's working in India.
Now let's see if it works in the UK.
Many years ago I reviewed the Xiaomi Mi 4, what's changed since then?
