Skip to main content

Xiaomi plans to launch its smartphones in the U.S. by the end of 2018

Xiaomi Mi A1 review
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

In February, Lei Jun — founder and CEO of Chinese technology company Xiaomi — revealed his plans for further global expansion. According to The Wall Street Journal, Xiaomi plans on entering the U.S. smartphone market as early as the end of 2018.

Recommended Videos

“We’ve always been considering entering the U.S. market. We plan to start entering the market by end 2018, or by early 2019,” Jun told the publication.

Xiaomi’s hardware is already available in more than 70 countries spread across Asia, Africa, and parts of Europe. At the end of 2017, it placed fourth in China — right behind Vivo, Huawei, and Oppo. Around the same time, Xiaomi also increased its phone shipments globally by 83 percent.

News of Xiaomi entering the U.S. market has been surfacing for a few years now. In 2016, it was rumored the company was testing its phones on U.S. networks, with plans on releasing the devices within a few years.

If the company ends up launching its handsets in North America, it is still unclear whether it will try and sell the smartphones through U.S. carriers or directly to its consumers through its website. As of now, you’re able to purchase items other than smartphones on the site — such as the Mi Bluetooth speaker, Mi Sphere Camera Kit, and more.

But breaking into the U.S. smartphone market hasn’t been an easy venture in the past, specifically for Chinese manufacturers. In January, Huawei announced its flagship smartphone would not be sold by U.S. carriers with rumors that it was supposedly due to security concerns.

Carriers such as AT&T and Verizon reportedly both gave into cutting ties with Huawei due to the pressure of U.S. lawmakers. According to reports, politicians advised that having any connection to either Huawei or China mobile could ruin their ability to do business with the U.S. government.

The issue stemmed primarily from a 2012 congressional report that suggested U.S. carriers should not only stay away from Huawei gear but ZTE as well. The reasoning behind why U.S. carriers should stay away was specifically because, “China might use it to spy on Americans.”

It’s still unclear whether Xiaomi will be faced with similar scrutiny when it comes to U.S. carriers. But the expansion to the U.S. will allow for the company to grow its presence in the country.

Brenda Stolyar
Former Staff Writer, Mobile
Brenda became obsessed with technology after receiving her first Dell computer from her grandpa in the second grade. While…
Something amazing happened to U.S. smartphones on July 11
The Nothing Phone 2's camera module with the lights lit up.

Something momentous happened on  July 11, 2023: A new smartphone was released in the U.S. This isn’t a special thing, as new phones aren’t exactly uncommon, but it came from a brand that has never released a phone in the U.S. before, and that makes it very special indeed.

It deserves all your attention, not because it’s such a rare occurrence, but because —finally — buyers are getting more choice.
When did it last happen?
Essential PH-1 Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Read more
The Nothing Phone 2 is real, and it’s coming to the U.S. this year
Nothing Phone 1 Glyph Interface lights.

The Nothing Phone 2 will be coming to the U.S. this year, CEO Carl Pei said today. The company previously launched its first entry into the smartphone market in Europe and Asia due to resource constraints.

“We decided to make the U.S. our No. 1 priority in terms of markets,” CEO Carl Pei said in an interview with Inverse. “We couldn't do it earlier because we were only in our second year and our hands were tied building the team as we were building the products. Now as we're on a more solid footing, we can take a step forward.”

Read more
The Nothing Phone 1 has finally launched in the U.S. — kind of
The Nothing Phone 1's camera module.

The Nothing Phone 1 launched globally last year with vague promises of a future U.S. release, but now Nothing fans don't have to wait any longer for the smartphone to make its way stateside. Soft-launching through a "Beta Membership," the Nothing Phone 1 is finally available for Americans who are willing to be a part of Nothing's test program before it officially launches with retailers later in 2023.

While it's certainly exciting for the Nothing Phone 1 to be making its way to the U.S., the release and branding of the membership program are a little odd. It gives fans the opportunity to try out the phone and test Nothing OS 1.5, which is based on Android 13 and represents a major update from Nothing OS 1.0's Android 12 foundation. If you want in, you need to pay $299.

Read more