3 Million Orders for Xiaomi’s New Smartphone Series Received

More than three million pre-orders of its recently released flagship smartphone series were received by Xiaomi and the number continues to grow, Wei Lai, vice president of mi.com, announced on his Weibo account on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

China Daily reported that the Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus models, with its ultrasonic fingerprint sensor tech, will set the trend in smartphone sector and challenge Xiaomi's domestic and foreign rivals.

During the launch ceremony of the smartphone series on Tuesday, Sept. 27, Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun highlighted the modernization of the fingerprint identification technology.

The report said that the Mi 5s is being sold for 1,999 yuan, for the 3GB RAM and 64GB ROM storage model, and 2,299 yuan for the 4GB RAM and 128GB ROM storage model. The smartphone series are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset and a battery of 3200mAh.

On the other hand, the Mi 5s Plus model has a 5.7-inch screen and through a partnership with Sony, it is equipped with 13-million pixel dual cameras, which rivals Apple's iPhone 7 Plus and Huawei's P9.

According to International Data Corp., a total of 10.5 million devices were shipped by Xiaomi In the second quarter, a decline of 38.4 percent compared to the same period last year while in the first quarter of this year, 9.1 million were shipped, a 32 percent drop in the same period.

To enhance its sales in the saturated market, Xiaomi has made efforts to expand in the offline sector.

Lei said the company has already opened about 25 flagship stores, Mi Home and in the next three to four years, the number is expected to reach 1,000.

Previously, the company said that it is seeking new engines of growth by expanding into other services such as smart home appliances. According to experts, Xiaomi's decision to expand into the service robot market was also right as the demand for automation is expected to surge in the future.