Xiaomi Pledges 'War of Life and Death' Against Apple to Become World's Biggest Smartphone Brand

Xiaomi intends to step up its challenge to Apple, the company's founder announced this week (via South China Morning Post).

xiaomi lei jun
Xiaomi founder and chief executive Lei Jun said on Chinese social media platform Weibo that the company will specifically focus on the high-end segment of the global smartphone market in an effort to directly rival Apple, attempting to fill the void left by Huawei. Huawei was previously China's largest smartphone vendor before being forced to pull out of the U.S. market. Lei explained that Xiaomi seeks to become the world's largest smartphone vendor within three years.

"[We aim to] fully benchmark against Apple in [terms of] product and experience, and become China's biggest high-end brand in the next three years," Lei added. He went on to describe competition with Apple in the high-end smartphone segment as "a war of life and death" that Xiaomi must overcome.

In the fourth quarter of 2021, Apple overtook Vivo to become the top smartphone brand in China for the first time in six years. Simultaneously, Apple became the leading smartphone vendor in the world, with one in every five smartphones sold being an iPhone.

Like many companies, Xiaomi has struggled with supply chain issues over the past two years, which has hindered the company's expansion. Nevertheless, in the second quarter of 2021, Apple's ‌iPhone‌ sales were briefly surpassed by Xiaomi for the first time.

Xiaomi reportedly intends to attract more customers by distinguishing itself from other major Chinese Android smartphone brands that are also targeting Apple's lucrative high-end segment by focusing on user experience. This will involve opening 20,000 new retail stores in China over the next three years, adding to the 10,000 stores that it currently operates in the country. The company is also investing almost $16 billion in research and development over the next five years.

Tag: Xiaomi

Top Rated Comments

a m u n Avatar
15 months ago
Good luck!



Attachment Image
Score: 93 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Guacamole Avatar
15 months ago
Chinese companies won't see a penny from me
Score: 81 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NPC Compliant Avatar
15 months ago

Apple did not basically invent the smartphone.
The iteration from 2007 onwards, yes they did
Score: 58 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anakin44011 Avatar
15 months ago
If not toppling the world's leader (in a category that the world's leader basically invented) equals death, then you might want to find another line of work.

Just sayin'
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hortod1 Avatar
15 months ago
16 billion is a lot of money to spend on what will be surely nothing more than an iPhone knock off
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TSE Avatar
15 months ago
This guy has been watching too much CCP propaganda and thinks he's coming off way cooler than he really is. I bet he was the kid in high school that takes gym class way too seriously.
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

dynamic island

iPhone 15 Dynamic Island to Include New Integrated Proximity Sensor

Friday March 24, 2023 12:27 am PDT by
This year, all iPhone 15 models will include Apple's Dynamic Island that unifies the pill and hole cutouts at the top of the display, but there will also be a material change to the feature that wasn't included in the iPhone 14 Pro models. According to a new tweet by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the proximity sensor on the iPhone 15 series will be integrated inside the Dynamic Island ...
apple park at night 1

Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

Thursday March 23, 2023 3:41 am PDT by
Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer. Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least...
iphone 14 pro max deep purple feature purple

iPhone 15 Pro Rumor Recap: 10 New Features and Changes to Expect

Thursday March 23, 2023 6:42 am PDT by
While the iPhone 15 series is still around six months away from launching, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes have been rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in particular. Below, we have recapped 10 changes rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A1...
maxresdefault

Nothing Launches $149 Ear (2) Wireless Earbuds to Compete With AirPods Pro 2

Wednesday March 22, 2023 9:48 am PDT by
Nothing today announced the launch of its second-generation wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2), which offer many of the same features as Apple's AirPods Pro 2 at a lower price point. We went hands-on with the Ear (2) earbuds to see whether they're a viable alternative to the AirPods Pro 2 for those who want to save some cash. The Ear (2) earbuds are the successor to the Nothing Ear (1),...
TMobile Sprint

Apple Stops Allowing Sprint iPhone Activations, Removes Sprint References From Online Store

Thursday March 23, 2023 12:06 pm PDT by
Apple is no longer allowing customers who purchase an iPhone, cellular iPad, or Apple Watch to activate a device with now-defunct mobile carrier Sprint. Apple has also removed remaining references to Sprint from its online store. When checking out with a new purchase, Sprint is no longer an option for connectivity, a change that Apple appears to have implemented today. Prior to now, Sprint...
iOS 16

iOS 16.4 for iPhone Nearing Launch With These 5 New Features

Monday March 20, 2023 11:50 am PDT by
Apple says iOS 16.4 is coming in the spring, which began this week. In his Sunday newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should be released "in the next three weeks or so," meaning a public release is likely in late March or early April. iOS 16.4 remains in beta testing and introduces a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features ...
Hero0009

Best Apple Deals of the Week: Samsung's Smart Monitor M8 Gets Massive $250 Discount, Along With Year's Best AirPods Prices

Friday March 24, 2023 10:23 am PDT by
We saw a lot of great deals on Apple products and related accessories this week, including Samsung's iMac-like Smart Monitor M8 for $250 off, a 30 percent off spring sale at Anker, and the year's best prices on numerous AirPods models. All of these deals are still available to purchase right now, so we're recapping them and more below. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these ...
top stories 25mar2023

Top Stories: iPhone 15 Pro Design Leak, iOS 16.4 Coming Soon, and More

Saturday March 25, 2023 6:00 am PDT by
We're still almost six months away from the official unveiling of the iPhone 15 lineup, but it seems like every day we're learning more about what to expect from the next-generation models. Notably, this week gave us our clearest look yet at what appear to be some changes for the volume and mute control hardware. iOS 16.4 and associated releases are also right around the corner with some new ...