Xiaomi considering entering the US market with its Mi Note, flying high in India

Xiaomi has previously talked rather vaguely about its plans to enter the US market at some point in the future, but has steered clear about talking specifics in the past. Xiaomi President Bin Lin has just brought up the subject once again, stating that the company is actively considering its options for entering the US market.

Speaking at the WSJDLive conference, Lin said that Xiaomi is “considering” selling its Mi Note and Mi Note Pro smartphones in the US. Xiaomi’s Mi Note Pro offers up some rather compelling hardware that matches up nicely with today’s flagships, including a QHD resolution display, Snapdragon 810 SoC, 4GB of RAM and a 13MP OIS rear camera. Perhaps Xiaomi believes that its route into the US will have to go through the higher-end market.

The company only briefly mentioned its US ambitions though, as focus turned to how Xiaomi’s current expansion into India is going. In short, it’s going quite well. Xiaomi is on track to secure a 14 percent of the competitive Indian market this year, and has seen global sales grow by 34 percent in the first six month of the year, despite slowing growth in the broader smartphone market. Xiaomi is also quite well placed for further expansion in the Indian market, having recently opened up its first manufacturing plant in the country in partnership with Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn).

Looking further into the future, Lin states that although smartphones are key to the company’s plans, he sees Xiaomi as more of an internet company than just a smartphone manufacturer. Smart consumer electronics, such as its new 60-inch 4K Mi TV 3, air purifier and home routers, form just some of the products in a growing portfolio for Xiaomi.

We are still probably a way off from Xiaomi launching any products in the US, as the company is still in the midst of building up a stronger patent portfolio before it leaps into the litigation heavy US territory. Still, do you think that the Mi Note series would sell well in the US?