Xiaomi to ditch 'Mi' branding on future smartphones and other products

Xiaomi is currently the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer. It reached the top spot with the help of three main sub-brands — Mi, Redmi, and Poco — but soon one of them will be ditched in favor of a simple lineup.

Xiaomi won't be launching any new 'Mi' products

In a statement to XDA Developers, Xiaomi has announced that starting this quarter it will start dropping the ‘Mi’ sub-brand from new smartphones and instead default to using the full ‘Xiaomi’ name.

The recently released Xiaomi Mix 4 flagship is the first product to ditch the ‘Mi’ branding, though eventually every smartphone launched outside of the Redmi and Poco families will use Xiaomi’s branding.

Importantly, this change doesn’t only apply to smartphones. Xiaomi also sells smart home products, laptops, TVs, smartwatches, and much more. Anything that currently uses the ‘Mi’ name will eventually be replaced with something under Xiaomi brand.

It’s unclear when the full name change process will be complete, but considering how often Xiaomi churns out new smartphones, it should be complete within twelve months at most.

As for how each brand will be positioned, Xiaomi says devices under its own name will “represent the pinnacle of technology and offer a premium experience.” Redmi products, on the other hand, “bring big innovation at a more accessible price point and are aimed at younger audience.”

Xiaomi’s full statement on its updated branding strategy is as follows:

"Starting in 2021 Q3, Xiaomi’s product series “Mi” will be renamed to “Xiaomi”. This change will unify our global brand presence and close the perception gap between the brand and its products. This change may take some time to take effect in all regions. With the introduction of the new brand identity, two distinct product series will sit beneath the parent brand. Xiaomi products represent the pinnacle of technology and offer a premium experience. Redmi products bring big innovation at a more accessible price point and are aimed at younger audience. This differentiation is also reflected in our updated logos, with both the Xiaomi and Redmi logotypes under the parent brand logo. The product series naming convention — Xiaomi and Redmi — will also be applied to our ecosystem and IoT products over time."