Analyst says that Xiaomi sold 14.8 million handsets in Q1 2016

It just makes so much sense for Xiaomi to take its talents to the U.S. It is a recurring theme that has been addressed by Xiaomi VP and former Googler Hugo Barra. If anyone at the manufacturer knows the U.S. smartphone market in and out, it would be Barra. It feels as though Xiaomi is awaiting the perfect moment, and the perfect phone to sell in the states. But what could possibly make the Xiaomi Mi 5 unfit for U.S. consumption?

Without the benefit of  having Yankee dollars in its pockets, Xiaomi managed to sell 14.8 million smartphone units in the first quarter of this year according to an estimate made by IHS Technology analyst Kevin Wang. This includes sales outside of China and would actually be flat with the 14.98 million units sold during last year's first quarter. But considering that the Xiaomi Mi 5 flagship is being sold only via flash sales at the moment, there could be pent up demand for the product that won't be satiated until the phone hits retailers.

Xiaomi should be able to top last year's sales figure of more than 70 million phones. That figure was a disappointment as it fell well short of the company's goal to sell 80 million to 100 million phones last year. One possibly hot phone on the horizon is the 6.4-inch Xiaomi Max. The phablet's front panel recently leaked.

If Xiaomi can't show significant growth the way it used to, it might be time for the company to consider that long awaited move into the U.S. market.


source: AndroidHeadlines