Exclusive: Xiaomi’s Mi 8 SE and Mi Band 3 Coming to India Next Month
Jun. 8, 2018Last week, Xiaomi introduced theMi 8 seriesat a launch event in China including the flagships Mi 8, specialMi 8 Explorer edition, and thefirst Snapdragon 710 powered smartphone, Mi 8 SE. While Xiaomi has not announced any plans to launch the new phones in India, we have learnt from our sources in the retailer network that the phone will be coming to India by next month.
The source told Beebom that Xiaomi, which recently unveiled theRedmi Y2for India, will launch the Mi 8 SE with a changed name. TheMi 8 SE will be launched as Mi 8i in India, with the “i” in the name signifying India. This is also evident from theURL in the linkto Mi 8 SE’s official page, which refers to it as the ‘Mi8i’ instead.
Along with the smartphone,Xiaomi is also expected to release the Mi Band 3 in India.However, Xiaomi’s India chief Manu Kumar Jain declined to comment on upcoming phones, and our questions about the Mi 8 SE launch timeline.
Our source indicates that the Mi 8 SE will be pricedbetween Rs 18,000 and Rs 20,000which coincides with the yuan pricing in China.
Three years later, the company hasexpanded speedily in Indiaand now vies to become the leader. The credit for this success goes to its attractive pricing and online popularity. While Xiaomi has pretty much cornered thesub-Rs 15,000 segmentin India, it is looking to conquer the higher-price segments as well.
As for the availability, the Mi 8 SE and Mi Band 3 couldcome to India in the last week of July or the beginning of August.
Meanwhile, if you’re waiting for the Mi 8 or the Explorer Edition, Xiaomi has no plans to launch the device here, or is at least not willing to give any hints.
