China-based Xiaomi is one of the world's leading smartphone manufacturers. However, it's somehow unpopular in the United States, or at least, not as widely recognized as Samsung or Apple.
It's no secret that the Xiaomi's U.S. expansion has been sluggish at best, nonexistent at worst. The fact is that there wasn't even a legitimate way for U.S. users to buy the Xiaomi Mi Mix in late 2016 unless they were willing to import it from China.
Xiaomi Expands US Presence
In spite of its sluggishness, there's still a bit of progress. Xiaomi is bringing a smattering of products into the United States via Amazon this week. These include two headphones, the 10,000 mAh Mi Power Bank Pro, a 360-degree camera, and a robot coding kit.
The Mi Power Bank Pro, which costs $29.99, is pretty self-explanatory. The 360-degree Mi Sphere Camera, which costs $299, has a 23-megapixel sensor and an IP67 water and dust resistance rating and is small enough to fit in a pocket. The Mi Robot Builder, which costs $139.99, is a programmable robot that can be controlled via a companion app for iOS or Android.
Xiaomi is currently selling its Mi TV set-top box at Walmart locations around the United States, and previously launched items in its U.S. Mi online store including a fitness tracker, battery packs, and headphones.
At the time of writing, the 360-degree camera is already sold out, and so is the battery pack. Meanwhile, the headphones won't go on sale until Nov. 24, but it's highly likely they'll be sold out as well. The over-the-ear Mi Headphones costs $129 while the Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro costs $25.99.
Will All Xiaomi Phones Ever Come To The US?
But the big questions is, when will Xiaomi smartphones head stateside? Perhaps soon. The company's midrange lineup is a best-seller and their flagship category isn't too bad as well. It's more than likely that there's a subset of U.S. consumers clamoring for excellent entry-level smartphones and would gladly welcome Xiaomi into the game.
For now, users are able to buy the Xiaomi Redmi 2, Xiaomi Mi 3, Meizu Note 2, and Xiaomi Mi 4 directly from the United States. While these smartphones don't represent the best of Xiaomi's smartphone lineup, they offer impressive specs for incredible prices. Xiaomi's higher-end devices, especially the Mi Mix 2, could hopefully get U.S. release dates soon, and that the company would introduce more products going forward.
