An image depicting what’s said to be the first smartphone from Xiaomi’s third product sub-brand emerged online on Tuesday, having been uncovered on Chinese social media website Weibo. The Beijing-based consumer electronics manufacturer is currently actively supporting both its Mi and Redmi sub-brands, with the company’s top management now reportedly looking to launch a third venture in an effort to do a better job at competing with its domestic rivals, the majority of which are owned by BBK Electronics and include the likes of OPPO, Vivo, and OnePlus.
The newly emerged device actually looks rather similar to the OnePlus 5, OPPO R11, and the R11 Plus, which were in turn inspired by the Apple iPhone 7 Plus. The render that can be seen above this writing shows a handset with a dual camera setup comprised of two horizontally arranged lenses situated in the top-left corner of its rear panel and complemented by a dual-LED (dual tone) flash unit from the left. Coupled with a black matte finish and a U-shaped antenna line, the handset could easily be confused for any of the aforementioned models. According to recent reports, Xiaomi’s third sub-brand will sell this particular smartphone and all of its other products exclusively offline, though it remains to be seen whether these devices will be distributed through the company’s Mi Home stores or if its new venture will also lead to a new brand of brick and mortar locations. The tech giant is presumably looking to cater to its home country and likely won’t be expanding the rumored brand to more markets in the immediate future.
The Chinese original equipment manufacturer (OEM) was also scheduled to hold a new launch event today and unveil its latest Android flagship, though there’s still no news from the Far Eastern country on that front. Some industry insiders speculated that the company will now finally announce the Mi 6 Plus that was initially expected to debut alongside the Mi 6 in April but was delayed for unknown reasons and was even rumored to be scrapped by the firm. An update on Xiaomi’s new sub-brand and the OEM’s other product endeavors should follow shortly.