Story by
Kaylene Hong
Kaylene Hong was Asia Reporter for The Next Web between 2013 and 2014, based in Singapore. She is bilingual in English and Mandarin. Stay in Kaylene Hong was Asia Reporter for The Next Web between 2013 and 2014, based in Singapore. She is bilingual in English and Mandarin. Stay in touch via Twitter or Google+.
Two wildly-popular Chinese firms announced that they have teamed up today — rising smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi and messaging service WeChat, which, with over 270 million active users worldwide, is only second to WhatsApp.
Xiaomi will be selling 150,000 units of its latest flagship device, the Mi-3, on WeChat, it announced on its Sina Weibo official account (hat/tip Tech in Asia). Users in China can make their reservations now, but the devices will only go on sale on November 28 at 12 noon local time.
Considering the popularity of both Xiaomi and WeChat, the sales process will definitely be one to watch — as it’s likely the devices will sell out quickly.
The entire process — from reserving the device to purchasing it — will take place within the messaging app. Given that Xiaomi’s devices have sold out at lightning speed, it’s probably a good a time as any to test if WeChat’s payment system, which it incorporated in August in a bid to monetize its service, can handle large-scale demand — which would add credibility to WeChat’s ambition to be a payment platform as well.
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