T3 India

xiaomi

Xiaomi Introduce Redmi Smart Fire TV

by

Xiaomi India, unveiled the latest addition to their TV portfolio with the launch of Redmi Smart Fire TV. The device delivers High Definition-Ready display, powered by Vivid Picture Engine technology for an immersive and true-to-life viewing experience. Featuring powerful 20W speakers, Dolby Audio, DTS-HD and DTS: Virtual X technology, the television offers complete entertainment at home. The smart TV also comes with Redmi Voice Remote with Amazon Alexa that allows consumers to easily switch channels, launch apps, search for titles, play music, and control smart home devices with their voice.

Sudeep Sahu, Deputy Head of Product at Xiaomi India, commented on the announcement,” Keeping true to our promise of “Innovation for Everyone”, we at Xiaomi India are consistently aiming to reinvent consumers’ Smart TV viewing experience. Through this collaboration with Amazon, we are excited to bring together the legacy and trust of the two powerhouses to our consumers. With its best-in-class display, sound performance, and Fire TV built-in, Redmi Smart Fire TV will surely elevate the consumer’s viewing experience.”

He further added, “With this addition to our portfolio, we hope to build the momentum of providing our consumers with the best hardware and software to provide high-quality, innovative and affordable smart TV experiences, with the power of choice at their fingertips.”

Anish Unnikrishnan, General Manager – Fire TV & Kindle, Amazon India, adds “The Redmi Smart Fire TV offers a superior viewing experience that can be voice-controlled with Alexa to take the home entertainment experience several notches higher. We are excited to join forces with Xiaomi on this new journey and look forward to bringing new viewing experiences to Indian viewers. Whether it is live cricket matches, movies on demand, TV shows, or live news channels, customers can access their favourite content seamlessly. I can’t wait for them to enjoy the best of audio and video specs from Xiaomi combined with the vast selection of content enabled by Fire TV in their homes.”

The newly launched smart TV features Amazon’s Fire OS 7, which lets consumers enjoy a world of entertainment with over 12,000 apps from the Fire TV app store including Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Zee5, SonyLiv, YouTube and more. Consumers can stream Amazon miniTV, and 70+ live channels such as Aaj Tak, Zee News, India Today, DD National and more for free with Zee5, nexGTV, Kids First and others. The new television also supports Apple Airplay and Miracast allowing direct mirroring from Apple and Android smartphones respectively.

Redmi Smart Fire TV allows users’ senses to get enveloped in the immersive sound and discover new levels of detail, clarity, and depth with the best in-home audio standard today with support for Dolby Audio. The Redmi Smart Fire TV comes with powerful 20-Watt speakers. Further elevating the audio experience, the TV comes with support for DTS-HD and DTS: Virtual X Technology.

There are buttons like TV Guide, Play Back controls, Channel up/down, mute and shortcut to popular apps. One can easily switch channels, launch apps, and search for titles by pressing & holding the dedicated Alexa button and giving a voice command. The Redmi Smart Fire TV supports Dual-Band Wi-Fi, AirPlay, Miracast and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. In addition to 2 HDMI ports (ARC x 1), it also comes with 2 USB ports and an AV and earphone port for uncompromised connectivity options.

Price and Availability

The Redmi Smart Fire TV 32″ will be available for a price of INR 13,999 on Mi.com and Amazon.in. For a limited time, consumers will be able to purchase the unit at an introductory price of INR 11,999, that includes an additional offer of INR 1,000 on Mi.com and Amazon.in.

Xiaomi TV Stick 4K Available at 4,999

by

Xiaomi India, today announced the completion of 5 years journey of Smart Televisions in India. Celebrating this milestone, the company announced the launch of its next-gen streaming device – Xiaomi TV Stick 4K. Designed to offer an all-new multimedia experience, the new streaming device focuses on further accelerating the 4K adoption in the country.

Xiaomi India has accelerated the adoption of the Smart TV viewing experience over the past five years by offering top-of-the-line specifications and features. In the past 5 years, the brand has redefined content consumption and discovery for consumers with high-definition viewing, a content first approach, and consistent efforts to offer meaningful innovation. Featuring Dolby Atmos technology, Xiaomi TV Stick 4K supports a clear and immersive theatre-quality sound experience at home. 

Sudeep Sahu, Deputy Head of Product at Xiaomi India, commented on the launch, saying,” The Smart TV category has grown over the past five years, and we are proud to have played a pivotal role in reinventing the Smart TV viewing experience across 10 million households. Having come a long way since inception, we are extremely humbled by the response received from consumers. Witnessing a 7x growth since 2018, we have stayed true to our promise of “Innovation for Everyone”, as we consistently aim to accentuate users’ entertainment experience.

He further added, “Currently at the cusp of the 4K revolution, we are seeing more content platforms embracing 4K as the resolution of choice. As we expand our portfolio, we aim to bring 4K entertainment closer to consumers with the launch of the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K.  Entering our sixth year, we will continue to push our limits of innovations and offer consumers a range of products that bring a cinematic experience at home.”

Xiaomi India brings a new era of smart connectivity with the newly launched streaming device. The Xiaomi TV Stick 4K comes equipped with Android TV™, which delivers a simple yet immersive experience. The consumers can discover 400,000+ movies and shows from across their favourite apps while getting access to 10000+ apps from Google play.

The Xiaomi TV Stick 4K brings premium audio technology to this segment by bringing the best-in-segment surround sound experience with Dolby Audio.  Consumers get to experience stunning clarity and astounding picture with 4K resolution on Xiaomi TV Stick 4K. The streaming device also features the latest version of PatchWall. Users will now be able to discover YouTube Music Playlists directly from the PatchWall Music Tab.

In addition, consumers will get to experience 30+ international and Indian content partners and also make smart recommendations and content from 10+ languages. Designed specifically for Indian consumers, there are a plethora of features in PatchWall including IMDb integration, 300+ live channels, a dedicated sports section and a Universal Search. The newly launched device also features 2GB RAM + 8GB Storage.

With a compact size of just 106.8 mm x 29.4 mm, the new streaming device can convert any non-smart TV into a smart TV.Xiaomi TV Stick 4K supports dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. It also comes with HDMI 2.1 support for uncompromised connectivity and a holistic viewing experience. Users can directly access Google Assistant, Netflix, Hotstar and Prime Video using the dedicated buttons on the remote.

Xiaomi TV Stick 4K will be available at a price of INR 4,999 exclusively on Mi.com on 20 February 2023. 

Xiaomi India and Leica Camera AG’s cooperation: new era of mobile imaging

by

Xiaomi India, and Leica Camera AG, legendary reputation is based on a long tradition of excellent quality, innovative technologies, and German craftsmanship, have come together for a strategic cooperation in terms of mobile imaging. The first imaging flagship smartphone co-engineered by the two companies – Xiaomi 12S Ultra was officially launched in July last year, globally. As part of the India chapter of this partnership, some exciting new tech developments are in store with the two brands, going forward.

Xiaomi and Leica have concluded a framework regarding development and engineering of the camera for smartphones co-engineered with Leica. The objective of this partnership is the joint development of innovative solutions in the smartphone camera module segment as well as the optimization of optical performance. The strategic alliance between Xiaomi and Leica Camera AG demonstrates the passion to continuously push the limits of what is technologically possible. In addition to innovative strength and premium standards, the two companies are united by the commitment to uncompromising quality. The collaboration between Xiaomi and Leica provides fantastic opportunities. Both are global brands with a clear focus on the entire customer journey and successfully engage with their customers across multiple languages, cultures, channels, and devices.

They offer the best services to customers in the era of mobile imaging and that is exactly the connecting dot. As a result of the collaboration, both companies can offer consumers the best elements of the two acknowledged brands.  The two companies will bring together the best of both worlds, integrating Lecia’s imaging capabilities into Xiaomi’s products to present an elevated user experience.

Over the last 8 years, Xiaomi India has demonstrated a great understanding of evolving consumer needs and developed products which are making their lives easier. The continuous development has pushed for technological advancement and research, leading to innovations like AI, ultra-fast charging, bezel-less display, motorized camera, among others. With strong R& D strength and continuous long-term investment in technology, Xiaomi has become an important leader in technological innovation in the fields of consumer electronics and smart manufacturing. And in the field of imaging, based on its long-term technical accumulation in lens optics, chips, algorithms, etc., as well as its deep understanding of mobile photography, Xiaomi provides extraordinary photography experiences including portraits, night scenes, and snapshots.

Anuj Sharma, CMO Xiaomi India

For over 100 years, Leica Camera AG has been creating lightweight cameras favoured by street photographer pioneers and world-class optical lenses, fulfilling the passions of its community. With ingenious optical engineering and formidable craftsmanship, Leica cameras, recognizable by their ‘red dot’ branding, are German engineering at its best, and continue to attract new generations of consumers who aspire to achieve “the Leica image look” and own these masterpieces of design. In addition to making precision-crafted masterpieces, Leica attracts well-known photographers and emerging new talents around the world.

Xiaomi has been making breakthroughs in the smartphone photography space and has extensive experience in the research and development of imaging systems and AI algorithms. Leica brings its comprehensive expertise in optical engineering, design, imaging software and consumer experience related to the art of photography to the partnership. Leica supports Xiaomi in its efforts to achieve the best possible imaging results in the field of smartphone photography – and to take it to the next level of quality. The globally recognised expertise of Leica is based in large parts on its ability to guarantee the tightest tolerances on the market. This justified claim to excellence is of course also an integral part of the technology partnership with Xiaomi and is implemented in the production processes of the camera modules to ensure supreme quality. 

The technology partnership offers Leica an excellent opportunity to further extend its proven imaging expertise into the smartphone segment. Smartphones make a very important contribution to the world of photography, and, for Leica, it opens doors to new target groups and applications. In cooperation with Xiaomi, Leica reached a lot of consensuses on topics regarding long-term development of mobile imaging, such as the image style of mobile photography, AI applications, and the introduction of new hardware.

Multiple Companies Joins together to resolve patent disputes

by

Patent owners IP Bridge, Orange, Siemens, and Xiaomi today announced an end to long-lasting disputes through an innovative patent licensing transaction to enable efficient licensing of patent rights across multiple technologies from the companies to Xiaomi. Novus IP, a company owned by Mr. Paul Lin, the former “Head of IP Strategy” at Xiaomi, worked as a deal facilitator and helped Xiaomi and the three licensors successfully close this licensing transaction in a highly efficient manner.

“We continue to explore complementary licensing models to the traditional patent pool and bilateral models in order to avoid time-consuming disputes and to focus on innovation,” said Ran Xu, General Manager of Global Business Development and IP Strategy, at Xiaomi Group. “This unique transaction structure lets Xiaomi customers enjoy benefits of inventions from 3 companies, efficiently.”  Siemens is a leading technology company focusing on technology with purpose. “For us, protection of innovation by patents is of high importance. We highly welcome this agreement, as it constitutes a mutually very satisfactory solution over litigations and appreciates the solution-oriented approach of all parties involved in the deal,” said Dr. Rudolf Freytag, Head of Licensing and Technology Acceleration.

This license with Xiaomi is a recognition of Orange’s strong innovations, fostering an efficient digital transformation thanks to the contribution to open standards leading to the wide adoption of global key technologies to the benefit of consumers. ‘’We had the pleasure to cooperate with Siemens, IP Bridge, and Novus as a facilitator, delivering a fruitful result” said Lyse Brillouet, Vice President of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Orange.

IP Bridge has been focusing on promoting technological innovation and cooperation around the world. Granting a patent license to Xiaomi has become one of the important track records of such cooperation. “Thanks to Novus, we could efficiently close this deal with Xiaomi. We highly appreciate the sincere cooperation of Orange and Siemens throughout the deal” said Daisuke Honda, Managing Director, Head of License Business Department No. 1 at IP Bridge.

Xiaomi to rebrand its premium product series from ‘Mi’ to ‘Xiaomi’

by

While the corporate brand will continue to be represented by the well-known ‘Mi’ logo, Xiaomi India have today announced with an aim to unify its global presence and close the perception gap between the brand, Xiaomi’s premium ‘Mi’ series products will now be replaced with the new ‘Xiaomi’ logo.

However, ‘Redmi’ will continue with the same brand logo and the new naming convention, Xiaomi and Redmi, will be applied across both brands’ TVs, Laptops, and IoT offerings. Thus, with the new brand identity, Xiaomi plans to offer two distinct product series under the parent corporate brand – which will continue to represented by the ‘Mi’ logo, which had undergone a few changes earlier this year by adopting a softer, rounder contour on the corners of the previously square-shaped logo.

Commenting on the announcement Jaskaran Singh Kapany, Head of Marketing, Xiaomi India, said, “As a consumer-centric brand, our focus has always been on bringing new and innovative technology across segments that cater to the consumers evolving needs. We have been receiving an excellent response for our premium product range from consumers and Xiaomi fans. According to CounterPoint in May 2021, Xiaomi India captured ~14% market share in the 20K-45K category. This empowered us to push the boundaries of technology and innovation further to elevate the consumer experience.”

“Being a leading technology brand with a strong presence across the globe, our aim is to have a unified presence. With this new logo shift, we envision bridging the perception gap between our brand and products. The new Xiaomi logo will be used for our premium products that represent the pinnacle of technology and offer a premium experience. Ushering in the festive season, Xiaomi’s premium product series ‘Mi’ will be renamed to ‘Xiaomi’”, the press release mentions.  

Xiaomi aims that this new identity will propel the brand forward in the near future.