Xiaomi's affordable smartphones are coming to the US very soon
We've seen many smartphones from China this year, and some of them have put dents in the sales of big companies like Samsung and Apple. The biggest game changer from China was first OnePlus, followed by Huawei, and now we have another Chinese company that is trying to get its name across in the U.S, Xiaomi. The company has been around since 2010, but no one took them seriously as they copied one of Apple's smartphone design as well as even having a man unveil a new smartphone at a press conference wearing a black turtleneck and jeans. The media and press laughed, but Xiaomi didn't care because, at the end of 2015, their valuation was worth $46 billion. They have grown faster than any other smartphone company in the past few years.
Xiaomi's clearly copied Apple's smartphone line once it had started to receive a lot of success. They have come a long way as their smartphones don't even look like iPhones one bit. For the first time, the company looks ready to sell their smartphones in the U.S market.
If the Chinese company tried to sell their phones in the U.S a few years ago, they would've been sued by Apple. Xiaomi is looking to expand in other markets as their growth in Asian markets have fallen 9% in the first quarter.
According to Reuters, Xiaomi purchased around 1,500 patents from Microsoft on Wednesday. This is important because Xiaomi is new to the mobile market in the U.S and has treasured little patent protection. The big tech companies like Apple, Samsung, and LG haven't sued each other because they could bring many claims against each other because their patent portfolios have grown so much.
Xiaomi has bought protection in this area thanks to its recent deal with Microsoft. Xiaomi is also not being shy about its desire to expand, as the senior vice president of Xiaomi, Wang Xiang told Reuters that the Microsoft deal and the 3,700 additional patents Xiaomi filed for in 2015 in China were "an important step forwards to support our expansion internationally."
It should be good news for smartphone buyers in the U.S. Xiaomi has been known for selling phones with an affordable price tag with specs and designs that compete with costly phones. Xiaomi would be the first new smartphone brand to launch in the U.S in a while since they are already well-known in China and other markets.
