Hu Xinxin, known as "the most beautiful product manager of Xiaomi mobile phones", is about to be transferred?

On October 8, Lu Weibing, president of Xiaomi Group, announced on social media that Hu Xinxin, the former product manager of Xiaomi Civi series, has officially taken over the position of Redmi mobile phone product manager, but did not announce the new product manager for the Civi series. Although "rotation" is one of Xiaomi Group's corporate cultures, the performance of the Civi series in the market and the fact that the successor has not been announced have also caused some uneasiness among Xiaomi fans.

(Source: Weibo)

Wang Teng, deputy manager of Xiaomi China's marketing department and general manager of Redmi brand, later responded that the Civi series would not be cancelled and expressed his expectation that Hu Xinxin would integrate the "high-value appearance and good photography" features of the Civi series into Redmi mobile phones to bring more attractive new products.

(Source: Weibo)

There were rumors earlier that Civi4 Pro might be Xiaomi's last fully invested model in the series, and if market performance still fails to meet expectations, the Civi series may face the risk of being marginalized. Although the Civi series will continue to launch new products, there is likely to be significant uncertainty in its market positioning and resource allocation.

Is trendy mobile phone a pseudo-proposition?

The predecessor of Xiaomi Civi series is Xiaomi CC series, which debuted in 2019 with the theme of "Chic & Cool", targeting young people. The Xiaomi CC series was originally headed by product manager Wei Siqi, who focused on product art design due to her background in the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

(Source: Xiaomi / Wei Siqi)

After the CC series was transformed into the Civi series, Hu Xinxin took over. The first model of the Civi series, with its "fashionable and lightweight" highlights, quickly attracted a large number of young users. Hu Xinxin won the title of "the most beautiful product manager" for her unique temperament at her debut press conference, sparking heated debate in the tech circle.

(Source: Xiaomi)

Of course, while product managers can generate heated debate, market recognition ultimately depends on product strength.

Xiaomi Civi series focuses on trendy design, which somewhat contradicts Xiaomi mobile phones' previous pursuit of high performance and cost-effectiveness, resulting in complaints of "high price and low configuration" from consumers after the launch of Xiaomi Civi 1 and Xiaomi Civi 1S. For example, the Redmi Note 10 Pro, released earlier in the same year, is equipped with a Dimensity 1100 processor and priced up to 1999 yuan, while the Xiaomi Civi, equipped with a Snapdragon 778G processor, starts at 2599 yuan. When the two models are placed side by side in Xiaomi Stores, many Xiaomi fans are likely to choose the more cost-effective Redmi Note 10 Pro.

(Source: Xiaomi)

Perhaps considering Xiaomi's impression on consumers in the overall market, the Civi series has continued to raise its specifications in subsequent generations, while pricing has remained at a mid-range level compared to competitors, and even brought Leica imaging to the Xiaomi Civi4 Pro. It is clear to anyone with discerning eyes that Xiaomi is indeed determined to do well with the Civi series.

Unfortunately, however, the Civi series has not garnered much attention from the market. Although sales of the Civi4 Pro far exceeded those of its predecessors, they were not significantly higher than those of competitors. According to a sales ranking of Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 and 8s Gen 3 chip models released by Smart Chip Insider, Xiaomi Civi4 Pro sold 6.4 times as many units as realme Neo6, while Redmi Turbo 3 sold 14.2 times as many units.

(Source: Weibo)

The Xiaomi Civi series is actually a highly adventurous innovation attempt by Xiaomi mobile phones. Its initial goal was to explore a user market that pursues fashion, lightness, and texture, more colloquially known as the offline market. However, the Civi series, which has been stuck in the 2K price range for years, has the more comprehensive digital series above it and the more cost-effective Redmi Note series below it, not to mention the fan bases of OPPO, vivo, and Honor, which have been deeply entrenched in this segment for years.

Civi needs a more precise positioning

Earlier, we discussed how Xiaomi mobile phones began exploring the trendy segment early on, but the Civi series has not brought much advantage to the company. So is Xiaomi doomed to fail in this direction? Of course not.

Xiaomi MIX Flip, which also focuses on trendy design, generated heated debate across the internet upon its release and sold significantly more units than competing small foldable phones released around the same time, setting a new sales record for Xiaomi in the foldable phone category. Xiaomi was arguably the last mainstream vendor to enter the small foldable phone market, with Samsung, Huawei, OPPO, vivo, Honor, and even Tecno having already launched corresponding products, with some brands having undergone multiple iterations. Looking at the timeline alone, Xiaomi should have had no advantage.

(Source: Xiaomi)

Yet no one expected the underdog Xiaomi MIX Flip to sell out like wildfire.

The reason for the success of MIX Flip lies in its ability to differentiate itself from competitors. Firstly, MIX Flip is one of the rare small foldable phones of its generation to be equipped with the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, fully meeting the performance needs of Xiaomi fans. Secondly, MIX Flip adopts a luxurious design style, abandoning the youthful and fashionable aesthetic of the Civi series, making its target audience broader and not limited by style.

Additionally, it is worth mentioning the portable printer launched alongside MIX Flip, which, when combined with the phone, can create a similar experience to that of an instant camera. This innovative idea led to both MIX Flip and the printer selling out, with demand peaking at over a million pre-orders during peak periods.

(Source: Xiaomi)

The Civi series faces a different situation from MIX Flip, with its mission to establish a strong presence in the offline market within the 2-3K price range, while also focusing on design, lightness, and texture. This has left the Civi series in a dilemma for a long time: it dares not use flagship technology nor venture into lower price segments. For example, while the OPPO Reno 6 Pro+ released in the same year began pursuing telephoto lenses, and the vivo S12 Pro upgraded its main camera to 108 megapixels, laying the groundwork for the mid-range imaging battle, Xiaomi Civi appeared unremarkable.

In fact, many Xiaomi fans have mixed feelings about the Civi series. For instance, when Xiaomi Civi 1S was discounted to around 1,000 yuan during a clearance sale on an e-commerce platform, it was instantly snapped up. This proves that consumers are not blind to the Civi series but have higher expectations for it.

Will the offline market still give Civi a chance?

As Xiaomi Homes spread across the country at an accelerated pace, we can see that models like the Civi series, which rely heavily on offline channels, are starting to gain attention. For example, after upgrading its processor and camera, the Civi4 Pro has achieved impressive sales.

But Xiaomi is still a step behind.

The biggest highlight of the Civi4 Pro is its Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 mobile platform, a flagship chip known as the "little 8 Gen 3," which provides unprecedented performance support for the Civi series. However, this approach essentially turns the Civi4 Pro into a one-trick pony, as its 7.45mm thickness makes it difficult to meet the cooling demands of a flagship chip.

(Source: Xiaomi)

Meanwhile, most offline models released around the same time, except for the Honor 200 Pro, opted for Snapdragon 7 or Dimensity 9000 series chips. Another fatal flaw is that Xiaomi has yet to incorporate flagship technology into the Civi series, such as battery technology. While Honor's digital series uses flagship-level Qinghai Lake batteries, and vivo has brought its Blue Ocean battery to the S series, allowing them to maintain long battery life while retaining a sleek and lightweight design.

That being said, since the Civi4 Pro gained Leica imaging, its market reputation has significantly improved. If Xiaomi can improve its battery technology and combine it with popular features like durability and ruggedness, it may win back the hearts of Xiaomi fans.

Market research firm IDC reported that the current shipment ratio of online and offline channels in China's mobile phone market is roughly 3:7, with over 70% of consumers in non-first-tier cities preferring to purchase mobile phones and electronic products in physical stores. Counterpoint data also shows that thanks to the immense popularity of the S19 and X100 series, vivo once again led the second quarter of 2024 in China's mobile phone market shipments.

(Source: Xiaomi)

The fate of the Civi series is not only related to Xiaomi's product line layout but also to its strategic choice of brand rejuvenation and trendy positioning. For Xiaomi, the Civi series represents its vision of entering the young consumer market by attracting a new generation of customers through design aesthetics and differentiated user experiences.

Despite the current challenges faced by the Civi series, Xiaomi has demonstrated its courage in continuously innovating in the trendy product line. In the future, if Xiaomi can further refine the specifications, adjust pricing strategies, and address the pain points of the trendy market for the Civi series, it can not only meet consumer expectations but also potentially bring Xiaomi fans a truly trendy and popular product.

As noted by market research firms, China's smartphone market continues to grow, and the attractiveness of offline channels to consumers remains strong. On this path, Xiaomi needs not only bravery in experimentation but also keen market insights and technological innovation. While the future of the Civi series remains uncertain, its existence undoubtedly showcases Xiaomi's determination to continue breaking through in the trendy market.

Source: Lei Technology