Chinese phone-maker Xiaomi expands smartphone sales to Africa
Chinese phone maker Xiaomi has made plans to expand to the African continent after establishing a presence in Asia and in South America (Brazil specifically).
According to online reports, Xiaomi will start with selling its Redmi 2 and Mi 4 in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa from mid-November. they will be sold under distribution by the Mobile In Africa (MIA) Group in the 3 African countries.
We understand how those were the first countries to be chosen to sell their devices, they have bigger markets than Zambia for example, and have high adoption rates for new technologies.
Raymond Tian, Xiaomi’s global strategy director said in a statement that the company sees Africa as the next frontier for smartphone growth and is excited to be partnering with MIA Group to offer consumers in these 3 countries high-quality smartphones at amazing prices.
Founded in 2010 by an entrepreneur named Lei Jun who believes that ‘high-quality technology doesn’t need to cost a fortune’, Xiaomi has experts from Microsoft, Google, Motorola, Kingsoft, Yahoo and other major tech companies who came together to work on developing quality products.
Xiaomi has been battling the low-budget-but-high-quality smartphone scene with rival Huawei, and in a market like Africa there is likely to be a huge demand for them if they prove they are worth spending on.
It’s safe to say Africa has become the war zone for low-priced phones, with each manufacturer trying to do the other. The benefit is that manufacturers are updating their devices with the latest technology and software, almost as good as top-tier phones, but at a much cheaper price that low-income countries can afford.
It’s no surprise then that smartphone shipments in Africa are expected to double in the next 5 years, but their usage will still remain limited if internet access doesn’t grow at the same rate as the rate at which these phones are being bought.
High-end manufacturers better step up (or down with their prices) if they want to compete with these phones in developing countries, but we doubt that won’t happen. Don’t buy it if you can’t afford it, right?
