Known as “the Apple of China,” smartphone maker Xiaomi announced the timing of its official arrival in Africa next month with the appointment of a distributor.
Known as “the Apple of China,” smartphone maker Xiaomi announced the timing of its official arrival in Africa next month with the appointment of a distributor.
As Forbes reported late last week, Africa has held the top spot as the fastest growing mobile region for the last five years, with Q1 smartphone sales increasing to 47 percent. With such a huge market opportunity, Xiaomi’s launch in the continent was long awaited.
Xiaomi has hired Mobile in Africa Limited as its distributor throughout the 50 countries that constitute sub-Saharan Africa.
“I think Xiaomi is currently the one of the most exciting mobile Internet brands. It is very well suited to the needs and income levels of the emerging middle classes in Africa,” Mobile in Africa Limited President RJ van Spaandonk told Forbes.
“There is a great need for mobile technology in Africa that is of top-notch quality but still affordable. What I found in Xiaomi is a company, and a business model, that can accommodate the needs of African consumers,” he continued.
As stated in the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association’s The Mobile Economy, Sub-Saharan Africa 2014 report: “Sub-Saharan Africa has been the fastest-growing region over the last five years, in terms of both unique subscribers and connections … By June 2014, there were 329 million unique subscribers, equivalent to a penetration rate of 38%… [and] 608 million connections.”
Xiaomi will make two mobile devices available for its launch next month, the Red Mi 2 ($160 / ZAR1,999) and the Mi 4 ($320 / ZAR3,999), Forbes confirmed.
Similar to Xiaomi’s online-heavy strategy in China, Mobile In Africa plans to establish online stores in 14 countries for the handsets.
“The brand is a mobile Internet company. It has made its name selling directly to the public through online channels. We will try and replicate that as much as possible in Africa,” van Spaandonk said. “What attracts me to the Xiaomi’s Mi brand is that they produce the highest quality product with the best available parts at the lowest possible price. For which there is an immense demand in Africa.”
Five-year-old Xiaomi has significantly grown its market share in China by selling high-quality smartphones cheaply, allowing the company to reduce its hardware margins and instead make money via its mobile apps and game store.
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