China's Xiaomi is currently enjoying its improving fortunes. The company, which re-entered the top five of global smartphone makers in the second quarter of this year as its shipments surged 59 percent year on year to 21 million, announced on Tuesday that it shipped over 10 million smartphones in September alone.
That's a great feat to achieve by a company which once burnt cash and struggled with supply problems. While the latest sales record for the Chinese smartphone manufacturer is a strong indicator that the company's marketing strategy is striking the right chord, the increasing demand for its smartphones in India is certainly one of the key factors of its remarkable revival.
In India, which has been Xiaomi's main market for the last few years in addition to China, the company managed to sell one million devices in just two days during the recent "Diwali with Mi" sale. In the three-day sale which was held between September 27 and September 29, Xiaomi offered huge discounts on products ranging from the popular Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4, Mi power banks and Mi Wi-Fi routers.
Xiaomi currently holds the second position in the Indian smartphone market, after Samsung (25 percent), with a market share of 18 percent. Compared to other players like LG and Sony, Xiaomi's smartphone portfolio has many devices that offer more value for money, and it is this impressive price-performance ratio that has helped the company perform well globally.
Last month, Xiaomi launched the affordable Android One smartphone, dubbed the Mi A1, which comes with a stock version of Android. The handset, which also featured a dual camera setup, became an instant hit among Indian customers, and was sold out in a few minutes after it went on sale.
Xiaomi also recently launched the Mi Mix 2, the successor of the Mi MIX, which was one of the first truly bezel-less smartphones even before bigger brands like Samsung and LG came up with their own offerings. The Mi MIX 2, which comes with a 5.99-inch display and 18:9 aspect ratio, will be launched in India on October 10.
