Xiaomi's smartphone shipments have dropped in China in Q2 2016 compared to last year, but the company is making some changes to crawl back to the top. Xiaomi's 2016 flagship smartphone, the Mi5, has received a generous price cut in China, allowing shoppers to pick up the premium device at best price.
The price cut on Xiaomi Mi 5 comes just five months after the flagship's launch and applies to all variants, including Xiaomi Mi 5 Pro. Xiaomi has permanently discounted the prices of its Mi5 smartphone by ¥200, which is roughly Rs. 2,000. Following the discount, the Mi 5 32GB variant is available for ¥1,799 (approx. Rs. 18,100) and ¥2,099 (roughly Rs. 21,100) for 64GB model. As for the Mi 5 Pro, which comes with 128GB storage and 4GB RAM, the new price is ¥2,499 (around Rs. 25,200).
Sadly, there is no information on whether the price cut will happen in India as well. Ever since the device was released, it has been applauded for its unique design, overall performance and effective price. But unconditional price cuts are always welcome in markets such as India for sales boost. International Business Times India, reached out to Xiaomi for a comment.
"We don't have any official information about this as of now," Xiaomi told IBTimes, India.
Xiaomi's pricing in India is quite competitive as it is pitted against the likes of OnePlus 3, LeEco Le Max 2 and other flagships. The company has offered its Mi 5 flagship for Rs. 22,999 during special occasions such as Mi Anniversary, but there hasn't been a permanent price drop on the Rs. 24,999 price tag. Xiaomi has only launched the 32GB version of the Mi 5 in India, while the 64GB and the Pro variants are limited to the Chinese market.
According to GizmoChina, Xiaomi also slashed the price of another smartphone, the Redmi 3X, in China, which was only launched a few months ago. The budget smartphone is ¥100 cheaper than its launch price and sells for ¥799. The company hasn't launched the handset in India or other international markets, but it can be shipped outside China by placing an order on GearBest for $143.
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Xiaomi's smartphone shipments in China dropped 38 percent in the second quarter this year, slipping the company's rank to number four. Xiaomi had shipped 10.5 million smartphones in Q2 compared to 17.1 million smartphones shipped during the same period a year ago.
