With the recent announcement of the new Xiaomi Note and Note Pro, there’s been more interest in the smartphone manufacturer from the West than ever before. However, the Chinese brand doesn’t just make smartphones, they’ve launched products that range from set-top boxes small enough to sit in your hand to all sorts of accessories. They recently invested in a partnership with Chinese appliance maker Midea, which makes everything from washing machines to air conditioner units. The latest word on Xiaomi heading west is that the company might be launching smart appliances with their new partner Midea before they do so with smartphones and tablets.
According to a recent report out of China, Xiaomi and Midea are keen to release a smart air conditioner unit, among other things, and release them in markets outside of China. These will be controlled by your smartphone and while the products are likely to be pushed by Midea (or one of their partners) rather than Xiaomi, these could be some of the first products to come to the West from the Chinese brand. While there’s no time frame for such a thing, it does sound like the two companies are working hard to put a product together sooner, rather than later.
A smart air conditioner unit or something like that might just be the start for Xiaomi in the West, but as the Chinese company is likely to face copyright and design lawsuits once out from under the protection of the Chinese, home appliances might be all we see of the brand for a couple years to come. Which is a real shame, as the company has just proven with the Xiaomi Note and Note Pro they definitely know how to create great hardware, as well as sell it for an affordable price, too. Let us know in the comments if you want to see Xiaomi enter the West, or s it too early for them?