Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi marked its debut in Brazil with the launch of its budget-friendly Redmi 2 smartphone on Tuesday.
This is the company's first major international push outside Asia, which has been its home since it entered the business.
Hugo Barra, Xiaomi's international business head, launched the company's entry-level smartphone at an affordable price.
The Redmi 2 will go on sale in Brazil next week for 499 reais ($160), reports Reuters.
Xiaomi's entry in Brazil is major step, as it will not only drive sales but also add a new manufacturing source for the company.
Xiaomi will import some of its parts and manufacture others locally with the help of contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., also known as Foxconn.
In addition to the Redmi 2, the company will also sell its accessories such as the Mi Band and the 10,400mAh Mi Power Bank.
During an interview on Tuesday, Barra hinted at further expansion to other parts of Latin America. "Stage one of our Latin America launch," he said, according to Reuters. It implies the company could expand its footprints to Mexico and Colombia at a later stage.
The excitement of Xiaomi's debut in Brazil was felt in Barra's announcement on Tuesday. "I am thrilled to finally introduce Xiaomi's amazing products to my hometown, Brazil," he said.
"We already had a very engaged community of Mi fans in Brazil before our launch today, and many of them have been eagerly looking forward to getting their hands on our products. I strongly believe that Redmi 2 will be a game changer in the Brazilian market, offering consumers a quality option never seen before in this price category," said Barra, according to Re/Code.
Xiaomi's Redmi 2 got a good response when it was launched in India. The handset, with its affordable price and attractive specs, was sold in large numbers through a series of flash sales via online retailers.
The Redmi 2 is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC clocking speeds at 1.2GHz paired with 1GB RAM and 8GB storage. There's an 8MP rear-facing camera with 18 filters and a 2MP front snapper for selfies.
The handset supports dual-SIM cards along with high-speed 4G LTE bandwidths. The Redmi 2 houses a 2,200mAh battery and runs on Android 4.4 KitKat based MIUI skin.
