Xiaomi makes Philippine presence official

Over lunch today Xiaomi VP for Global Hugo Barra (a former Google exec) presented their MI line-up to us and explained the preparations they’ve made for the consumer launch of Mi smartphones in the Philippines.

We still can’t reveal the exact details of the date of release, pricing and the sales channel as it is still being ironed out. We we can say is that very soon, you’d be able to order a Mi smartphone online and deliver it to your home in 24-48 hours (so prepare your credit cards).

Xiaomi’s strategy is to sell directly to customers to cut down on distribution costs and marketing costs which means the handsets are more affordable compared to other devices in their respective categories.

Xiaomi has prepared 7 service centers and 53 drop off points so that customers have access to after-sales support. There’s also a hotline if customers have questions about the devices. They have also set up a small office here in BGC.

While we cannot make any specific announcements on the retail prices of the Mi phones, we can say that it will be almost similar (very close) to what they are selling it elsewhere.