The world's two biggest startups are coming together to give a whole new meaning to the phrase instant gratification.
On July 27, ride-sharing service Uber, which is valued by investors at $50 billion, and Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, which is valued at $45 billion, have announced a new partnership that will let customers purchase the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Note and have the brand new smartphone delivered to them wherever they are right away. There is no more waiting in line to purchase a new smartphone at the counter or counting days before a smartphone ordered online arrives at your doorstep. This time, Xiaomi and Uber want customers to receive their new Mi Note within minutes of buying online.
There is, however, a catch. For customers to be able to avail of this new kind of phone delivery service, they have to live in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. The service is a one-time offering slated for one of Xiaomi's flash sales scheduled for Monday, July 27, ahead of the official launch of the Mi Note in China and other parts of Asia on July 28, but there's always the possibility of Uber instantly delivering smartphones and other products in the U.S. for good.
Customers who want to avail of the service can easily do so by ordering the 5.7-inch smartphone straight from Uber's app. It is the same as requesting for an Uber ride, although instead of a car that gets the customer to his destination, the customer asks for a new Mi Note to be delivered in an Uber car.
At the bottom of the menu, users will find an option to select "Xiaomi." If they do that, they will find that the map will be populated with orange cars that indicate they are carrying the new Mi Note. They can then request for a Xiaomi car carrying their new smartphone and pay for it via the credit card already linked to their Uber account. Once a driver responds, the customer will only need to wait a few minutes to receive his new smartphone.
"The power of the on-demand economy is transforming the consumer experience and we are excited to take this to another level in Southeast Asia," says Mike Brown, regional general manager at Uber, in a statement. "We're thrilled to bring the amazing Mi Note to consumers across Singapore and Kuala Lumpur through this pioneering partnership with Xiaomi."
