He wrote April 6, 2010, when seven skilled men, led by Lei Jun, agreed to establish a company and a brand Xiaomi. Today, it is a technology group with more than 15 employees and the fourth largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.
But let's get along and get to know the most significant milestones behind the progress and success of the Xiaomi brand.
6.4.2010
founder Lei Jun and co-founders:
Lin Bin (Vice President, Google China Institute of Engineering)
Zhou Guangping (General Manager of Motorola's R&D Center in Beijing),
Liu De (Head of the Industrial Design Department at the Beijing Institute of Technology),
Li Wanqiang (General Manager of Kingsoft Dictionary),
Wong Kong-Kat (Chief Development Officer) a
Hong Feng (senior product manager for Google China)
established in Beijing, China company and brand Xiaomi.
The eighth gentleman in the photo is Chuan Wang (bottom right in a black T-shirt), who joined the company in 2012, but is considered a co-founder.
The project requires a larger investment from the beginning, and Temasek Holdings, IDG Capital, Qiming Venture Partners and Qualcomm are helping with financing.
16.8.2010
The Xiaomi brand officially launches its very first product, the first version of a software superstructure MIUI - MI Uto be Interface (MI User Interface / Pronunciation: “Mí-jú-áj”). The first version of MIUI ROM was based on Android 2.2.x Froyo.
The software was originally developed in Chinese only with the Chinese startup Xiaomi Tech.
MIUI is both iOS-like in appearance and control, and Xiaomi has added several custom applications to the base framework, including Notes, Backup, Music, and Gallery.
Communities of independent developers and fans soon began to port, translating software translations into various languages into unofficial versions. Some communities still work today and one of them is Slovak and Czech community on miuios.cz, without which the Slovak or Czech language might not even exist in Xiaomi smartphones.
16.7.2011
The first smartphone is coming to the market Xiaomi Mi 1. It is equipped with a dual-core 1,5 GHz processor Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 with graphics chip Adreno 220 a 1 GB RAM. The TFT capacitive touch screen has a diagonal 4 inches and a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels.
The rear camera has a resolution of 8 MPx and the front 2 MPx. The battery capacity is 1930 mAh and the device also brings a microUSB port and a 3,5 mm audio jack. Xiaomi Mi 1 runs on Android 2.3 GingerBread with MIUI 2.3 extension.
The selling price was 1999 yuan, which is 256 after conversion € / CZK 6. In the first 34 hours, the brand receives more than 300 pre-orders and right away with their first smartphone they caused a huge deal. Later came an improved Xiaomi Mi 1S model with a better processor.
August 2012
The Xiaomi brand officially introduces a new smartphone Xiaomi Mi 2. It already has a quad-core 1,5 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2 GB of RAM and 16 or even 32 GB of storage. The display has grown to 4,3 inches and has a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels.
The smartphone comes with MIUI 4, Android 4.1 JellyBean and started selling for 1999 yuan (256 € / CZK 6). More than 10 million Xiaomi Mi 2s were sold per year.
It is followed by the Mi 2S models with a better 13 MPx rear camera and the lightweight Mi 2A version with a 4,5-inch display and 1 GB of RAM. We still have the Mi 2S model in our "mini" Xiaomi museum and it is fully functional.
July / July 2013: New series Redmi
A new series of smartphones is coming Redmi and with it the first smartphone Redmi 1, which was also released in China under the name Hongmi. It is a cheaper smartphone manufactured at the Xiaomi plant intended for the broad masses of users outside of China as well.
It brings the elements of a smartphone for the price of a regular phone without intelligent functions. It has a 4,7-inch display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels and Gorilla Glass 2 protection, a quad-core 1,5 GHz Mediatek processor, 1GB of RAM and 4 GB of storage. The rear camera had a resolution of 8 MPx and the battery had a capacity of 2 mAh.
The operating system was Andorid 4.2 Jelly Bean with MIUI 5 superstructure. It was sold exclusively through electronic sales in order to keep the price low. It was at a level of approximately 100 € / 2 544 CZK.
September 2013: The first smart TV
Lei Jun - CEO Xiaomi announced the company's plans to produce smart TVs. Xiaomi left production to Sony Wistron Corporation of Taiwan, which was to supply 47-inch 3D TVs with the Android OS.
The company is also launching a new smartphone with the label Xiaomi Mi 3. It comes with a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, a 2,3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2 GB of RAM and 16 and 64 GB storage.
The Sony rear camera has a resolution of 13 MPx and the smartphone also supports 3G WCDMA networks. The battery has a capacity of 3050 mAh. In the first three minutes after its launch, more than 200 Mi 000s were sold.
This month was a turning point for Xiaomi in many ways, and the company also announced opening the first service center in Beijing. Until October / October 2013 was Xiaomi the fifth most used brand of smartphones in China. In 2013, the company sold in total 18,7 million pieces of smartphones.
2014: First Redmi Note, Mi Band and Mi 4
Earlier this year, Xiaomi announced expansion into foreign markets. The first international center is Singapore, through which new products and activities will be introduced in the region.
Singapore was followed by Malaysia, the Philippines and India. This year, it is still planned to expand the company's activities to Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, Turkey, Brazil and Mexico.
On February 21, 2014, the brand officially comes with the first smartphone on the market in Singapore. It was Xiaomi Mi 3 a the whole batch was sold out two minutes after the start of the sale.
However, not all of Xiaomi's steps were successful. Managers will certainly not like to mention July / July 2014, when they closed the Xiaomi Store in Australia and ended the official sale of products on this continent. So far, the real reasons are only speculated.
On March 17, 2014, Lei Jun announces Xiaomi as General Manager a new smartphone Redmi Footnotes, which launches a new, still successful series of smartphones. At that time, such a large device was still called a phablet.
The smartphone brought a 5,5-inch display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. It was powered by an eight-core Mediatek and a version with 1 GB and 2 GB RAM and 8 GB storage was available. 13 megapixel at the back, 5 megapixel at the front and a removable 3 / 100 mAh battery.
Retail the price was around 120 € / CZK 3, which was unbeatable for a smartphone of this size.
Another groundbreaking device is coming in March / March 2014, first tablet Xiaomi Mi Pad. It has a 7,9-inch display with a resolution of 1536 x 2048. It brings extreme performance in the form of a new game processor Nvidia Tegra K1. It has 2 GB of RAM and 16 or even 64 GB of storage space.
The battery has a capacity of up to 6 mAh. It has a front 700 MPx and rear 5 MPx camera and MIUI 8 software superstructure. Selling price 7 € / CZK 6 was not the lowest, but the device was well equipped for that time in a high-quality design and still serves some people well today
In April 2014, Xiaomi bought an Internet domain mi.com at record $ 3,6 million. It was the most expensive transaction when buying a domain in China. The new domain replaced the original xiaomi.com and became the company's official domain.
The series of Mi smartphones continues in July / July with another successful model Xiaomi Mi 4. This model has become one of the most popular since Xiaomi. Comes with 5 ″ FullHD display, Snapdragon 801, 2/3 GB RAM, maximum 64 GB storage, 13 MPx camera with 4K video, 3080 mAh battery and price around 230 € / CZK 5900. Given the flagship, it was a really unbelievable price.
July 22nd / July is presented at the press conference, among other things the first wearable device from Xiaomi. It is Mi Band 1, bracelet with sensors, vibrating motor, Bluetooth interface, strong enough battery and LED diodes.
He was just missing the screen. After pairing with the MiFit application on the phone, it was able to alert notifications and incoming calls by vibrating and blinking, unlocked the smartphone, counted steps, monitored sleep and in the Mi Band Pulse version also measured heart rate. It lasted a month on one charge.
The company announced a significant $ 2014 billion investment in building television content in November / November. In XNUMX, Xiaomi sold more than 60 million pieces of smartphones.
2015: Start of the Mi Note series
This year, the rush starts right away. Already in January, another smartphone from the series is introduced Redmi, and that Redmi 2.
In the same month, the brand announces a new premium series of smartphones Xiaomi Mi Note. The new smartphone has a large 5,7-inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. At the same time, it retained a thickness of only 7 mm and a weight of only 161 g.
The top class is also confirmed by the top quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor with an output of 2,5 GHz, 3 GB RAM and a 3 mAh battery with fast charging. An interesting feature of this smartphone was the version with a bamboo back cover, which distinguished it very much from ordinary smartphones.
A version was also introduced Xiaomi Mi Note Prowhich had a Snapdragon 810, a display with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels (2K) and 4 GB of RAM.
The series continued later with the Mi Note 2, Mi Note 3 and current models My Notes 10.
On June 30, 2015, Xiaomi announced its expansion into Brazil. They started producing a smartphone in a local factory Redmi 2. It is the first time the company made a smartphone outside of China.
In August, the successor to the successful phablet arrives Redmi Notes 2 and another version is introduced in November / November Redmi Footnote 3. Both smartphones brought almost the same equipment with a slight variation in design.
Both had a 5,5-inch display and a processor from Mediatek - Helio 10X MT6795. Redmi However, the Note 3 brought one groundbreaking piece of equipment, namely fingerprint reader on the back side. It was also the first smartphone of the series Redmi Note with metal back cover.
A version was later released Redmi Note 3 Pro with the Snapdragon 650 processor, which was also sold in a global version. It was one of the first global smartphones from Xiaomi.
This year, the company also launched a new tablet. It happened in November / November and it was mentioned Mi Pad 2. He did not bring many improvements. Compared to the first model, it lost almost 40 g of weight and instead of the Nvidia Tegra K1 processor, it brought the Intel Atom X5-Z8500. The battery came with a lower capacity of 6 mAh and brought charging at a power of 190 W.
2016: The revolutionary Mi MIX and a new brand arrive Mijia
This year, some exceptional smartphone models are also characterized by the new Mi Max series. When we mentioned the start of production in Brazil in the previous year, it was terminated in the second half of 2016. Apparently, this step did not meet the expectations of the company's management.
Models were introduced in January / January Redmi 3 aj Redmi Notes 3 with the Snapdragon 650 processor. At that time, it was running Android 5.1 Lollipop and MIUI 7 smartphones.
On February 24, a new model of the flagship arrives Xiaomi Mi 5. The flagship brings with it premium equipment and new features. The Xiaomi Mi 5 was top notch in terms of design, and one of its versions brought a ceramic back panel.
The basic version weighed only 129 g. The equipment included a top Snapdragon 820 processor and a version with 3 and 4 GB of RAM. The display had a diagonal of 5,15 inches and, interestingly, a physical multifunction button with an integrated fingerprint reader was located below it.
In the same year, other variations of the Xiaomi Mi 5S and Mi 5S Plus were introduced, which came with a different design and a more powerful processor.
New series of Xiaomi smartphones I Max was launched in May / May. It was a mid-range device that was focused on size. The first model brought a display with a diagonal of up to 6,44 inches and a correspondingly strong battery with a capacity of 4 mAh. The weight of this "King Kong" among smartphones was only 850 g.
This year, Xiaomi also introduced the first Mi Band bracelet with a monochrome OLED display. It's a model Mi Band 2 and comes on the market in June. Users can read notifications from their smartphones or check their heart rate directly on the display of the handy bracelet.
In July 2016, Xiaomi for the first time hires Chinese artists such as Liu Shishi, Wu Xiubo and Liu Haoran for the advertising campaign, who became the faces of the series Redmi in China. At that time, the company was already churning out one smartphone model after another.
In 2016, they were listed, for example Redmi 3s also with the Prime version, Redmi 3 Pro, Redmi 3X, Redmi Notes 4, Redmi 4 but also Xiaomi Mi Note 2 and many others.
We will mention them all Xiaomi Redmi Pro, which Xiaomi was the first to bring a smartphone dual rear camera. It consisted of two sensors, a 13 MPx Sony IMX258 and a 5 MPx depth sensor. In addition, the smartphone was also interesting with the Helio X20 processors in the standard version and the X25 in the exclusive version and the fingerprint sensor in the front multifunction button.
There is no doubt that Xiaomi was successful in 2016. This is evidenced by the expansion to other world markets. In August 2016, Xiaomi entered Bangladesh. Even greater success came in September / September. Thanks to a partnership with ABC Data the Xiaomi brand officially enters the European Union.
At the turn of the year comes another premium device that is a milestone and launches a new premium series of Xiaomi smartphones. Arrived the first Xiaomi Mi Mix frameless smartphone. The smartphone has a huge 6,4-inch display, which has such thin frames that it almost doesn't have them.
The widest part of the body around the display is the lower so-called "chin", in which the innovative 5 MPx "selfie" camera is innovatively integrated. Xiaomi Mi Mix is equipped with a premium Snapdragon 821 processor and comes in versions with 4 and 6 GB RAM and with both 128 and 256 GB storage.
The rear panel is made of ceramic and under it is a large battery with a capacity of 4400 mAh and support for fast charging with a power of 18 W.
In addition to smartphones, however, Xiaomi also announces own new brand Mijiawhich we all know well now. Already at that time, the manufacturer was releasing more and more smart home devices, which he needed to somehow integrate.
And that's exactly why he created a brand of smart products Mijia. The portfolio consists of products such as smart vacuum cleaners, cameras, rice cookers, sneakers, as well as pens and notebooks.
2017: Mi 6 and the continuation of the Mi MIX series
With the new year come new opportunities and the brand announces the official entry into the market in Pakistan at the end of February. In May / May, it also expands the Mi Store network in the region. One opens in Bangalore, India and another in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, on exactly April 19 / April, the company introduces a new model of the flagship Xiaomi Mi 6. The novelty brings a new eight-core 10nm Snapdragon 835 processor and a rear dual 12 MPx camera. battery capacity increased to 3 mAh.
The basic version has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. Both the display size and the fingerprint sensor in the multifunction physical button remain unchanged.
Along with the new flagship, a new tablet is introduced - Xiaomi Mi Pad 3. It retains its classic shape with a 7,9-inch display. It is powered by a six-core Mediatek MT8176 processor and is seconded to 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. The battery has a great 6 mAh.
The 211-gram mid-range smartphone with a 6,44-inch display is unveiled in late May / May and is We are Max 2.
On August 26 / August, the manufacturer introduces a new version of the software superstructure MIUI 9. It introduces this together with a new groundbreaking smartphone Xiaomi Mi 5X. At first glance, this is a standard smartphone from this period.
It has a 5,5-inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 1080 x 1920. The middle class is also represented by Snapdragon 625, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage and two rear 12 MPx cameras. So what makes it so special and groundbreaking?
An important milestone came a few days later, on September 5th / September. Xiaomi introduces the rebranded Xiaomi Mi 5X smartphone model, which seals cooperation with Google. It comes first Android One presented by Xiaomi - model Xiaomi Mi A1.
It is the same smartphone and the same equipment as the Mi 5X except for the MIUI superstructure. Thus begins a new series of Android One smartphones with a pure unadulterated Android OS, in this case Android 7.1.2 Nougat.
The new frameless Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is introduced in the same month as the Mi A1. It again brings a luxurious design, characteristic of the Mi Mix series and premium equipment. The biggest disappointment, however, is the battery, which has a capacity of only 6 mAh in relation to the almost 3-inch display and high performance. However, the rear 400 MPx camera Sony IMX 12 with four-axis optical stabilization was pleased.
The end of 2017 belongs to the expansion of the store network We Storewith which the company joins the European Union. The first Mi Store opens in October / October in Athens, Greece. Later in November / November, Xiaomi enters Spain, where she introduces the Mi A1 and Mi Mix 2 smartphones.
As per the successful conclusion of the marketing year, another great news is coming from India. The Xiaomi brand has overtaken Samsung and become the largest smartphone retailer in India. During this period, it sold 9,2 million pieces of smartphones on the local market.
2018: Mi 8, new Mi MIX 3 and Mi Band 3
This year, the Xiaomi brand brought so many breakthrough models and different variations of devices that we started to get lost in it. Mi Mix 2S, Xiaomi Black Shark, Xiaomi Mi 8, Mi Pad 4, cult were introduced Pocophone F1 and Mi Mix 3. Models also received successors Redmi and Xiaomi Mi A2 and Mi 6X were also introduced.
Let's just briefly describe what each model brought to users in 2018:
- Mi Mix 2S - introduced in March / March, dual rear camera, frameless luxury design, new Snapdragon 845, wireless charging
- Black Shark - introduced in April / April - officially the first gaming smartphone from Xiaomi, Snapdragon 845, 12 MPx and 20 MPx rear camera with 2x optical zoom, 20 MPx front camera, 4 mAh battery, fast charging 000 W
- My 8 - introduced in May / May - flagship - the first smartphone with an AMOLED display with a cutout from Xiaomi, size 6,24 inches, resolution 1080 x 2248 pixels, Snapdragon 845, two 12 MPx rear cameras with 4-axis optical stabilization and 2x zoom, 20 MPx front camera in the viewport
- Mi 8 SE - compact reduced version of the Mi 8 with middle class equipment - the global version has not been released
- Mi Pad 4 - introduced in June / June, changed aspect ratio compared to its predecessors, 8-inch display, Snapdragon 660, 6 mAh battery, 000 MPx rear camera
- Mi A2 (Mi 6X) - introduced in July / July, the second version of the Android One smartphone with pure Android (Mi 6X with MIUI), also came in a light version Mi A2 Lite
- Pocophone F1 - introduced in August / August - originally intended for India, but later burned the whole world, the cheapest smartphone with flagship equipment equipped with Snapdragon 845, two cameras and 4000 mAh battery
- Mi MIX 3 - Introduced in October / September, features a retractable design that hides the front camera, 6,39-inch AMOLED display, 12 MPx dual rear camera with 4-axis optical stabilization, wireless charging
So this was already a real share of smartphones in one year and most of them belonged to high-end. Of course, the company does not forget to develop in the meantime, and on February 20 / February, the company opened its first Mi Store in the Philippines.
In March / March, at the annual Chinese legislative meeting in Beijing, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun announced that he was considering entering the US smartphone market. At that time, Xiaomi was already selling various products in the USA, such as power banks and Bluetooth speakers.
In cooperation with the mobile operator Three, Xiaomi will launch smartphone sales in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Denmark and Sweden in May. In the same month, it opens its first Mi Store in Paris.
Also in May / May, Xiaomi offered its shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for the first time to raise $ 10 billion in an IPO. This month has been extremely successful for Xiaomi, as sales of smart home devices have been launched through Amazon in the US during the same period.
July 18th / July is coming in order already the third Xiaomi Mi Band. It came with a modified design and rounder shapes. The physical button changed to capacitive, but the bracelet still retained a monochrome OLED display. However, the display of data was a bit clearer than in the predecessor and a version with NFC was introduced.
In 2018, it was sold worldwide 278 million units phones with a label Redmi.
Xiaomi reported for the whole year sales of $ 26,13 billion, which represents a significant year-on-year increase of 41,3%. Even more impressive is the company's profit for this period, which increased by 59,5% year on year, to 1,27 billion. US dollars.
2019: Separate brand Redmi also the groundbreaking Mi MIX Alpha
We have gradually reworked ourselves to the present. The year 2019 ends soon and it was no less successful for Xiaomi. Anyone who has been following our site all year round has a perfect overview of what happened at Xiaomi during this period.
Already in January, the series Redmi separated from the concern and a separate subsidiary brand was created Redmi. The emergence of a new independent brand was sealed with a new smartphone Redmi Notes 7. It was and still is a great smartphone at an affordable price, as evidenced by the sales figures. From January to April, more than 4 million units were sold Redmi Footnote 7.
A real success of the new brand Redmi however, it doesn't come until May 28, when the flagship killer is introduced Redmi K20 Pro a Redmi K20. The smartphones brought great equipment, a retractable front camera, AMOLED displays and much more at unbeatable prices, and users were very welcome.
In December / December Redmi represents the first of the successors of these successful models, namely Redmi K30.
Xiaomi is currently going his own way and on February 20 / February he introduces this year's flagship Xiaomi Mi 9. A reduced compact version was introduced with it Xiaomi Mi 9 SE, which also reached global markets. The Mi 9 also came in a more luxurious version Explorer Edition.
Xiaomi too Redmi throughout the year, it presented a number of smartphones and their rebranded versions, as well as other products. For all of them, we will mention only a few exceptional ones:
- Mi Mix Apple - a functional smartphone with the nature of a concept, because it is so expensive and so fragile that it cannot reach the average user. Nevertheless, it is revolutionary and brings a rounded display that winds around the entire body circumference and a 108 MPx camera.
- We Watch - the first truly smart watch from Xiaomi, which brings the WearOS operating system with the MIUI for watch extension
- Xiaomi CC9 Pro / Xiaomi Mi Note 10 - the first smartphone with a system of five cameras and a primary 108 MPx camera
- Mi Band 4 - another successor to popular bracelets, it brings a color OLED display and NFC
Xiaomi and Redmi they also produce several new models this year laptops, smart TVs and Xiaomi also successfully launched a portfolio monitors.
Xiaomi YouPin or "crazy products"
In May 2019, Xiaomi opened the platform's first stone shop Youpinwhich has been operating as an internet portal for some time now. Xiaomi Youpin is a great project, where many small manufacturers or startups find support for their products.
In simplicity, through this portal, Xiaomi supports quality and affordable products from various other manufacturers, which will become famous and get on the market. Manufacturers can thus gain popularity, but mainly funds for the production of new products.
These are mostly quality products from the portfolio of smart homes, healthy lifestyles but also various other areas. Xiaomi Youpin is an e-commerce platform based on the Xiaomi eco-chain.
Xiaomi YouPin is an independent operating subsidiary. In principle, the company does not control the companies involved in the chain, but emphasizes corporate culture, product placement and design. The Xiaomi green chain is an important part of Xiaomi's "smartphone + AIoT" strategy.
During 2018, Youpin's sales increased 2,6 times compared to 2017, and traffic increased by 2017% compared to 200. Xiaomi Youpin's total revenues account for 4,1% of Xiaomi Group's total gross profit from e-shops.
There is no doubt that the brand is doing well, as evidenced by its economic results. The company's total combined net profit for the first three quarters of this year 9,2 billion yuan (1,2 billion € / CZK 30,6 billion) and that is more than the total net profit for last year.
At the end of the year, the company opens the latest race for more than 2 employees. The new headquarters will become the second center of artificial intelligence, through which the establishment of a new center of technological innovation and the implementation of future scientific research is planned.
2020: What are the next plans?
What awaits us in the new year? The construction of a new one was announced 5G factory, which with the help of automated production lines and the ability to transfer large volumes of data will be able to produce up to 60 smartphones per minute.
The company's CEO, Lei Jun, takes stock and announces that 2020 will be the year of 5G mobile networks and the brand is preparing more 5G smartphones. A new flagship is also expected Xiaomi Mi 10 with the new Snapdragon 865 processor, but also Redmi K30 Pro and many other novelties.
Of course, we believe that Xiaomi will not disappoint and, as in other years, will surprise us many times in the new year 2020.
Nickname "Chinese Apple" and a margin of only 5%
Although this is not an important aspect of the history of the Xiaomi brand, the nickname "Chinese Apple" came up during the company's operation, which you may have heard somewhere. The manufacturer was very happy to be inspired and still inspires Apple, which they do not hide at all.
Not only the design of the products, but also the style of the stone shops Xiaomi borrowed from the American giant. Leaders of the Chinese manufacturer do not deny the similarity of some products, claiming that they want to do "the same", but at much more affordable prices.
And Xiaomi is doing well thanks to a promise directly from the director, Lei Juna, who said in 2018 that their product margin never does not exceed 5%. Thanks to affordability, Xiaomi products have become extremely popular for 9 years.
If you've read this far, you're really interested in the Xiaomi brand and you can "claim" as a true fan. We hope you enjoyed the article and will be happy to share it. We worked on it for several tens of hours and it really took us a while.
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