Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi unveiled on January 15, 2015 in Beijing its four major products including its flagship smartphone called Mi Note which the company says would rival Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus.
Along with the Mi Note, Xiaomi also launched the Mi Note Pro, which according to analysts officially signals the entry of the Chinese smartphone maker to the high-end phone market, details CNN Money.
Xiaomi also introduced its new headphones and tiny set top box during the Thursday launching.
The company’s latest flagship smartphone, the Mi Note, drew the most attention from enthusiasts as it is features a 5.7-inch screen but is thinner and lighter than the iPhone 6 Plus.
The dual-SIM smartphone also comes with a Sony camera and comes either in a 16GB or 64GB storage variant. The 16GB model will be priced at $370 while the 64GB model will be retailed for $450, which is significantly cheaper than the iPhone 6 Plus. The price of a brand new Mi Note is actually just half of the price of the iPhone 6 Plus.
Xiaomi chairman Lei Jun launched the company’s latest products before thousands of cheering crowd.
Best smartphone to date
The company also launched its phablet, the Mi Note Pro, which chairman Lei Jun referred to as literally the best smartphone in the world to date.
The best feature of the latest Xiaomi phablet is its download speed of 450 Mbps and when released to the market, it is expected to be retailed at $530.
The Xiaomi chairman did not disclose how its Mi Note and Mi Note Pro intend to rival the Apple iPhones on markets outside of China.
A very aggressive company
Xiaomi is one of the most aggressive tech companies in Asia today. Last year, because of the strong sales of its smartphones in China and the global market, the company is now officially the world’s largest smartphone maker next only to Apple and Samsung.
Xiaomi, which is barely a five-year-old company, moved a total of 61 million smartphone units in 2014 and earning a total of $12 billion in sales.
Also last year, the Chinese manufacturer was able to obtain additional $1.1 billion funding, which it says, comes from the tech industry’s most powerful players.
With a value of $45 billion, Xiaomi is now bigger than LG of Korea, as well as Motorola and Sony of Japan combined.
Amid its optimism for its new flagship smartphone and phablet, Xiaomi nonetheless admits that it faces a tough battle ahead for 2015. Apart from the serious competition being posed by other Chinese smartphone makers like Huawei and Lenovo, the growth of the Chinese smartphone market seemed to have peaked and is now slowing down already.
While expansion to North America and the European markets is an option, Xiaomi is uncertain of the outcome of its foray into new territories.