Xiaomi’s latest flagship smartphone has sold over a million units in China since its launch, indicating that the slump in the country’s phone market may be coming to an end, according to analysts. The COVID-19 pandemic and a slow economic recovery have caused a decline in demand, with customers waiting longer before upgrading their devices. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun confirmed on Weibo that the Mi 14 series was still in severe short supply.
The device uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and Xiaomi’s HyperOS software. Analysts believe that the robust launch of the device is a sign that the market is bottoming out. The sales of Huawei’s Mate 60 series phones have also seen a significant boost, indicating that the Chinese market may achieve year-on-year sales growth in the fourth quarter after ten consecutive quarters of decline, according to IDC.
Qualcomm has also reported strong demand from Chinese smartphone companies, especially for its chips. Priced between 3,999 yuan and 6,499 yuan ($550-$890), the Mi 14 series is Xiaomi’s attempt to compete with premium smartphones from Apple and Huawei.