Will Xiaomi’s Master-Level partnership with Leica make it the flagship to beat?

A FEW weeks before the launch of the Xiaomi 13 flagship series, we had the chance to do an exclusive interview with KM Leong, Xiaomi Southeast Asia General Manager who was in the country for a quick visit.

And while he was tight-lipped about upcoming flagship devices, he was gracious enough to share with us their prospects and priorities this 2023 such as bolstering the Xiaomi Ecosphere as well as upcoming products and areas Xiaomi PH wants to be involved in.

Xiaomi has been one of the most revered brands in its home country of China, but it has also established a very strong presence in Western Europe, Indonesia and Indian markets as well. Here in Southeast Asia, Leong said they’ve also had significant growth becoming the No. 1 smartphone brand in Malaysia and a consistent top 5 brand in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.

As the competition in the smartphone market intensifies, I asked him what sets Xiaomi apart from its rivals. He responded by stating that their dedication to the smartphone x AIoT strategy gives them an advantage.

This strategy, he adds, focuses on integrating smartphones with other smart devices, creating a seamless and intelligent ecosystem of devices that can work together to improve people’s lives. Through its use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance the user experience, Xiaomi’s AIoT devices can learn from user behavior and adapt to their preferences, making them more intuitive and easier to use over time.

Xiaomi has been called the “Apple of China” because of the diverse products you can buy—from pens, sunglasses, bags, batteries, to household items like electric fans, air fryers and TVs, to smartphones and wearables—in a Xiaomi store.  They are known for affordable yet high-quality products which have helped the company gain a strong following in markets around the world and build a loyal customer base and continue to innovate in the smartphone and smart device space.

“We’re happy that Xiaomi has become a household name. As a company, we want to be known for offering high quality products at an honest price point. We’re also trying to develop more products to build on our Ecosphere and other areas we want to expand,” Leong said.

“We’re making our products available to more consumers by opening up retail stores. I’m sure you’ll agree that the competition in the smartphone space here in the Philippines is very stiff. But seldom would you have a brand that has both smartphones and AioT, and would do better at both.”

He mentioned the term “Ecosphere” a few times and this is actually the next phase of their evolving ecosystem.

“We’re trying to excel in six areas which we call our Ecosphere: smartphones, smart homes, smart wearables, the smart factory. We just showcased our CyberDog, our robot CyberOne, and we’re now at a substantial phase of developing our EV business and hopefully, in the words of our founder, we’re making it available by 2024.”

“By investing in the EV market, we are demonstrating our dedication to sustainable and eco-friendly transportation solutions and making them more accessible to everyone. It is a key step in our quest to diversify our business and offer a wide range of innovative products and services to our customers,” he explained.

For 2023, Leong says they want to further strengthen their position in the smartphone x AIoT by opening more retail and experiential stores. “We now have a total of 55 Xiaomi authorized stores in the Philippines, plus partner retailers nationwide. We’ll also be aggressive in keeping our leading position in e-commerce with monthly campaigns. We’ll also look at other e-commerce opportunities. For example, the TikTok shop that we just opened last year. If there are other opportunities to reach our consumers and make our products more available to them, we will take steps to be involved.”

MASTER-LEVEL PHOTOGRAPHY WITH LEICA