Xiaomi and Redmi are splitting up, making Redmi an independent brand with its own identity. Reports are that Redmi had planned a launch event as an independent brand on January 10th in China where it is supposed to launch its very first smartphone independently with a 48-megapixel camera sensor. As of now, these two brands are almost inseparable and indistinguishable in the minds of the users, at least in India if not in the entire world.
The reason behind such a split was initially unknown, but Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun explained the reasons behind the split in response to a user on Weibo. Lei Jun explained that the main reason behind this split lies in their differences on which to focus. Whereas Redmi always tries to manufacture a smartphone focusing on value-for-money, Xiaomi makes no such compromises as their main focus is on high-end functionality devices. However, it would not be entirely true to say that Xiaomi does not have a budget flagship. Xiaomi’s Pocofone is a pocket-friendly smartphone, and it is extremely popular in India.
Redmi is mainly an eCommerce retail platform-based flagship, whereas Xiaomi’s Mi devices are not entirely eCommerce based. Amit Bhawani, the Indian tech blogger, has tweeted about the news of Xiaomi and Redmi splitting up.
The split will make it possible for Xiaomi to have three different types of brands which will focus on a particular branch of a type of phone. For example, Mi phones will be premium phones, the Redmi ones will be budget-friendly phones, and Poco phones may be categorized as in-between ‘affordable premium’ phones.
