It seems that red-hot Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is going all out to ride on the wave of its popularity in China — soon after unveiling its $130 Hongmi phone two weeks ago, reports have now surfaced indicating that the company is in the midst of getting its Mi-3 phone approved by the relevant government agency, and that it may launch next month.
All smartphones imported to China must be certified to use wireless networks, and a Chinese media report noted today that a smartphone submitted by Xiaomi — which is compatible with TD-SCDMA (China’s 3G network) — has been listed on radio communication device regulator TENAA’s website.
Other than the Hongmi phone so far, no other phone in Xiaomi’s range supports TD-SCDMA, and given that Hongmi has been listed separately on the website, this adds on to evidence that the other phone should be the Mi-3.
The alleged Mi-3 has not been given a network license yet, so instead of the expected launch date of August 16 when Xiaomi is holding an event, the phone could only be launched as early as September.
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The TD-SCDMA compatible Mi-3 has been rumored to be powered by a Nvidia Tegra4 quad-core processor, while it is said there will be another version that only supports WCDMA and CDMA2000 networks, which will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. The Mi-3 will reportedly be a 5.5-inch phone with a 1080p HD touchscreen and will run on Xiaomi’s own highly customizable Android-based MIUI firmware.
Xiaomi has been quickening the pace of its product releases as it gains more users. Xiaomi recently announced the launch of its latest Hongmi phone — the lowest-priced in its range — soon after it launched two brand new smartphones in April this year: the Mi-2S and the Mi-2A. Xiaomi fans had to wait eight months for that after it unveiled Xiaomi 2 in August last year, and it seems like now the waiting has been cut short as the company builds up on its production capacity.
Xiaomi has been garnering success in mainland China by inspiring the loyalty of many consumers. Its competitively priced phones are sold in batches that, when released in phases, regularly sell out fast, often within half an hour.
Headline image via Xiaomi
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