Xiaomi had a tough 2016, when competition from other China-based smartphone vendors prevented it from matching its 2015 smartphone shipments record. But it bounced back, recently overtaking Apple to become the fourth-largest smartphone maker in China and expanding its presence to 60 countries. It also broke its 70 million smartphone shipments record.
In November, Xiaomi launched the entry-level Redmi 5A — its cheapest smartphone in the country yet. It retailed for Rs. 5999 ($94), but Xiaomi priced the first five million units at Rs. 4999 ($78). It was a clever marketing strategy that paid off: Manu Kumar Jain, Managing Director of Xiaomi India, announced via Twitter that the company’s sold more than a million units of the Redmi 5A in a month.
Thrilled to announce that we've sold 1+ Mn #Redmi5A in less than a month!
Thank you, Mi Fans for showering us with your incredible love & support! RT and 5 lucky winners will win Mi Band HRX
#DeshKaSmartphone @RedmiIndia @XiaomiIndia http://pic.twitter.com/GYUplRR9mu
— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) January 9, 2018
The Redmi 5A, for the uninitiated, is an entry-level device with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 system-on-chip, 2/3GB of RAM and 16/32GB of storage, a 5-inch HD (1280×720) IPS display, a 13MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, and a 3000mAh battery. The phone’s powered by MIUI 9 on top of Android 7.1.2 Nougat, and it doesn’t have a lot of competition in the sub-$100 price segment in India. More competitors have now started to arrive, but Xiaomi’s blend of features, software, and pricing have helped keep the Redmi 5A competitive.
It’s icing on the cake of Xiaomi’s incredibly successful year. The company’s market share nearly doubled in 2017, thanks to sales in India — it outperformed China-based rivals including Oppo, Vivo, and Honor. It focused on offline retail and opened a number of Mi Home brick-and-mortar stores. And in Q3 2017, Xiaomi sold 9.2 million smartphones in India, tying Samsung with 24 percent market share, according to IDC.
The Redmi Note 4 and the Redmi 4, in particular, have performed exceptionally well in India. The Redmi Note 4 is India’s best-selling smartphone, with over five million units sold. If this week’s news is any indication, it doesn’t seem like the series’ momentum is slowing down.
Source: Manu Kumar Jain (on Twitter)
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