How low can smartphones go? Xiaomi said to be looking to bring $50 smartphone to the market

With the high-end smartphone market becoming increasingly saturated, it seems as if manufacturers are beginning to turn their attention towards a market which arguably deserves the most attention. The low-end market has often been treated to an unfair show, with poor products and even worse user experiences. Luckily, 2014 is set to change all of this, with ASUS creating a whole line of Android smartphones which can be bought for as little as $99, without compromising too much on the user experience.

So after cracking the $100 barrier, we now turn to the obvious next step. Can a decent smartphone be bought for $50? Well according to a report from Nikkei Asian Review, Chinese company Xiaomi is planning to do just that. Alongside Chinese compatriot CoolPad and Indian smartphone maker MicroMax, Xiaomi is reportedly partnering with Japanese retail and e-commerce giants to bring cost-effective smartphones to Japan and perhaps expanding to other markets as well.

As Xiaomi plans to expand into other markets, a retailer in Japan helping them gain a foothold in a massive market outside their homelands is a great help. While we probably won’t see these smartphones hit Western markets any time soon, it will be interesting to see what sort of product Xiaomi — who is already well renowned for its ability to create high-end smartphones with an affordable price-tag — and Co. will be able to bring to the market.

As usual this is just a rumor for now, so take it with the usual pinch of salt, but keep this in the maybe column as far as the likelihood for the rumor to come true goes.

Do you think that OEMs will be able to pull off a decent smartphone for $50?