Xiaomi phones now rank among the top three globally, with a progressively expanding presence in overseas markets.

On March 3, local time, MWC25 officially kicked off in Barcelona, Spain, with the Lei Technology/Electric Car News reporting team already on the ground. MWC serves as a barometer for the global communications industry, bringing together the most avant-garde exhibitors and products in the mobile communications sector, alongside the unveiling of innovative technologies such as 5G and AI.

(Image source: Lei Technology)

During MWC25, Xiaomi hosted a global launch event for the Xiaomi 15 series in Barcelona, showcasing a range of "people-car-home full ecosystem" products including Xiaomi Surge OS2, Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro, Xiaomi Buds5 Pro, Xiaomi Watch S4, and Xiaomi Electric Scooter 5 Max, offering a technological feast to global consumers.

Pricing Above iPhones: What Gives Xiaomi 15 Its Confidence?

As Xiaomi's latest masterpiece, the overseas launch of the Xiaomi 15 and Xiaomi 15 Ultra undeniably stole the show (Xiaomi did not release the overseas version of the Xiaomi 15 Pro). Given readers' familiarity with these models' specifications and user experience, we'll forgo repetition here.

(Image source: Xiaomi official)

Let's delve directly into the Xiaomi 15 series' overseas pricing. The premium Xiaomi 15 Ultra starts at 1,299 British pounds (approx. ¥11,914) or 1,499 euros (approx. ¥11,349), marking an 80% premium over its domestic pricing of ¥6,499.

Incidentally, the iPhone 16 Pro retails for 1,449 euros (equiv. to ¥11,184) in Europe. Xiaomi's pricing of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra surpassing Apple's underscores Xiaomi's confidence in its flagship device.

(Image source: Xiaomi official)

The Xiaomi 15's overseas pricing also exceeded Lei Jun's expectations, with a starting price of 899 British pounds (approx. ¥8,245) or 999 euros (currently approx. ¥7,563), an 80% premium over its domestic pricing.

Both models are available only in 12+256GB and 12+512GB storage configurations, possibly due to overseas users' lesser sensitivity to phone storage, hence the absence of a top-spec 16+1TB version.

Lei Jun personally endorses Xiaomi's high-pricing strategy overseas. The overseas market differs from the domestic market, where local users are less receptive to foreign brands. If Xiaomi continues to pursue domestic strategies of cost-effectiveness and price wars, it risks perpetuating the notion that "cheap is not good," hampering its brand image in overseas markets.

(Image source: Lei Technology)

In June 2023, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra made its European debut, becoming Xiaomi's first Ultra model for overseas markets. In February 2024, the international version of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra was officially released a day before MWC24. The launch of these two Ultra international versions clearly signals Xiaomi's intention to dispel the stereotype that "Xiaomi only makes mid-to-low-end models" among foreign consumers.

The release of the overseas version of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra this time has solidified Xiaomi's foothold in the overseas high-end phone market.

Lu Weibing, Xiaomi Group Partner and President, also stated at the event that Xiaomi's primary objective in the overseas market is to establish itself in the high-end phone segment priced between $600-1,000 (approx. ¥4,730-7,280). For the ultra-high-end market above $1,000, all eyes are on the newly released Xiaomi 15 Ultra. (As of press time, pre-sales of the overseas version of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra have seen year-on-year growth exceeding 100%).

(Image source: Lei Technology)

This underscores Xiaomi's realization that to achieve a higher market share overseas, it cannot rely solely on its domestic strategy of focusing on the mid-to-low-end segment with high-end products as a complement. Instead, it must establish a high-end image in one fell swoop. In the overseas low-end phone market, Samsung remains the industry leader, a position that other manufacturers will find difficult to displace in the short term.

Xiaomi's Overseas Success Hinges on More Than Just Quality Products

At the event, Lu Weibing also revealed Xiaomi's strategic plan for the overseas market over the next five years, aiming to become the third-largest phone manufacturer after Apple and Samsung.

This is not mere rhetoric. According to Xiaomi's data, its overseas market revenue for the first three quarters of 2024 was ¥116.1 billion, marking a year-on-year increase of approximately 30%. Clearly, Xiaomi's performance in overseas markets is steadily improving.

2025 will be a pivotal year for Xiaomi in overseas markets. While Xiaomi has previously established its presence in overseas markets, making overseas users aware of this Chinese brand known for quality and affordability, this year it will use a series of high-end products to demonstrate why Xiaomi has thrived in the fiercely competitive market for over a decade, becoming one of the international phone giants.

For instance, at this year's Xiaomi booth at MWC25, Xiaomi unveiled two groundbreaking products: the Xiaomi Su7 Ultra and Xiaomi Modular Optical System. The former has achieved impressive sales of approximately 20,000 orders in China and is currently the most cost-effective high-performance sports car. Its appearance at MWC also garnered significant attention from overseas media. The latter further validates Xiaomi's robust innovation capabilities, with Lei Jun waiting in the experience area for a full half-hour just to try it out.

(Image source: Lei Technology)

Regarding the technical principles of this solution, Lei Technology's team has already provided a detailed technical explanation, so we won't delve into it here.

In layman's terms, Xiaomi has mounted an optical lens not typically found on a phone onto a "specially tuned" phone and leverages the phone's inherent high computing power to optimize various optical information captured by the lens, enabling users to achieve more professional photography.

(Image source: Lei Technology)

This aligns with Xiaomi's consistent approach: while enhancing phone imaging, it provides users with richer, more entertaining, and more professional imaging solutions through external accessories, such as previous photography handle kits, external lenses, and now the Xiaomi Modular Optical System.

The advent of the Xiaomi Modular Optical System also signifies that phone imaging has reached a new stage: when hardware and algorithms have reached their performance limits, borrowing external "force" for product design innovation may yield "maximum results with minimal effort".

However, relying solely on phones to gain a higher market share overseas is unrealistic. At last year's MWC24, Xiaomi introduced its "people-car-home full ecosystem" strategy and Xiaomi Surge OS to overseas markets. This year, it brought an even more comprehensive "people-car-home full ecosystem," laying the groundwork for future interconnectivity of 10 billion devices and 10 billion connections.

(Image source: Lei Technology)

Regarding when Xiaomi cars will venture overseas, Lu Weibing stated that Xiaomi will first establish a strong foothold in the domestic car market and lay a solid foundation before considering overseas expansion, but the timeline should not extend beyond 2027. Unfortunately, foreign consumers will have to wait a while longer to experience the Xiaomi Su7 series.

Beyond product-level enhancements, Xiaomi plans to establish 10,000 Xiaomi stores overseas from 2025 to 2029. The establishment of more overseas stores will pave the way for Xiaomi to build a more comprehensive global distribution system. Crucially, Xiaomi can fully apply the successful experience of its domestic Xiaomi stores to the global market, further bolstering its brand awareness and influence locally.

(Image source: Xiaomi official)

Early Chinese brands opted for the lowest-cost "OEM strategy" when going overseas, but in the long run, this was detrimental to brand image building. Nowadays, Chinese brands going overseas prioritize building their own brands, channels, and factories, and devise business models suitable for the local market with phones or other products as the core.

It's evident that Xiaomi has already surpassed the halfway mark. There's no doubt that it has achieved notable success and gains in overseas markets. However, it must continue to innovate and adapt to the ever-evolving market environment and consumer demands, responding to the challenges and opportunities in overseas markets, thereby solidifying its status as a truly world-class brand.

Source: Lei Technology