It seems like Redmi, Xiaomi’s sub-brand, may actually announce a flagship smartphone in the near future, which is quite surprising. Redmi-branded smartphones were always mid-range handsets, but Xiaomi announced recently that Redmi is becoming a sub-brand of the company, so it has its own freedom, to an extent. The Redmi Note 7 launched before the weekend as the very first smartphone by Redmi, and some users asked the company whether this will be the top-of-the-line phone that the company will offer. Interestingly enough, Xiaomi’s CEO, Lei Jun, decided to reply (via Weibo’s comments), saying that it will not, as the company is aiming to release a Snapdragon 855-powered device. This, unsurprisingly, managed to surprise quite a few people, as they’re used to seeing entry-level and mid-range smartphones being released by Redmi, not flagship-grade products, but there you have it. It is still unclear when will this phone arrive, while everything else regarding it is still a mystery, but considering the source of the information, it will probably happen.
Xiaomi vs Redmi
It is becoming quite clear that Xiaomi plans to compete with itself in the market, pretty much. Many people expected Redmi to release only entry-level and mid-range smartphones, and thus stay out of the way of Xiaomi’s Mi-branded, high-end devices, but that will not be the case once Redmi’s Snapdragon 855 smartphone arrives. Xiaomi will pit its Mi and Redmi brands one against the other, which is not exactly a new concept, as other Chinese companies have been doing it as well, but there you have it. Huawei and Honor are actually a great example, as they have been competing in a number of markets for quite some time now. Huawei releases both high-end and mid-ranger smartphones, and even low-end ones, while Honor does the same. Honor’s devices are usually a bit more affordable than Huawei’s, especially flagship ones, which will probably be the case with Redmi as well, as we’re expecting the company’s flagship to be more affordable than Xiaomi’s flagship offerings.
Xiaomi & Snapdragon 855
So, by the looks of it, we’ll see at least three Snapdragon 855-powered flagships from the company in 2019, though realistically, there will be more. The Xiaomi Mi 9, Mi MIX 4, and Redmi’s flagship will be fueled by that processor, but knowing Xiaomi, we are in for a couple of additional Snapdragon 855-powered devices. The Xiaomi Mi MIX 3S is still a possibility, as the company introduced the Mi MIX 2S last year, and judging by the fact that phone shipped with the Snapdragon 845, the Mi MIX 3S could be fueled by the Snapdragon 855. In addition to the regular Mi 9 handset which is expected to arrive as a successor to the Mi 8, Xiaomi could also release a couple of additional variants of the Mi 9 fueled by the Snapdragon 855, as the company did with the Mi 8 in 2018. So, it seems like we’re in for a rather interesting year when it comes to Xiaomi and its flagship phones, the company has been doing a great job for years now, and has been growing quite a bit, not only did its sales rise in a ton of markets, but the company is also expanding its horizons to new markets. Xiaomi opened up its retail stores in a number of European countries in 2018, and that number will only grow this year.