The Redmi Note 3, Xiaomi Inc.'s latest low-cost smartphone, is made out of all-metal after the firm dumped polycarbonate, a material usually used in plastic phone bodies, in a bid to intensify its game against rival players in the industry.
The Redmi Note 3 was released a month after Meizu and LeTV, Xiaomi's major competitors, unveiled similar smartphones, the Meilan Metal and Le 1s, respectively.
According to Wang Yanhui, chief of research firm Mobile China Alliances, "Meizu and LeTV are pressuring Xiaomi and challenging its leading role in developing well-spec'ed and low-priced phones."
Despite tough competition, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun took a sentimental tone during the promotion of the firm's latest gadget, a move cited by experts as a way to steal some of the spotlight from the other smartphone makers.
"Our goal is not to become the market no.1, but to make high-quality products that can touch young people's hearts," Lei remarked during the launching on Tuesday.
Lei described the Redmi Note 3 as exactly the phone that "[young people] are looking for."
However, Wang noted that the sentimental speech will hardly help the firm boost the sales of the gadget as it features no distinctive advantages.
The Redmi Note 3, Meilan Metal and Le 1s have all-metal design, same-size display with same resolution, and fingerprint technology. All three are priced up to 1,099 yuan.
Wang pointed out that the similarities among the three brands do not only reflect the heated competition in the smartphone industry. The analyst added that they also show major concerns faced by traditional mid-end smartphone makers.
One of the problems mentioned by Wang is the narrowing of price gap between the firm's premium and low-cost phones.