Xiaomi is phasing out its “Mi” product branding, a spokesperson tells The Verge. Products including flagship smartphones like this year’s Mi 11 will instead simply carry the Xiaomi name. The news was first reported by XDA Developers.
“Starting in 2021 Q3, Xiaomi’s product series ‘Mi’ will be renamed to ‘Xiaomi,’” says the spokesperson. “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.”
Xiaomi says that it’ll still keep the Redmi brand around, meaning that the higher-end Xiaomi products will form a distinct line alongside Redmi products. Xiaomi products “represent the pinnacle of technology and offer a premium experience,” according to the company, while Redmi products “bring big innovation at a more accessible price point and are aimed at a younger audience.”
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This naming convention “will also be applied to our ecosystem and IoT products over time,” says the spokesperson, though the Mi brand logo will continue to be used in Xiaomi’s Mi Home stores for now.
This month’s announcement of the latest phone in the Mi Mix series served as a harbinger of the shift, since Xiaomi referred to it as the Xiaomi Mix 4. The previous phones were called the Mi Mix, the Mi Mix 2, and the Mi Mix 3.
The Mi brand was largely used in Western markets, presumably for readability and pronunciation reasons — phones like the Mi 11 are already called the Xiaomi 11 in China, for example. But Xiaomi evidently believes its company name is now recognizable enough and better represents its products.