While word on the interwebs is that Xiaomi will soon release a high-end $600 smartphone to properly rival the big boys, Apple, Samsung and the like that have dominated the “pricey smartphone” segment for so long.
Even as we wait for that to happen, it is worth noting that Xiaomi has not always been known for $600 or other expensively-priced smartphones. Its success has stemmed from its great budget smartphone offerings. These have largely been its Redmi devices which mostly cost less than $200 in most markets.
Started in 2013, the Redmi brand has so far managed to sell a whopping 110 million units in its nearly 3 years of existence. This is according to Xiaomi Vice President Hugo Barra who tweeted the milestone.
Xiaomi has sold 110 million Redmi phones globally since our first Redmi phone launched in Aug 2013. That's 1.21 units per second in 3 years!
— Hugo Barra (@hbarra) July 11, 2016
From my own interaction with some of the Redmi devices from Xiaomi, this number is truly representative of the far the company has come in its quest to provide affordable devices without undercutting much of the features that make smartphones costly in the first place. And the market reception has been wildly positive, something we expect to continue going into the future as better mid-range smartphones become more sensible buys than overpriced premium devices. I’ve said just as much before.
