If you’re looking for a mid-range tablet, you’ll find one of the iPad 10.2 (2020) tablets , which is pretty much the only option available in this marginally market segment. However, the situation may soon change, thanks to the Chinese tech giant Xiaomi.
Xiaomi stopped producing tablets in 2018, but according to the company’s CEO, Lei Jun, that will change in 2021. In a video posted on the company’s Weibo (Chinese social network) page, Jun confirmed that the company is reviving tablet and smartphone manufacturing this year.
The latest Xiaomi tablets were the Mi Pad 4 and Mi Pad 4 Plus in 2018, which were budget Android tablets with matching specs. The Mi Mix series are smartphones that were located below the company’s Mi series, but above the Redmi phones, the last time smartphones of this series came out in early 2019 with the Mi Mix 3 – this is not counting the Mi Mix Alpha, a concept device that never came out outside of China, the screen of this smartphone almost completely covered the body.
WHY NOW?
In the past few years, Xiaomi has established itself as a champion in the mid-range smartphone market, offering smartphones like the Mi 10T Pro, Mi Note 10 and Poco F2 Pro with the best features at relatively low prices.
However, we have also seen supply chains that promise an expensive and premium smartphone like the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro. With the revival of the Mi Mix series, the company was able to continue producing mid-range smartphones, clearly highlighting the standard Mi as the company’s flagship devices.
Perhaps more intriguing news, however, is Xiaomi’s tablet ambitions. As we mentioned earlier, the current range of mid-range tablets is numbered on the fingers of one hand, and the entry-level Apple iPad dominates for free. If Xiaomi could replicate the formula of its smartphones and release a tablet with good specs but a relatively low price tag, the manufacturer could force Apple to move into a more affordable segment of the market.
However, we still have to see if Zun’s claims are related to Xiaomi’s global plans – the company often announces products only for the Chinese market, ignoring global launches.
Time will tell what Xiaomi’s plans for tablets and smartphones are for this year, and when we find out more, we will definitely present them to you.
