Xiaomi, currently deemed as the second most-valuable startup across the globe after Uber and is no doubt a fast-growing smartphone maker, may penetrate the U.S. market... soon.
Since getting into the India market way back July 2014, Xiaomi has already disposed three million phones in the country.
Bin Lin, the president of Xiaomi, stated in his remarks on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the WSJD Live global technology conference of the Wall Street Journal at the Montage in Laguna Beach, California, that his Beijing-based company may market its Mi Note as well as Mi Note Pro handsets within the U.S.
"India is doing well. Our model works quite well in countries where e-commerce is growing very fast," said Lin.
Xiaomi, which skyrocketed to the top of the world's biggest smartphone market — the Chinese smartphone market (which boasts over 500 million smartphone users) — within only four years, is widening its wings even further. Apart from venturing into other devices, including TVs, home routers and air purifiers, it is likewise expanding its business beyond the bounds of China.
During the interview with Lin, he disclosed its company is focusing on selling 80 million smartphones around the world within the year. He shared that Xiaomi notched a 14 percent market share in India. Moreover, he reported the phone sales of Xiaomi increased 34 percent within the first half of the year in comparison with a year earlier. Lin believes the last quarter of the year is strong.
Rumors on Xiaomi's intention to go through the United States have also been spreading since summer. Hugo Barra, head of global at Xiaomi, heightened this probability during the Code conference. Barra, however, did not go into detail as to when the company plans to crack the U.S. market.
When the company got into the India market last year, it faced a suit from Ericsson AB, which alleged Xiaomi had not licensed inventions by Ericsson that enable wireless devices to connect to networks.
During the event, Lin did not center the discussion into his company's desire in entering into the U.S. market. Instead, he focused more on unveiling its new 60-inch Mi TV and self-balancing scooter.
