Xiaomi has made a shocking announcement today, by revealing that they have discontinued the sales of their 2013 flagship phone, the Mi 3 in India.
The news was reported by a blog, and later confirmed by another one, who spoke to Manu Jain, the head of Xiaomi India.
This is what Jain had to say,
Over next few weeks, we will focus on Redmi 1S, and Mi 3 wont be available. We will take the final call after few weeks, once we have more visibility / data points.
The decision comes a day after the launch of the mid range Redmi 1S. The company is expected to launch their phablet, the Redmi Note in India soon. The phone will be priced around Rs 9,000.
Technical Specifications of the Redmi Note:
| Operating System | Android 4.3 optimized with MIUI version 5 |
| Display | 5.5-inch 720p HD IPS (1280x720p) |
| Processor | 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 |
| GPU | Mali-450 |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| Storage | 8 GB Internal Storage, SD card slot |
| Cameras | 13MP rear with f2.2 aperture, 28mm wide angle lens, and LED flash, 5MP front camera |
| Connectivity | Dual-SIM, 3G (WCDMA), Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, GPS + GLONASS, AGPS |
| Battery | 3100 mAh Lithium-ion |
| Sensors | Gyroscope, Light sensor, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Electronic compass, |
| Dimensions | 154×78.7×9.5mm |
| Weight | 199 grams |
Where is the logic in stopping the sales of a flagship phone such as the Mi 3, and hoping users will prefer devices with lower specifications as the Redmi 1S?
Here are our speculations:
1. They could be launching the Mi 4 in India soon.
2. The criticism of the flash sales system used by the company and Flipkart could have led to the company’s image being tarnished.
3. Possibility of defective Mi 3 units. We have been observing their Facebook and Flipkart pages for a while, where several users have reported issues with the phone such as, over heating, cracking displays, flimsy SIM card trays, and poor after sales service.
4. It is also possible they are stocking up the Mi 3 in bulk to sell them using a normal sale system.
5. Hugo Barra, VP of Xiaomi, has hinted that they are building their own website, where they want to launch their own e-commerce store.
We could give you an endless list of assumptions, but that will not change the fact that one of the most sought after smartphones will not be available in the Country anymore.
