Do not you think Xiaomi is releasing too many phones?
Xiamio is using top level hardware and I believe can beat overpriced devices like pixel, iphone if they focus more on software like camera processing, battery management which should be easier if Xiamio had to maintain fewer device models.
What am I missing?
🤷🏻♂️
But I agree
It is easier to make a lot of different models for different customers, than to make a fewer models that everyone will enjoy.
With the levels of margin they have, they have to make new models weekly
Ask yourself this first, what is Xiaomi…?
Because I think (I could be wrong) but Xiaomi tend to “fund” a lot of projects.. that’s why they have sun brands like Mi, Redmi, Note, etc etc
Then Xiaomi have the vacuum cleaner company Dreame, their home goods range called Mijia … All these sub brands that all do different things but I think Xiaomi turn the dreams into a reality from a finance perspective
I suppose to some extent how (at least here in Australia) most of the craft beers are shadow owned and distributed by coca cola – like it’s all well n good to want to design a smart fan with WiFi but to get the product “going” you need a big brother to set it off
yeah, this.
i also hate this kind of too much phone thing, because i felt that they have so many trouble to maintain all of them.
I used to have a Redmi 5A, now I use a Mix 3. It felt that Redmi 5A software maintained pretty well back in those days compared to my Mix 3.
Heck today the global mix 3 doesn’t even get Android 10 and don’t even ask about Widevine L1.
Mi Mix 3 is the most useless 4K HDR capable device, because I can’t even play Netflix or Amazon Prime on HD.
Try seeing realme
They launched realme 5 5i 5s all under and between 120-130$
I totally agree with you! The software is not good enough and isn’t maintained. But they have to release so much models to sell as much as possible to maintain profitable with such low profit margins.
This makes a lot of sense.
Xiaomi targets a lot more price brackets than Apple. They also make specialized products for specific markets/countries. Thry are not comparable ans I prefer having wider choice options when looking for a phone.
Weird the Mix 3 5G has L1. Why the 4G version doesn’t? What the hell…
I don’t know, man. I understand that Mix 3 5G and Mix 3 4G has different SoC.
But this is hella insane, even Pocophone F1 (the Phone that has 845 SoC already got their L1.
Like WTF, they abandon their flagship for the extra budget flagship killer.
Xiaomi support their phones based on their success, sad but the reality.
Imagine having Redmi 8 or 7 models just the same form as their Note series but some downgraded SoC or cameras.
Redmi K series overlapping Pocophones.
At least is not Samsung or Huawei.
Realme releases more models than Xiaomi 😂, With even similar specs !
Flooding the market like India with products for every price point is a necessary strategy to remain relevant/profitable, the competition is getting good and catching up.
They are even starting to discontinue models in order to sell newest or more expensive versions of them, they make so much models that in a very short period if you are looking for a new phone the one that can fit your necessity can change constantly, i guess it’s fine for the customers as long prices are as good as they are by now and if they improve them in every model.
Yesterday me and my family went to a shopping mall to buy a new phone for my brother because his (my old) Xiaomi Mi A1 stopped charging, we were looking for the Mi 9T and it was really hard to find because, as we were told in the Xiaomi Store, they’re discountinuing the model to sell the Mi 9T Pro, so after searching in a lot of places we found one with a discount, and reconditioned for 259€.
Let them make more models, they make more money AND cover every price range.
My estimation, is that this is an intended market strategy. They want to enter as many foreign markets as possible, in as many different demographic targets as possible. Since they’re unable to compete with a giant like Samsung or iPhone toe to toe, one valid market strategy is to diversify their target demographic, and try to appeal to as many different slices of the market as possible. It allows them to maintain high market growth, better brand recognition, and allows them to streamline their phone manufacturing and development process, to cut costs across the board.
All in all, I don’t think you’re wrong, from a consumer perspective. But I think they’re not wrong from a business perspective, either. But for what it’s worth, I don’t think this is a long term market strategy. I think they will change their market orientation once they reach a certain predetermined milestone.
They’re “discontinuing” the Mi 9T? I find that hard to believe tbh. The thing is, they are still heavily pushing the non pro 9T in a lot of foreign markets, especially in 3rd world countries. So I sincerely doubt that they are discontinuing that model.
That said, they may decide to phase out stocking the non pro model in specific countries, in favor of selling the 9T pro.
Maybe it’s only in Spain idk (where I live), the worker in the Xiaomi Store told me they’re discontinuing the Mi 9T
Well, I won’t focus too much on the semantics of words. But I can easily see them ceasing to ship their 9T’s to Spain, in favor of selling the better equipped 9T Pro’s. Mostly the smartphone competition is fierce in Europe, and Xiaomi has to bring their A game constantly.
While in several 3rd world countries, the competition is very weak, and they would rather finish selling off their stocks of Mi 9’s, besides their Mi 9T’s. Fearing that introducing the 9T pro will make the remaining Mi 9’s unsellable, at their unjustifiably higher price point.
1 word – capitalism
/ thread
I see, here in Europe Xiaomi releases new models every few months, as I said yesterday my old Mi A1 stopped charging and my brother who was using it and he could have bought the Mi A3 and the Mi A4 could be coming anytime
Lol, I’m following the note line up, had note 3, note 4 and now note 7 pro
I do not think that is the reason.
It’s because the smartphone market is still in a dynamic state and people are buying smartphones left and right. And different people have different need at different price points. For this reason, they keep on making new phones at various different price points with varying levels of feature to satisfy the needs. They mainly focus on the Chinese & Indian market & this market has the most varied and competitive smartphones at all price points imaginable.
As far as I see the prices are very close.
Well now that they have Redmi, Poco brands for value for money models they can indeed concentrate on a few premium models under the Mi (Xiaomi) brand I suppose.
What I felt awkward was that the model numbers are being cycled through pretty fast these days. At the present rate,within an year you will have two Redmi notes, their corresponding Pro versions and budget models like 6, 6A.
IMO they could simply add a suffix to the number of the second model of the year like OnePlus does instead of going straight to the next number.
Definitely sucks, especially since I fell in love with this phone :c
Because the phone only supports widevine L3, which means apps like netflix and amazon prime can’t display in anything in HD. To watch them in HD the phone needs to support widevine L1 which is a certification the manufacturer has to acquire
Tbh Samsung is worse at saturating their model lineup, especially their former Galaxy J series, and now the Galaxy A series. The people from “Team Finland” are somewhat guilty of this as well.
The Xiaomi phones, although many seems abit easier to keep track of, but maybe it’s just what Xiaomi phones are available in my particular region.
You think Xiaomi releases many phones,
Just have a look at Realme,
Releasing same phone every month with new Name & Price
If you look at the downloads for the Xiaomi.eu ROMs the base Mi phones and the Redmi Note phones tend to have the most users
So you can choose. Just remember, YOU DON’T NEED TO ALWAYS HAVE THE LATEST MODEL!!! just pick one that you like and go for it, it won’t suddenly get useless, outdated or obsolete just cause a new model popped up.
it will probably be good, as Xiaomi knows what we want. the mi mix 3 could’ve been a good phone, it has a cute concept. however it’s fragile, has a cut in the battery, and came in very bad timing in my opinion. Perhaps the Mi Mix 4 will be more successful and sell well, we can’t know. it’s up to Xiaomi.
In my opinion, there are several reasons:
* Xiaomi operates in many different parts of the world, which requires certain configuration of the phones. For example, in Mainland China, they do not allow Google Play Store, so Xiaomi has to create phones without it and with their own app store. That alone already creates several separate SKUs.
* Xiaomi plays in almost all market segment. From the $75 Redmi Go, to the top of the line $550 Mi 9 Pro and even “concept” phones like the Mi Mix series, with the $2900 Mix Alpha being the latest. You can’t say that for Apple or Google who chose only to sell in the upper tier markets. Naturally, operating in many different market segments requires multitude of models of phones.
* Xiaomi started not selling phones, but being a developer of an Android custom ROM called MIUI. In fact, the first MIUI versions was released not for a Xiaomi phone (those didn’t exists back then in 2010), but for, IIRC, Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy Nexus, Huawei Honor 3C and the HTC Dream. They only released their first phone in 2011, the Xiaomi Mi 1, with MIUI v2.3. That is why the company value MIUI so much.
* Sparepart availability varies after a certain time. Xiaomi doesn’t make their own screens, batteries, or processors. They buy whatever stock available from screen manufacturers. That’s why there are some models only available in certain high-demand countries like China or India, but not available in Europe or rest of Asia.
* Specific-country regulations also plays a part in branding a certain model with different names. For example in Indonesia, a phone manufacturer has to include up to 30% of locally made components. Some times that makes a phone not compatible software-wise or specs-wise with it’s base design, so they have to release the phone under a different name.
Historically, Xiaomi product lines are as follows:
* **Mi Mix** series is their concept line with cutting edge-technology, not available to cheaply mass produce (such very high screen to body ratio or the wrap-around screen in Mix Alpha) Usually using the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 800 series processors.
* **Mi** series is their mass-market flagship. Usually using the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 800 series processors.
* **Mi Note** series is their big-screened upper-mid-range line. Usually using the upper-mid-range Snapdragon 700 series processors.
* **Mi CC**\-series as the upper-mid-range option for Mi phones. Usually using Snapdragon 700 series processors.
* **Mi Max**\-series is their mid-range phablet option with screens almost reaching 7″. Usually using the mid-range Snapdragon 600 series processors.
* **Mi A**\-series is their Android One program. Usually using the mid-range Snapdragon 600 series processors.
* **Mi S/Y**\-series as the mid-range option for Mi Phones, a MIUI alternative for the Mi A-series. Usually using the mid-range Snapdragon 600 processors.
* **Mi Play**\-series is the budget line. Usually using lower-mid-range MediaTek processors.
* **Redmi K**\-series as the top of the line of Redmi phones, very similar in specs with the Mi CC-series. Usually using upper-mid-range Snapdragon 700 series processors.
* **Redmi Note** series is the mid-range line with bigger screen. This is what most people buy, as it falls in the bang-for-buck price bracket of $200. Usually using the mid-range processors Snapdragon 600 series processors.
* **Redmi** series is the budget option. Usually using the low-end Snapdragon 400 series processors.
* **Redmi Go** series is the ultra-budget line. Usually using the low-end Snapdragon 400 series but with small storage, screen and less RAM.
* **Black Shark** is a sub-brand and is their gaming line. Usually using the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 800 series.
* **Pocophone** is a sub-brand, positioned a giant-killer option. Usually using top of the line Snapdragon 800 series. Compromises in build quality (plastic instead of glass, etc.)
Now, if Xiaomi follows your suggestion of having fewer phones, that means they will see a reduction of their bottom line, a reduced market penetration, and less people will be able to afford to purchase a smartphone.
Although, I agree they need to simplify their product lines a little bit. Like for example, the Mi Play should have not existed with Redmi and Redmi Go available. The Mi Max should have been discontinued with regular phones now reaching 6″+ and 4000mAh+ territory. And the Mi S/Y should have been merged with Redmi Note series.
That is weird, before reading this post I was actually watching 4K content on Netflix and YouTube. I also have the Mix 3 Global (4G version)
Are you sure? I even only get maximum of 1080p on the latest miui global version in YouTube.
I changed it to eu rom, now I have the 2160p HDR on my YouTube but not on my Netflix and Prime Video. The latest eu rom which is based on latest china beta still don’t get L1 certification.
Yes i am sure. I’m also on EU ROM that’s why I guess
This
Main Problem with so many models is like for Samsung that OS are updated only for a couple of months (max 18 if you are lucky!) Apple updates it’s iPhone during approximately 5 years (yes! that’s 60 months) – OK, for that you have to suffer the Apple ecosystem! But Apple can do that because they have only a handful of models to maintain. In the Android ecosystem Xiaomi should innovate with max 4 models per year, or better governments should force the manufacturers to offer 5 years warranty AND impose 5 years of OS updates if the manufacturers do not do that voluntarily. I will start lobbying for that.
Widevine L1 is hard coded into the phones firmware. If it never had L1, then it will never get L1. The Mi Mix 3 global versions does indeed come with Widevine L1 (I’ve checked), and the 5G version has it due to the fact that they did not distinguish between Chinese and global models. Thus what you probably got was a fake global, or a Chinese phone with a “Global ROM”
To appeal to different budgets
Not sure if it’s fake global while it got updated to the latest global. I’m using Mix 3 4G on PEEMIXM, I updated it by OTA.
I gave up and now I’m on EU rom. Now it gave me an option of 2160p HDR on YouTube. I don’t even get that on my last global rom, maxed out at 1080p.
The 5G one comes with L1, but not the 4G one. If it’s hard coded, then how Pocophone can be certified to L1 via OTA Update?
Well, it makes sense given that the K30 is out now and no replacement for the Pro variant exists
Torrent and stream from media server will solve this.
samsung: hold my phones. a50, a50s, a30, a30s, a70, a80, a51, a71, s10, s10e, s10+, note 10, note 10+, fold, m20, list more.
You are missing redmi #a, that are cheaper versions of the redmi # phones, without being as ultra-budget as redmi go.
Also is the fact about what is popular in the region and the prices, here the 260usd redmi note (price + import taxes), is the best option against sold-in-stores samsungs A and samsung J models selling from 230usd the cheapest samsung A10.
There’s no reason to sell all the high-spec ones because they are so expensive and there’s not people going to buy it
Don’t be naive.
They were trying to sell you a more expensive phone.
Just checked my local shop, they have dozens of them (literally).
> Now it gave me an option of 2160p HDR on YouTube. I don’t even get that on my last global rom, maxed out at 1080p.
Youtube usually limits the available resolution of the video to the resolution of the screen, it’s not something that xiaomi gets to decide.
Switch from global to eu (EEA) Rom and you should get widevine L1, it works like that on the 5g version and on the mi9 too.
YouTube is a separate issue unrelated to L1.
The YouTube app will only deliver the max resolution of the screen unless other the manufacturer specifies otherwise.
When the smartphone era exploded after the iPhone 4 release, Samsung just flooded the with so many models no one could tell them apart. I think their hope was that more models would catch on. They used letters like Galaxy R, W, M, Y. Now it’s mostly Galaxy S, Note, A and M series.
Having a lot of models means everyone has a phone for the price they are willing to spend (unlike iPhone), though I think Xiaomi need to scale down a bit.
Because doing what they are doing is already making them money.
Yeah, the Mix 3 was dead on arrival and got overshadowed by the Mi 9. It is sad, because the Mix 3 is such a cool phone, eventhough it has its flaws.
yea agree aside from the small battery and this widevine confusion.
This is one of the best phone that I ever had. It looks classy too actually, beautifully made.
I’ve been using the K20 too but it doesn’t feel as premium as these. (plus i hate gradient back cover, really.)
>the Mi A4 could be coming anytime
No. The A line series usually gets released between July and September. Bit long until July, dude.
They offer a phone for almost every demand and compete with themselves and of course other brands. They could very well release *the* phone, but then they would cut their own line. Have you noticed how they distribute various features almost randomly with their phones? It sometimes looks like they enter specs and a the Random Xiaomi Phone Generator spits out the next phones.
The Redmi #A is a part of the Redmi line. They have used several suffixes to denote a higher/lower tier phone in a product line: Note 10 Pro, Mi 9T, Mi 9 SE, Mi A2 Lite, Redmi Note 4X, Redmi 4 Prime, Redmi 8A, Mi 5c, Mi 4i, Mi Mix 2S, Mi CC9e, Mi Pad 4 Plus and now, Redmi K30 5G.
I agree. When you compare the $200-ish Xiaomi phones vs Samsung’s offerings, there is no contest, really. Better processor, higher RAM, bigger storage, bigger battery, better cameras, better screen resolution, better build quality, better software updates.
Although, Oppo’s Realme phones has creep into that price bracket recently and might provide slightly better bang for the buck with more RAM, camera, and storage for roughly the same price. But, they are thick and chunky.
I returned my Mix 3 after a month because I wasn’t happy with the battery and support. Now I am using a Pixel 3 XL, but I really miss the Mix 3. I was considering buying a used Mix 3 5G, but I want wireless charging. It is a fair trade off because the Mix 3 5G has a better chip and larger battery.
Why would you narrow down the choices you had when it comes down to buying a new phone? This isn’t apple, this is xiaomi. Part of the reason why they’re so successful is the amount of different devices that fit different budgets, you can go ahead and get a great phone for 100€ or you can also get a great phone for 600€. There’s something for everyone. Even if this wasn’t the case, which it totally is, narrowing down the phone choices to just a few would not help the consumer, furthermore, it would hurt them and limit their choice even more than it should be.