Samsung was 2017’s most copied smartphone brand, Galaxy S7 Edge ruled clones chart

The world's most successful mobile device vendor was also the most copied smartphone brand of 2017, winning the "battle" against Apple by a landslide.

The post Samsung was 2017’s most copied smartphone brand, Galaxy S7 Edge ruled clones chart appeared first on Pocketnow.

Xiaomi silently plans to attend MWC 2018, which could mean Mi 7 Barcelona intro

We may be getting a little ahead of ourselves here, but it's possible Xiaomi will stop by Barcelona next month for a Mi 7 MWC 2018 launch.

The post Xiaomi silently plans to attend MWC 2018, which could mean Mi 7 Barcelona intro appeared first on Pocketnow.

Xiaomi isn’t in any financial trouble, even reportedly cooking up in-house mobile SoC

Did anyone suggest Xiaomi could follow LeEco’s suit, starting to run out of cash just as it finally looked to expand into the US smartphone market? Not that we’re aware of, but International VP and former Google product manager Hugo Barra wants to preclude such ominous speculation by highlighting the company’s recent mobile sales declines won’t impact its key “revenue streams.”

Barra in fact claims Xiaomi doesn’t really make money off affordable handsets like the Redmi 4, Mi Note 2 or Mi 5s, let alone the “conceptual” Mi MIX, and even if it sold 10 billion of all those, it “wouldn’t make a single dime in profits.”

Valued at no more than $46 billion upon receiving $1.1B funding at the end of 2014, the Chinese designer and developer of laptops, wearables and various smart home products feels “no pressing need to do an IPO or even a private round.”

That’s precisely due to the success of lucrative devices like air and water purifiers, intelligent rice cookers, scales or vacuums, as well as “recurring” software revenue.

Interestingly enough, a rumor completely unrelated to Hugo Barra’s statements calls for the imminent launch of a low-cost Xiaomi Mi 5c phone with, surprise, surprise, a “home-cooked” processor codenamed Pinecone.

While an aggressive in-house mobile SoC push similar to, say, Samsung’s Exynos program is highly unlikely, it would still be surprising to see Xiaomi commercialize its own system-on-a-chip domestically before bringing a phone stateside.

The post Xiaomi isn’t in any financial trouble, even reportedly cooking up in-house mobile SoC appeared first on Pocketnow.

Xiaomi wants to do the US smartphone expansion right, carrier tests already underway

Although Xiaomi didn’t make the top five global smartphone vendor list for Q3 2016, also dropping out of the domestic podium, as OPPO and Vivo invested heavily in offline sales, marketing and promotions, the so-called “Apple of China” remains a force to be reckoned with.

A creative force, mainly, based on the recent announcement of a conceptual but ready-for-primetime edgeless Mi MIX. Xiaomi will try to compete in the increasingly crowded low-cost VR headset landscape too, at least on Chinese shores, while continuing to expand in markets like Russia, Mexico and even the US, as far as the ultra-affordable 4K-enabled Mi Box is concerned.

Sooner or later however, this six year-old company needs to take a page from compatriot and arch-rival Huawei’s playbook, getting serious about North American phones or die trying. As it turns out, Xiaomi doesn’t just want to sell products like the Mi 5 or Mi Note 2 directly to US consumers in unlocked variants that may or may not properly function on the nation’s largest wireless networks.

“Small-field trials” have apparently begun earlier this year for Xiaomi to “sharpen” its chops, and eventually be able to launch “full-on products there.” Full-on, as in compatible with as many major carriers as possible, and perhaps even subsidized by one or two. It’s quite an ambitious goal, but it’s still going to take up to a couple of years for it to be fully achieved.

The post Xiaomi wants to do the US smartphone expansion right, carrier tests already underway appeared first on Pocketnow.

Dual-curved, bezel-free Xiaomi Mi Note 2 expected out October 25

If Xiaomi indeed plans to finally branch out into the hugely lucrative US smartphone business before long, it may as well bring something unique and revolutionary to the hyper-demanding (especially with foreigners) American audience.The looming Mi Note 2 (and its super-high-end Pro derivation) fits the bill perfectly going on rumors, although we can’t help feel an “edgy” screen with virtually no borders is a little too much to ask from the “Apple of China.”Considering how ...

Continue reading »

The post Dual-curved, bezel-free Xiaomi Mi Note 2 expected out October 25 appeared first on Pocketnow.

Could the Xiaomi Mi 5c be the Yotaphone China has wanted?

The Yotaphone was a novel innovation in the smartphone field. It had two screens with the latter one being a power-efficient E Ink display fit for reading to your heart’s content and a conventional display up front for all your other needs. The Yotaphone isn’t extinct, but one has been hard to come by in the US, thanks to the Russian government’s unwielding influence. No, we’re not just talking about

Continue reading »

The post Could the Xiaomi Mi 5c be the Yotaphone China has wanted? appeared first on Pocketnow.

Xiaomi Mi 5s with ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, dual rear cam Mi 5s Plus finally unveiled

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about every imaginable ultra-high-end feature possibly gracing Xiaomi’s not-so-iterative Mi 5 upgrade, and except for a big one, the Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus indeed incorporate them all, albeit not at once.Sorry, dual-edged smartphone fans, you’ll have to make do with a ...

Continue reading »

The post Xiaomi Mi 5s with ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, dual rear cam Mi 5s Plus finally unveiled appeared first on Pocketnow.