It’s an impressive feat, to be sure. While India is one of the fastest growing and important emerging market for smartphones and similar technologies, brands have found it difficult to establish a firm foothold in the country. That doesn’t seem to be a problem for Xiaomi. The Redmi Note 4, which launched for just under $150, has already outdone its older sibling, the Redmi Note 3.
Whereas the Note 3 was previously the best-selling smartphone in India (it sold 3.6 million units last year), it looks as though its successor is poised to do even better.
Of course, the Note 4 is objectively speaking a better phone than its predecessor. After all, it comes with improved camera sensors, battery life, display, and sound quality. And it also comes in three variants with different storage capabilities — the cheapest version has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, while the midrange unit boasts 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage for $165. The most expensive phone is just $190, and has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 625 SoC powers all three models.
While Xiaomi has only been in India for two and a half years, it seems that it’s well on its way to becoming the most popular brand in the nation. Earlier in January, the Chinese company announced that it had exceeded $1 billion in annual revenue in India for 2016. If that’s not progress, we don’t know what is.
