Xiaomi may finally be gearing up to launch its products in the United States of America. Engadget has quoted Hugo Barra, Global VP of Xiaomi, stating that the company has already started testing its phones with network carries in the US. While this means that Xiaomi’s introduction in the USA is still a while into the future, the company has already taken its first steps by taking on the notoriously stringent network laboratory tests.
To prepare its devices for the United States of America, devices need to be compliant with the LTE network bands that are active in the country. The bands used by other nations often differ from the ones used in the USA, because of which Xiaomi may need to modify its devices before introducing itself in the USA. As per recent reports, the company is using a modified variant of the Xiaomi Mi 5 and the recently-launched Mi Note 2 for the network tests. Interestingly, the Mi Note 2 is the first smartphone from Xiaomi’s stable to have extensive support for network bands.
Xiaomi has grown from a company operating mainly in China with its smartphones, to having a complete ecosystem of IoT-enabled connected devices that include smartphones, a laptop, tablets, smart air purifiers, water purifiers, hoverboards and more. With such an extensive portfolio of products, the company will be looking to make all of it compliant with US network and safety standards.
However, even with the tests currently en route, it may take Xiaomi up to two years to hold its official launch in the United States of America. The company will have to bring its devices in line with US standards, which may take some time in preparing. It will be interesting to see how it is accepted in one of the most advanced technology markets in the world.