Xiaomi adds a new electric scooter and laser projector to its accessory range

Xiaomi is expanding its range of accessories with a laser projector and a new electric scooter. Xiaomi announced the devices at an event in Beijing earlier today and they can now be viewed on the official Xiaomi China website.

The scooter, known as the Ninebot Plus, is the sequel to Xiaomi’s Ninebot Mini scooter released in 2015. It will go on sale for 3499 yuan in China, which is about $515, from July 11, though it’s not yet known if this will see a release outside of Xiaomi’s homeland.

Featuring an 800W dual-motor engine, the Ninebot Mini is said to be capable of reaching a top speed of 18 km per hour and has a battery range of 35 km. As well as tackling different types of terrain like sand, gravel, wet surfaces, the Ninebot Mini also features a range of LED headlights, taillights and indicators.

Unlike its predecessor, the Ninebot Plus also comes with a dedicated controller and can intelligently follow you as you walk. There’s an optional camera accessory you can attach to it too, if you’re interested in recording your trips from knee level (just don’t point it upwards).

Xiaomi’s laser projector, meanwhile, is a 1080p short throw projector featuring Texas Instruments DLP technology and ALPD 3.0 laser light source technology. It can be positioned between 2 and 20 inches away from a wall to display up to 150-inch images.

It will also provide cinema-level 5,000 lumens of brightness and a 3,000:1 contrast ratio — features that you typically have to pay several thousand dollars for. The projector will go on sale for 10,000 yuan (around $1,470) from July 4.

Though it might seem strange for a smartphone manufacturer to be producing such accessories, Xiaomi makes nothing on its smartphones (that’s how they’re so inexpensive), but instead generates income from its software ecosystem and its wide range of gadgets, which include TVs, headphones, air purifiers, drones, toothbrushes and more.

Though I find it hard to believe that consumers would go to a company known predominately for smartphones to buy an electric scooter, Xiaomi has a much bigger name in China than it does in the West. What’s more, Xiaomi has already launched a scooter product previously — it must make financial sense for the company to pursue a sequel.