Xiaomi, one of the largest phone manufacturers in China and India, could finally make its long-awaited debut in the United States as early as this year.
This news comes via a report from The Wall Street Journal, with Xiaomi's Chairman Lei Jun saying:
We've always been considering entering the US. market. We plan to start entering the market by end 2018, or by early 2019.
Xiaomi was founded in April of 2010, and its revenue in 2017 was already being reported at $15 billion in USD. We've covered the company's phones extensively here on Android Central, with some of its most notable products being the Mi Mix 2, Mi A1, and Mi 6.
Also, while Xiaomi has yet to start selling its phone in the U.S., you can purchase some of its other gadgets in the country — including the Xiaomi Mi Box, Amazfit Bip smartwatch, a couple different headphones, and more.
Xiaomi's going up against fierce competition and nervous government officials.
I've personally been intrigued by a lot of Xiaomi's smartphones, and while it's exciting to hear that the company wants to bring its handsets to the U.S., it's going to be faced with an uphill battle in doing so.
Other Chinese companies like ZTE have seen success by getting its phones sold on a variety of wireless carriers, but on the other hand, Huawei's plans to launch the Mate 10 Pro on AT&T and Verizon were thwarted due to nonstop pressure from the U.S. government.
Xiaomi has to know what it's getting itself into with a U.S. launch, so here's to hoping the company has a plan of action against the backlash it'll more than likely be faced with.
