What you need to know
- Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has confirmed that the company has shifted its focus to 5G phones for the Chinese market.
- Along with an increased focus on 5G phones, the company is said to have started work on 6G as well.
- It could take nearly a decade for 6G to become a reality.
Yesterday, Xiaomi launched the Redmi 10X in China, its most affordable 5G-enabled smartphone yet. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has now revealed that the company is going all-in on 5G and has already started working on 6G (via GizChina).
Speaking to China's Xinhua News agency, Jun said that the company has begun doing preliminary research on 6G. However, Xiaomi isn't the only smartphone maker to have started working on 6G. Huawei and Samsung both confirmed last year that they have started working on the next-generation cellular technology. In addition to 6G, Xiaomi is also working on satellite internet and how it could work with smartphones.
Jun also reiterated Xiaomi's increased focus on 5G smartphones during the interview. It had announced in late 2019 that it would "clear" its 4G smartphone lineup in China and shift its focus completely to 5G. However, the company's 5G strategy has been affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Despite the setback, Xiaomi says it will continue to push 5G phones and may release only entry-level models with 4G connectivity.
While Xiaomi is planning to end production of 4G only phones in China, it is unlikely to launch affordable 5G phones in markets like India anytime soon, where 5G is still a few years away.
