Xiaomi in US, Europe test

China’s market leading smartphone company Xiaomi is making what’s being interpreted as a tentative step into the US and Europe.

The fast-growing young company, which sells more phones in China than any other handset maker has yet to open its first store outside Greater China – but last Friday, it quietly switched on a website selling accessories and electronics – but not phones – to Americans and Europeans.

According to a report on The Verge http://www.theverge.com reports, Xiaomi opened a site selling limited quantaties of just four products in a “beta test sale” to residents of the US, UK, Germany and France.

This launch line-up of products includes a US$14.99 fitness tracker, a pair of US$79.99 headphones, and two sizes of USB power packs: a $9.99 5,000mAh model capable of two full iPhone charges and a larger, 10,400mAh version that sold for $13.99.

The company encouraged visitors to create their accounts on the site, clearly a means to start building a database of potential customers in each market.

Xiaomi, a company now worth US$46 billion, is scheduled to open its first retail store – dubbed a Mi Store – outside mainland China, in Hong Kong this week.

According to The Verge, Xiaomi’s VP Hugo Barra announced a move into the US and Europe earlier this year, but wouldn’t say when its low-cost, but feature-packed smartphones might go on sale.

“At the time, Barra cited reasons such as hardware certification, software testing, and other logistical challenges as barriers to entry for smartphones and tablets in US market,” The Verge reported.

“However, the company has yet to shake the perception that it has also copied American companies’ designs — a criticism that is difficult to ignore when looking at side-by-side comparisons of Apple’s and Xiaomi’s products. Still, if the company can find an audience for its accessories, then its smartphone surely won’t be too far behind.”

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