Mobile phone enthusiasts may have noted that some Android phone manufacturers have pushed the sub-brand agenda so well it has actually paid off in the long run. Huawei has its Honor arm, and so does OPPO with Realme, among many others. The latest addition to this trend is also a Chinese manufacturer, Xiaomi, which has announced that its Redmi line will be a sub-brand that will focus on building budget devices for its users.
Xiaomi, which officially started selling its phones in Kenya in late 2018 already has another sub-brand – POCO, which is currently served by one device: the POCOPHONE F1 that is also available in Kenya if you look for it in some online stores (the stock brought in by Xiaomi was depleted). The Redmi sub-brand is popular especially in India where the manufacturer sells millions of devices in a short time. In fact, it can be argued that the popularity of Redmi phones, specifically the Redmi Notes, has necessitated the company to channel resources towards making the brand a more appealing to its loyalists.
To this end, Xiaomi’s playbook is straightforward: it will dedicate the Mi series to high-end customers, the POCO sub-brand for customers who want high-end performance at a budget (the price of the POCOPHONE is still astounding – but we know how the company got to that price, but that is a story for another day) and lastly, budget-conscious people will now be served by Redmi.
Among the company’s most popular devices in Kenya include the aforementioned F1 and Redmi 6A that we reviewed a few months ago and loved. The Redmi Note 6 can also be purchased locally via Jumia.
Xiaomi’s first device under the new sub-brand will be announced sometime next week.
