These days, there are number of positive and negative words going on around the debut of popular Chinese smartphone player Xiaomi in India.
While the official India launch of the Xiaomi Mi3 is expected to take place in India on July 15 (GizBot has already got an official invite for the same), the company's entry into India simply means the end of many Indian brands, including heavyweights like Samsung, Nokia and also affordable price segment including Micromax and Lava.
China-based Xiaomi is massively popular in its home market. Headed by CEO Bin Lin (the next Steve Jobs in making), the 3-year old handset manufacturer has no marketing budget like Samsung or Sony, however, it is one of the fastest growing technology firm in the world.
And the same tech firm is all set to launch its most talked about handset, the Xiaomi Mi 3, in India on July 15. Rumor has it that the smartphone will be exclusively sold on Flipkart at a price point of Rs. 14,999. The affordable pricing of the Mi3 itself indicate that players such as Gionee, Oppo, Samsung and Micromax might be facing an uphill challenge to compete against Xiaomi.
What makes Xiaomi a brand to reckon with Indian users? Can a new player like Xiaomi make a dent in Indian smartphone market and change the waves with its Mi3 flagship smartphone?
GizBot has tried to find 5 reasons why Xiaomi will do well in the Indian handset market. Take a look into sliders below to find more.
Click Here For The Latest Xiaomi Mi 3 Smartphone Photos
Premium hardware, Affordable Price
Xiaomi's debut handset in India, the Mi 3, is essentially a beast. The device runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.3GHz quad-core processor, coupled 2GB of RAM and 16GB of on-board storage. It also comes with a large battery of 3,050mAh, and a Full HD display. What else you'd expect from the phone that is priced almost half the cost of the latest Samsung Galaxy S5. At a price of Rs. 15,000, the Xiaomi Mi 3 even undercuts the Google Nexus 5, which so far has been the best seller in India.
Online Availability
Following the footsteps of Motorola, Xiaomi has decided to sell the Mi 3 in collaboration with Flipkart. The phone will remain exclusive to Flipkart; though the exact nature of the deal is unknown. Xiaomi is particularly aiming to target young brigade of India. And we all know how popular e-retail market has emerged in the past few months.
Budget Smartphone Killer
There are hardly any premium phones in the mid-range segment. Most of the high-end phones are priced above Rs. 20,000. For instance, the Micromax Canvas Knight or the Gionee Elife S 5.5 can be purchased at a much higher price. Thus, it is hard to beat the Xiaomi Mi 3 at price of Rs. 14,999 at with astounding specs.
More RAM as compared to Other Smartphones at this Range
Well, of course Xiaomi Mi3 has got 2GB RAM which is comparatively higher to other Android smartphones at the same price range.
Apt Marketing Positioning
Players like Apple and Samsung markets their products as luxuries. Xiaomi, on the other hand, claims it is selling its phones at no profit to keep the price as low as possible. That could be the reason why Xiaomi has been so successful so fast in this tech industry. Moreover, the Chinese company outsources new designs and features online for its online fans, to keep users engage.
Xiaomi's business model resembles Amazon. Like the online retail giant, which loses money with each sale of its Kindle products, Xiaomi makes no profit from the hardware itself. Instead, it makes its money through selling apps and movies through its software slapped on the Google's Android OS.
