The world’s second largest smartphone brand, Xiaomi (MI) has opened its first West African showroom in Accra, and plans to knock off competition from other smartphones on the continent through affordability.
DeviceTech is the franchise owners of the Xiaomi in Ghana and West Africa, and its CEO, Hassan Mikati said Xiaomi plans to offer Ghanaians and Africans sleek and durable but affordable Mi products.
Speaking at the opening of the showroom along the Spintex Road in Accra, Mikati said the Mi brand is a high-end one, in terms of packaging, quality, and specification, adding that “our brand is much better, and other brands can’t compete.”
He said Xiaomi devices have been well-received by Ghanaians because “Our prices are much affordable as compared to our competitors. Our quality is one of the best. We are number one in Europe, we are number one in Asia, and we will be number one in Africa,” he said.
Global Market Share
Indeed, 2021 global smartphone market share report by industry researcher Gartner indicate hat Xiaomi has the second largest market share of about 51.1 million, representing 15.5 per cent of smartphone units sold globally as of September ending this year.
Xiaomi is only second to Samsung, which recorded some 57.75 million unit sold, representing 17.6 per cent market share.
In effect, Xiaomi has toppled the likes of Apple, while, one time top three smartphone vendor, Huawei has completely fallen off the radar due to US sanctions.
Huawei, which is a major Chinese counterpart of Xiaomi, used to have dominance in many market, including Africa, but now Xiaomi is more poised to take up that role with its affordable but high quality Mi branded smartphones.
Other Appliances
The showroom in Accra also showcases Xiaomi’s home appliances like vacuum cleaners, TV sets, electronic scooters, rice cookers, portable speakers, Xiaomi range of smartphones, and others.
Mr Mikati said Ghana was chosen because the country has a very good potential in smartphone and technology usage, “Ghana is developed, the network is very good. Ghana likes smartphones and smart gadgets. That is why we chose Ghana”
He said six more retail shops will be opened in the coming months at Kumasi, Accra Mall, Circle among others.
Xiaomi was founded by Lei Jun in 2010. It prides itself on its “ecosystem” strategy, where they sell not just smartphones but also a variety of gadgets and household products. It began expanding into Western Europe in 2020.
