Ceramic has its price, as it prevents the Chinese company from mass-producing the mind-blowing device

Oct 27, 2016 15:48 GMT  ·  By

Chinese company Xiaomi is one of the most important handset makers in China, but lately its growth stalled and enabled competitors like Oppo to gain ground and leapfrog to the top spot on the smartphone sellers list in the Mainland. But Xiaomi was only the third smartphone maker in China, as Huawei and Apple dominated the market until recently.

With the launch of the Mi MIX and Mi Note 2, Xiaomi hopes to recover some of the market share lost this year. And that might be possible, since neither of the two smartphones announced this week will be available outside China.

Xiaomi's full focus is now on the Chinese market, even though the company's VP Hugo Barra suggested numerous times that the handset maker would eventually enter the U.S. market.

The Mi MIX is a mind-blowing device, but, sadly, it will only be available in limited quantities. That's probably the main reason Xiaomi has decided to call it a “concept phone.”

Kevin Wang, director of IHS Markit China, has recently said that Xiaomi won't be producing more than 10,000 units per month. Since the phone features a ceramic body, the Mi MIX can't be mass-produced yet.

Xiaomi Mi MIX concept phone
Xiaomi Mi MIX concept phone

Still, that should be the least of Android fans' worries, as Xiaomi took it to Reddit to explain that the Mi MIX would not be sold in other countries and would remain exclusive to China. Here is why, according to Xiaomi's India product head Jai Mani:

After sales and certification are the primary reasons. Also shipping time/cost is another smaller one. I think there are potentially some ways around these issues, such as being up front about support and shipping times, but it's not completely clear on how to do it.

The other complication is the manual and labelling. Some countries have pretty specific requirements on both (need to list screen size in centimeters, local price, various lab ratings like SAR value, etc.).

The only option that remains for those who really want to get their hands on the Xiaomi Mi MIX is to hope that third-party retailers in China will stock the smartphone. Even if that happens, the futuristic device is likely to sell like hot cakes.

UPDATE: Jai Mani got in touch with us regarding his posts on Reddit. Here is what had to say about our article:

"I just want to clarify that I wasn't specifically talking about MIX in the quote that you used. The context was a more general question of how we could sell our phones internationally. Anybody who is interested can follow the chain on Reddit"

Xiaomi Mi MIX (6 Images)

Xiaomi Mi MIX concept phone
Xiaomi Mi MIX concept phoneXiaomi Mi MIX concept phone
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