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Chinese consumer watchdog pushes back on Xiaomi’s claim over ‘inappropriate’ safety standards for phone covers

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Xiaomi identified 15 test indicators which it said have been strictly implemented in production to ensure the quality of its smartphone covers. Photo: AFP
Li Taoin Shenzhen

The Shenzhen Consumer Council has refuted claims by China’s No 4 smartphone maker Xiaomi that applying European standards for baby-care products to phone covers is inappropriate, with the watchdog saying it believes babies would be inclined to bite the covers so a higher standard is necessary. 

The application of the most stringent standard is required to protect the health of consumers, the Shenzhen Consumer Council said on its official Weibo account on Friday night.

The consumer watchdog investigated 30 popular mobile phone covers from 28 popular brands, including Apple, Xiaomi and Huawei. It found that seven phone covers from five brands – Apple, Xiaomi, Tiya, Yuening and Q-Guo – contained toxic substances that exceeded the European standard, according to its report released last Thursday.

In a statement responding to the findings on Friday, Xiaomi said there was no relevant national and industrial standard for mobile phone protective covers in China. It added that the European standard adopted by the council was intended for children’s tableware and utensils and should not be applied to mobile phone cases.

Xiaomi identified 15 test indicators which it said have been strictly implemented in production to ensure the quality of the product. “Xiaomi covers are safe to use for consumers,” the company said in a statement.

China is the world’s largest smartphone market, with almost 450 million handsets shipped last year. However, the number of phone covers sold could top that number as local Chinese media reports suggest 75 per cent of consumers will purchase a cover for their phone and Chinese consumers also change phone covers more frequently than changing their phones. 

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