[Updated] Xiaomi Launches 3 Phones: Mi3 @13999, RedMi Note @ 9999 Red Mi1S @6999

Updated: So as expected, Xiaomi India has officially annuounced the launch of 3 smartphones, the flagship Mi 3, the large screen RedMi Note and the budget Red Mi1S. The list is slightly different than what we had expected from Xiaomi. We thought Mi TV and  Mi Tab may be announced, but thats not the case. Initially, Xiaomi want to bring in smartphones and then probably move on to TV and tablets.

The biggest surprise was the pricing of the phone. The Mi 3 which was expected to be priced at Rs. 14,999 has been priced even lesser at Rs. 13,999! The 5.5″ inch RedMi Note is priced at Rs. 9999 and Red Mi1S is priced at Rs.6,999!

As far as the actual availability goes – The Mi3 will go on sale from July 22, while the RedMi Note and RedMi 1s will be available “shortly”.

Here is the spec Comparison tablet that shows the main difference between the 3 phones.

Earlier…

So, we guess everyone (atleast all the gadget-holics) knows by now that tomorrow (July 15th) Xiaomi will be launching their super value for money mobile, The MI 3, in India. It will be exclusively launched on Flipkart and from the looks of it, seems it will even surpass the sales benchmark set by Moto phones!

However, new reports suggest that the company will not limit itself to just launching their flagship Smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi3, in the Indian market. The Xiaomi Mi3, as we already know, is the one killer Rs. 15,000 Smartphone that puts every other device in its category, including the ones that are priced twice as high, to utter shame.

But, it looks like Xiaomi won’t stop there. The Chinese company, led by Hugo Barra of Google, has plans to launch their entire portfolio in India [source]. This means we could soon get to buy a super-cheap Xiaomi RedMi Note for a sub-Rs. 10,000 price tag. Such a device would essentially slaughter every 5-inch+ Smartphone in its range, including offerings from the likes of Micromax, Xolo, Karbonn and other Indian players.

The Xiaomi RedMi Note sports a 5.5-inch HD (1280 x 720) IPS display, is powered by a 1.7 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor, comes with 2 GB of RAM, an 13 MP rear camera and 5 MP front camera, and a large 3,100 mAh battery.

With such a device in the market, who would opt for a Micromax Canvas or a Xolo Q series handset?

Not me! We have already gone in-depth with why it doesn’t matter which Chinese or Indian brand you go for at this market segment, the quality of customer support and the lack of service centers is common to all brands.

So, you might as well get the best bang for buck with you limited budget, eh?

That’s not all (there’s more? YES!) Reports also suggest that Xiaomi will announce the Mi TV in India, at a press conference scheduled for July 15th in New Delhi. Mi TV was originally launched in China last September and offers a 47-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi, Miracast, DLNA and runs Android OS.

Essentially, it is a giant TV that also packs a powerful Qualcomm processor and offers the world of apps and games available on the Google Play Store, all in your living room. Fantastic? Hell yeah! And it only gets better when you find out that the Mi TV just costs $640, meaning it could sell for under Rs. 40,000 in India.

There are also reports that their MiPad tablet, which set record of sorts in China by selling 50,000 units in under 4 minutes may be part of their launch in India. The Xiaomi MiPad powerhouse is the very first tablet to pack the Tegra K1 processor under the hood, clocked at 2.2GHz and paired with NVIDIA 192 Kepler graphics and 2GB of RAM. The tablet offers a 7.9-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 at a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch (ppi) and comes with either 16GB or 64GB of internal storage capacity.

Why do I have a feeling that I’m about to replace the gadgets in my house with Xiaomi’s cheaper yet better alternatives? It’s okay, we are allowed to dream.

But, but, but, it’s not all rosy. Xiaomi traditionally earns from offering its own software suites in China. The same won’t be possible with the Indian market as all Xiaomi products will come pre-installed with Google Play Store. Of course, as you can imagine, none of us are going to pay a damn thing for apps or games (here’s hoping that some people do).

Another major concern, no matter how many times you (and I) downplay it, is after-sales. At the end of the day, you need to know who’s head you can eat when something goes wrong with your new gadget.

Could Flipkart, with whom Xiaomi has tied up as the chief distributor, also help out the emerging Chinese company with after-sales?

First things first, Xiaomi will have to ensure it meets the demand for its products in India, because it is going to be HUGE.