After much deliberation, Xiaomi has finally gone international, launching the entry-level Redmi 2 in Brazil from next week.
Just when you thought Xiaomi might be coming to the UK and Europe, turns out we were all wrong after all. The Chinese smartphone maker has instead decided to launch it’s first international device in Brazil, promising to drastically undercut rivals within the area.
At a launch event yesterday, they announced that the entry-level Redmi 2 smartphone would go on sale in Brazil next week for 499 reais (£102.53). The Xiaomi Redmi 2 is a very capable phone for the price, offering a quad-core processor, 720p screen and 8 megapixel camera, as well as 1 GB RAM.
The company’s global vice-president, Hugo Barra, said in an interview on Tuesday that they plan to target Mexico and Columbia in the near future, though he never mentioned an exact date. Xiaomi’s ability to price devices so cheap is due to their low profit margins, lack of traditional high-street stores and unique social media advertising, which saves them massive amounts of revenue.
In emerging markets such as Brazil, where smartphone sales have jumped 55 percent in the last year, the company are sure to enjoy a lot of success.
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