Are Xiaomi and Redmi really the same? If you have some knowledge of the industry or have had cell phones from any of the brands, chances are that at least you feel like they are related. However, the fact that Xiaomi keeps releasing mobile phones causes a huge mess and it is completely normal to be confused and not know if they are really from the same company or what differences they have.
First of all, we have already told you that yes, Xiaomi and Redmi are still from the same company. In fact, you can buy Xiaomi phones and Redmi phones from the same site. However, there are several sections worth highlighting about Redmi, including the real meaning that he has or how the market is divided with Xiaomi.
Meaning and origin of Xiaomi and Redmi
Original Redmi logo that would eventually drop the “by Xiaomi”
As we have already told you, Redmi is really a Xiaomi sub-brand of which we will tell you later what differentiating elements it has with its main brand. We first dive into the curious origin of Redmi’s name, which is largely due to the Great popularity of red rice in China.
It was in 2013 when Xiaomi launched its first sub-brand under the name of “Hongmi” for China and “Red Rice” for other territories, clearly alluding to the aforementioned red rice. Incidentally, the company slipped the color red into a trade name, knowing how much it symbolizes beyond passion and that in countries like China itself it is usually linked to good luck.
However, it seems Xiaomi’s marketing department didn’t see the red rice thing very well and they felt that outside of China’s borders, it might confuse and even minimize the product. That’s when they moved on to a more subjective realm with “Redmi”, dividing it into “Network” and “my”.
On the one hand, with “Red” they get keep the color red
If we talk about mobiles, there are more similarities than differences
First we have to differentiate what Xiaomi says from what ends up happening. Three and a half years ago, one of its co-founders said that Xiaomi and Redmi target different audiencesbeing the first related to the most demanding with high-end smartphones and the second for the mid-range.
However, the reality of these brands is very different from the theory. Xiaomi has launched mobiles with its main brand in all kinds of ranges, the same way Redmi has come to launch high-end mobiles. Although it is true that, as a rule, these lines always tend to be differentiated.
Xiaomi has launched phones with the “Mi” sub-name in the highest range. See the Xiaomi Mi 11 as one of the last representatives, although this year they decided to load this “Mi” with phones like the Xiaomi 12. Redmi, for its part, remains fully associated with the main brand, although that it commercially launches phones like the Redmi Note 11 Different ranges and different names, but in the end from the same company.
A separate case would be mess the brand is making with its international launches. On several occasions we have already seen “Xiaomi” or “Redmi” mobiles appear in China that later arrive in countries such as Europe changing their name to that of the other or even arriving as ” POCO”, which is another of Xiaomi’s sub-brands.
Anyway, we want to point out that they ultimately belong to the same company. Both share outlets and they even coexist in the official points of Xiaomi itself. Likewise, despite their on-paper hardware differences, they also share their Android-based MIUI operating system. So no matter what you put in the box or on the phone frame itself, if you buy a Redmi, you really buy a Xiaomi.
