Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker, is bringing its smart home products to the western shores, and it is adding Google Assistant support, too.
3 Xiaomi Smart Home Products Coming To The US Soon
The company has a variety of smart home products up its sleeves, which they announced at the Google I/O event to be coming to the United States soon. Before that announcement, however, Xiaomi revealed that it is updating its products to include support for Google Assistant, which will enable users to control the devices through the smartphone app or a Google Home speaker.
According to Xiang Wang, head of international business of Xiaomi, the first products that will support Google Assistant include the Mi LED Smart Bulb, Mi Bedside Lamp, and Mi Smart Plug. The Chinese company has not yet revealed the pricing and timeline, but interested buyers can expect the lamp to arrive first.
The Mi Bedside Lamp is a sleek cylindrical lamp that comes with 16 million color options. The Mi LED Smart Bulb also comes with the same number of colors. The Mi Smart Plug connects the appliance to the network, which then allows it to be turned on or off. Users can also put timers using their phone.
These three are the frontliners of Xiaomi's attempt to penetrate the smart home industry in the country, which is already dominated by homegrown products. This is just the beginning, though, as the company plans to further expand its presence in the American market.
Xiaomi To Introduce Its Smartphones To The US Market
Meanwhile, Xiaomi is also planning to bring over its smartphones. It is already selling some products in the United States, but fans are still waiting for its famed handsets that rival the more popular flagships in the country.
"We've always been considering entering the U.S. market," said Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi.
"We plan to start entering the market by end 2018, or by early 2019."
The Chinese company has already built a presence in Europe, Africa, and Asia, including India where it beat Samsung in sales. It also revealed that it is expanding into France and Italy, while a deal with the telecommunications company Hutchison will allow it to reach farther than those countries.
Given the Americans' view of Chinese products, Xiaomi can be expected to expand into the U.S. territory slowly. Furthermore, the concerns about Chinese smartphone manufacturers, such as Huawei and ZTE, will make it even harder to get a grip in the industry.
