Xiaomi Comes to the U.S.: Accessories and Gadgets Available Online, but Smartphones Aren't Yet
Xiaomi will start selling its wares to U.S. customers Monday. The hot Chinese startup famous for its smartphones and tablets will start selling products to U.S. customers through a web store, CNet reports.
U.S. customers will not be able to buy smartphones and tablets just yet, but other popular accessories and gadgets from Xiaomi will be available. For example, the $80 Mi Headphones or the $15 Mi Band activity tracker can be purchased starting Monday night from the website. Hours later, a store for customers in U.K., France and Germany will launch.
Xiaomi was founded in 2010. The company sells its more than 1,000 products for little to no profit. It sells television sets, mobile phones, accessories and even stuffed animals. The smartphones and tablets offered by Xiaomi are aimed to buyers seeking affordable mobile devices.
Xiaomi smartphones have made their way to developing countries because of the low cost. Xiaomi is trying to move its products to the Western Hemisphere and will start selling smartphones in Brazil in the next few months.
The company is aiming to be known as a lifestyle brand, not just a company that makes gadgets.
"We increasingly see ourselves as a lifestyle brand," Hugo Barra, Xiaomi's global vice president, said in March, referring to the company moving to the West.
Xiaomi's popularity in China is very similar to Apple's popularity in the U.S. The company has produced quality smartphones that usually sell out within minutes of their debuts.
Xiaomi has almost been as successful as Apple too. The company shipped 13.5 million smartphones in China, compared to Apple's 14.5 million in the first quarter of 2015, GSM Arena reports.
Xiaomi sells more than just phones though. It offers a wearable camera similar to the GoPro, a MiWiFi network router and a smart television called the MiTV.
In the U.S., Xiaomi will try to compete with Fitbit, Jawbone and Apple by selling a fitness tracking device called the Mi Band.
The Mi Store website in the U.S. will offer a select amount of Xiaomi products. The most popular products (except for phones and tablets) which Barra calls the company's "hero products" will be available to U.S. customers.
Customers ordering products from the Mi Store will have to wait about a week because the items will come from China and need to clear customs.
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