Xiaomi makes push into North American market via Mexico

Xiaomi has jumped into the North American market with an official product launch in Mexico. The Chinese manufacturer will sell its Redmi Note 4 and Redmi 4X smartphones in the country via Best Buy, Coppel and Sam’s Club stores from late May. Customers will also find them online at Amazon, Walmart, Soriana and Elektra.

Xiaomi’s smartphones had previously been available in Mexico via resellers but the release of these devices is part of a bigger push into the territory. Xiaomi will also introduce its Mi Community app to Mexico, which acts as a way for Xiaomi to deliver product news and updates to its fans.

This news may prompt Xiaomi fans to ask once more about US expansion. In a statement, Donovan Sung, director of product management and marketing at Xiaomi, said this move was a stepping stone for the company, but not towards the States.

“Mexico is a really important market for us and acts as our starting point to reach the rest of Latin America,” he said.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi’s global chief Xiang Wang (who replaced Hugo Barra) said in April that Xiaomi would launch phones in the US in “two years, if not sooner.”

Xiaomi is facing increasing competition from other Chinese OEMs and, last month, Canalys Research Analyst Mo Jia said: “Xiaomi’s desire to move up the value chain in China will be an uphill struggle.” It seems like Xiaomi’s expansion into other countries might be the smartest move for the company right now.

The Redmi Note 4 price is set at 5,499 Mexican pesos (~$296), while the Redmi 4X will cost 3,999 Mexican pesos (~$209).