Xiaomi recently unveiled its Mi 6 flagship smartphone in China last week. The device is powered by the latest Qualcomm chipset, the SD835 and sports a unique design with a dual camera on the rear panel. The new Mi 6 gets a big facelift from its predecessor Mi 5, which was launched last year.
Though Xiaomi did not reveal any plans for the global market during the launch, Xiaomi did not comment on the same for India too. However, India being the second largest market for Xiaomi outside China, the device could be headed this way soon. However, as mentioned earlier, Xiaomi did not reveal any plans for the global market as yet. The main reasons behind the delay are the certifications and the firmware that needs to be set for the global market. Presently, Google is banned in China and most Chinese smartphones cannot make it outside the country for lack of the Google apps, such as the Google Play Store and others.
Yesterday, a report by India Today claimed that Xiaomi won’t be bringing the flagship Mi 6 to India. Their information was based on an inside source who told India Today that Xiaomi will not bring bring the flagship to India. However, we fail to believe that Xiaomi will refrain from bringing the flagship handset to India since it is the second largest market (and most profitable too) for the company.
Based on this report, we decided to get in touch with Xiaomi.
In response, Xiaomi claimed they have not yet committed any global plans for the flagship Mi 6. This could very well mean that they are 'probably', currently planning for other markets. The response also was not stating anything in the negative, which also means that they did not directly say 'no'.
Xiaomi simply cannot sell any of their devices outside their country. It takes them immense trouble when planning something for the international market. Firstly, as stated above, they have to get the firmware ready for the international market. With India having several languages, their MIUI OS for the new device needs to be prepared with multiple languages. Secondly, they have to apply for several certifications for a smartphone sale in a different country. Licensing is another hurdle they have to dodge. And lastly, shipping and after sales services are also needed to be prepared before they commit anything for an international market.
Based on older records, Xiaomi has been launching all their flagship handsets in India, right from the Mi 3, when they entered India way back in 2014. The next on plate was the Mi 4 and then the Mi 5, which is the current Mi flagship in India.
When Xiaomi needs to launch a product for a particular model outside their country, they go through another intensive internal process. This includes design, firmware, pricing, etc, based on the market they are planning. Hence, for India, Xiaomi could have a slightly different plan based on the Indian needs. Probably a slight design change, eliminating a few features that are not needed in India, adding a few depending on the trend by Indian users, and so on. This will definitely affect the pricing and Xiaomi has to be aggressive on this front, especially taking care of what the rival brands could compete with.
Xiaomi has always been concentrating on budget-centric devices for their audience and has hence won the hearts of their fans with high-end hardware on a budget or pocket-friendly price. Hence, if you take note of the Mi 6 handset, it is priced at almost half of the Samsung Galaxy S8. No doubt the amount of features on the S8 are no match for the Mi 6, the performance is what matters to most Mi users.
The India Today report also mentions the company probably launching the Mi Mix 2 or Mi Note 2 in India. However, we feel that the two devices may not work well in the Indian market. Though the devices are extremely high-end, there may be less takers. India is a very budget-oriented market and the Redmi series, are the best budget-friendly devices that are currently selling as hot cakes in the Indian market. Xiaomi seems to be concentrating more on the Redmi series and will definitely put one flagship handset out there for the performance seekers. Hence, we definitely think that the Mi 6 will see light in India.
As far as the specifications of Xiaomi Mi 6 are concerned, the device features a 5.15-inch (1080p) display and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC. The device packs 6GB RAM along with 64GB of internal storage and is powered by a 3,350mAh battery. On the camera front, the smartphone sports a 12MP rear camera along with an 8MP front snapper. The device sports no headphone jack, similar to Apple’s iPhone 7. The Xiaomi Mi 6 is presently priced around Rs 24,000 in China and is almost similarly priced as the previous flagship Mi 5 (when launched) in India. So expect the Xiaomi Mi 6 in India to be similarly priced when it launches in India. However, Xiaomi has not yet commented on whether they will bring the flagship to India, and if it does, when will it launch the same here. So all we have to say is 'wait for some time an Xiaomi couls make an announcement in the positive soon.'
