Xiaomi arguably has one of the most diverse smartphone lineups of any OEM with its Redmi, Mi, and now POCO range. However, is the sheer breadth of devices on offer from the company actually working against it? Some would argue that the number of devices Xiaomi offers allows for anyone and everyone to find something that works for their desire and budget, while others would argue that the decision process to differentiate on what is different from one Xiaomi device to the next makes it an overwhelming process.
Xiaomi famously offers devices under the Redmi and Mi brands and has now added a third branch to the Xiaomi family with the POCO F1. Inevitably, this creates quite the overlap when it comes to devices and the specifications it offers, while also offering a device at pretty much every price point imaginable. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, what does seem to be happening with Xiaomi products because of the diverse offering is that the updates of a device are not necessarily as much of a step up as they usually are. That’s because chances are, the specs have already been released on a smartphone branded by one of the other three arms. This means that instead of competing with competitors, Xiaomi is almost cannibalizing itself by competing with, well, itself.
For example, the recently announced Redmi Note 6 Pro doesn’t differ fundamentally from the previous Redmi Note 5 Pro or even from the Redmi Y2 – which has exactly the same specs. You’ll get a slightly bigger display thanks to the introduction of a notch and an additional 2-megapixel depth-sensor on the front of the device to help with selfies. The rear-camera only sees a bump from f/2.2 to f/1.9 but largely the same dual-camera setup that was on the previous model. The battery, processor, and RAM configurations remain unchanged between the two models, which considering the major numbering bump in the Redmi Note range you would expect some more significant upgrades. The minor bump in specs seen between the Note 5 Pro and Note 6 Pro is arguably something you see from in the mid-year spec bump OnePlus releases with its “T” range.
The result of this lackluster upgrade brings into play competition from the likes of the Nokia 5.1 Plus and Realme 2 Pro that would be a better choice over the Redmi 6 Pro.
The stark problem is no better highlighted by the Mi A2 Lite and Redmi 6 Pro, which are exactly the same device as far as the spec sheet goes, except one runs Android One, and one is not making it to India. The Redmi 6 Pro was launched as the naming for the device aimed at China running Android 8.1 Oreo, while the Mi A2 Lite launched with Android One and the name for the device globally.
What is interesting is why Xiaomi chose not to launch the Mi A2 Lite in India as it would have bolstered the budget device offering. The expected price of the Redmi 6 Pro is ₹ 10,999 so it would have certainly made sense to launch the Mi A2 Lite in India as a major competitor for the budget Android devices. Not to mention the naming – how in one sense can a device be considered a “Lite” version, which would suggest a lower-powered light-touch offering and the same device in the other sense be considered a “Pro” model, which would suggest a high-end device.
Certainly, it would see that Xiaomi’s marketing methods of launching multiple devices aimed at different markets are helping it claim the valuable market share, but in the process of doing so has created a very confusing dynamic when it comes to differentiating devices internally. Unfortunately, this issue of its own product brands competing with each other has allowed the competition to catch up and overcut the specification bumps Xiaomi are gradually achieving by pumping out devices almost weekly.
As someone not native to a country where Xiaomi has a presence, it all looks incredibly confusing and hard to understand why Xiaomi needs such differentiation between its device naming convention.
The post Redmi 6 Pro Should Have Been Launched as Mi A2 Lite: Did Xiaomi Make a Mistake in Strategy? appeared first on MySmartPrice.
from MySmartPrice https://ift.tt/2OscwJQ
No comments:
Post a Comment