Thirty Minutes With Xiaomi India’s Muralikrishnan B — an Orbital Exclusive

Xiaomi India is preparing for the launch of the Xiaomi 13 Pro in India next week, and the upcoming smartphone is set to become the first flagship phone from the company with Leica-tuned cameras to make its debut in the country. The company faced some headwinds in India last year, including increasing competition from other brands and scrutiny from government authorities in the country. This year, the company is all set to take on its rivals and plans to simplify its product portfolio in India, while making more products and sourcing more components in India.

On the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, guest host Jamshed Avari and Senior Reviewer Sheldon Pinto talk to Xiaomi India President Muralikrishnan B to discuss the arrival of the Xiaomi 13 Pro, and what the company’s customers expect from 5G connectivity in India, and Xiaomi’s plans for 2023 in India.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro will be launched in India on February 26, right in time for the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023. Unlike the Xiaomi 12 Ultra that did not make its debut in the country last year, this will be the first flagship smartphone from the company to feature cameras developed in partnership with Leica.

Smartphone pricing has been affected globally, due to a rise in the cost of various components that have become more expensive due to supply chain issues. Meanwhile, consumers’ expectations from entry-level handsets have increased, while application payloads have only gotten larger over the years. Multitasking requirements have also increased as users perform more tasks with their smartphones.

On the other hand, many customers are holding on to their phones longer — this is due to an increase in the overall quality of smartphones, and the fact that some users are now waiting for 5G networks to roll out to their neighbourhoods before they upgrade to a 5G-capable smartphone, Muralikrishnan says.

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The company surveyed its customers in India on what their expectations were for 5G in India and found that users wanted faster network speeds, uninterrupted connectivity, and little to no buffering. However, users in India might think of even more use cases for 5G as the next-generation network services roll out to more areas.

Last year, Xiaomi launched both 4G and 5G phones in all key price points between Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 20,000. In 2023, most of the company’s smartphones above Rs. 15,000 will offer 5G connectivity, according to the Xiaomi India executive.

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Despite facing a turbulent year in India last year, the company is optimistic about the its performance in 2023. Xiaomi India will simplify its portfolio, reducing the number of models by a considerable amount. Meanwhile, the firm is also doubling down on its commitment to make and source more components for its smartphones and smart TVs in India.

You can listen to all of that in detail and more in our episode by hitting the play button on the Spotify player embedded above.

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