Xiaomi reopens 1,800 retail outlets on the news of no new coronavirus cases in China

In an optimistic move, over 1,800 retail stores of the Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi have reopened in China. Meanwhile, over 80 % of its suppliers have also restored their operations on March 19, on the news o f China recording no new domestic cases for the very first time since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak.

Very soon, Xiaomi’s budget brand Redmi intends to launch one more 5G model, specifically, the K30 Pro, on March 24. During his March 19 media conference call, company president Wang Xiang informed that it constitutes a part of the plan to launch at least ten 5G mobile devices in 2020. While Xiaomi plans to maintain a stable product release pace, the company will also cooperate with upstream and downstream companies in the supply chain to stabilize production amid the pandemic, stated Wang. Xiaomi, just as its Android-based rivals, that include market leader Huawei Technologies, along with Oppo and Vivo, were seeking to boost sales in 2020 by releasing new 5G smartphone models, which would be compatible with the next-generation mobile network infrastructure that is currently being deployed by China’s telecommunications hubs. The coronavirus pandemic, however, has led to the temporary shutdown of smartphone factories all over China. Numerous communities and large gatherings have been restricted by the government. Of course, analysts have drastically cut down their China’s smartphone sale forecasts for 2020. Shipments are expected by Canalys and Strategy Analytics to fall 50% in Q1 compared to Q1 2019, while IDC foresees a 30% drop.

Xiaomi, the number four smartphone vendor in the world, plans to move forward with its plans for the higher-end device segment, aggressively seeking to grab a certain market share from Huawei.

The commitment to the high-end market comes after Xiaomi, known for its mostly mid-to-low range smartphones, revealed its newest 5G device line, the flagship Mi 10 series, in March at a live-streamed conference. It was held online because of heavy nationwide restrictions imposed on travel and gatherings due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“Xiaomi has already dropped price limits… and we will go all out in the high-end market,” Lei Jun, Xiaomi founder and CEO stated on Weibo social network last week. Xiaomi’s Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro models started shipping out in China last month. The starting price is 3,999 yuan (about US$570) and 4,999 yuan respectively. Meanwhile, Oppo, Xiaomi’s rival, had recently announced its flagship Find X2 series with a starting price of 5,499 yuan.