New Xiaomi Announces Plans of Separating Redmi into a Sub-Brand

Xiaomi has dominated the Indian smartphone market for quite a few years now. The Chinese OEM has launched back to back successful smartphones in the country and continues to do so. However, in 2018 Xiaomi did something different and came up with a new sub-brand, POCO. Xiaomi took this step because, after years of launching budget based smartphones, the people of India did not really look up to the company as a premium smartphone manufacturer, but the inception of POCO was a good starting point for Xiaomi to step into the premium smartphone segment and the manufacturer pulled the right strings at the right time. Now it seems, Xiaomi will be making another sub-brand out of Redmi. In a related development, the brand has also hinted towards the launch of a 48MP camera phone with the Redmi moniker. Also, coming ahead on January 10 is another very important event by Xiaomi, where the company is expected to make some big announcements in addition to launching new devices.

Redmi to Diverge from Xiaomi as a New Sub-Brand

The update comes from the Chinese social media platform, Weibo, where Xiaomi informed that it would launch the new 48MP rear camera phone in a press conference. Also, when fans posed questions regarding the new Redmi sub-brand, Xiaomi was quick to respond, and it said that making a new sub-brand out of Redmi would give much more freedom to Xiaomi and it will allow the company to explore more directions. Further, the representatives asserted that this step would also be better for Redmi as a brand too. The company added to its words saying that under the Redmi brand, it will continue to launch budget-friendly smartphones with online marketplaces as its primary distribution channel, whereas the phones under the Xiaomi Mi tag will be more focused on the high-end price segment.

48MP Camera Phone to Be Launched Under Redmi Brand

Currently, Xiaomi boasts of having some impressive phones under its brand name which include the likes of Mi MIX 3 and the Mi 8. Both of these phones feature top-end specifications and also come with innovative features like the 3D face scanning and mechanical slider. The Mi A2 is yet another successful offering by Xiaomi which comes with a premium camera experience and the stock Android UI. On the other hand, the phones under Redmi moniker, like the Redmi 6A and the Redmi Note 6 Pro have been very successful mid-range and budget-friendly offerings and have event went on to become bestselling smartphones in many countries. With this new strategy in the making, it is evident that Redmi as a different brand will have more freedom to position itself in the market strategically.

Previously, there have been loud rumours about the 48MP camera phone from the Xiaomi representatives. Now, the brand has also shared another poster with the public which reveals the Redmi brand with a shadow of “4800” thus signalling towards the new phone with the 48MP rear camera. As per the speculations, this new phone is expected to be the Redmi 2 Pro, and it could also be the most expensive offering under the Redmi brand.

The 48MP sensor on the camera is either expected to be the Sony IMX586 or a Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1. Apart from that, the phone is expected to sport an octa-core processor, Full HD+ resolution, dual-SIM card slot, and an impressive battery as well. It is also possible that on the January 10 event, Xiaomi might launch its first Android Go phone along with the new Redmi 7.