bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Karen Chiu

This article originally appeared on ABACUS
You may know Xiaomi as the Chinese tech company with products that seem, uh, “inspired” by Apple. But they make far more than just smartphones.
Need a new bike or an extra suitcase? How about an armchair? You can buy all of these things from Xiaomi. The company invests in more than a hundred startups to create a variety of tech and household goods -- forming what it calls an “ecosystem”.
It’s a key part of Xiaomi’s strategy to keep people turning to the brand for whatever they might need, while sharing the risk with other companies so Xiaomi doesn’t have to actually build dozens of different devices.
Some of these products can be found in Xiaomi’s US online store -- while others are only available in China. But as Xiaomi expands into the West, chances are more of them will be making their way to the US.
For now, if any of the China-only products really catch your eye, you can probably get your hands on it with the help of an international shipping service.
Xiaomi unveils flagship smartphone with a see-through glass back panel 
Electric scooters

You know the electric scooter craze that briefly took over San Francisco a few months ago? Some of those scooters were made by Xiaomi.
In hindsight, it shouldn’t have been too surprising: Segway, the company that makes those self-balancing scooters that are often associated with mall security guards, was sold to Xiaomi-funded startup Ninebot five years ago. The result was a smaller Segway named the Ninebot mini.
If you live in the US, the nearly identical Segway miniLITE is available for US$298. Xiaomi also sells an electric scooter that weighs around a pound lighter, and can run at 15.5 mph for more than 18 miles.
Toy Robots

Yeah, Xiaomi makes toys. They have toddler-friendly toy bricks and an electric train set, but their little robot is far more interesting.
The Mi Robot Builder kit has 978 pieces (which look rather similar to Lego Technic) and can be assembled into a robot, plane or dinosaur. It’s got a CPU and special operating system that allow the robot to balance by itself.
It can even carry up to 6 pounds in weight, and you can give it commands from a smartphone -- it supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Air Purifiers & PM2.5 Detectors

Another weird-but-not-that-weird-when-you-think-about-it product, given how bad pollution is in China. One study last year by the US-based Health Effects Institute said dirty air killed more than 1.1 million people in the country in 2015.
When the US embassy in Beijing started tweeting air pollution data a few years ago, the municipal government followed soon after. Both publish hourly measures of PM2.5 pollutants, i.e. pollutants that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.
Xiaomi’s air purifier and palm-sized portable PM2.5 detector claim to provide their own measurements, and send real-time data to a smartphone app.
Pens

For a company that dubs its business model a “triathlon” of technology encompassing hardware, retail and internet services -- some of Xiaomi’s products are notably low-tech.
It sells pens -- not the digital ones that let you write on tablets and phones. Just regular ink pens that work only on paper.
But Xiaomi says these aren’t just any pens: Rather, their rotating parts went through a rigid durability test that included 50,000 rounds of spinning, to ensure they can withstand voracious use by the world’s most avid writers. (Okay, I might have exaggerated the last part a little bit, but it’s a pen -- what else is there to say?)
Bedding & Pillows

Xiaomi’s ecosystem covers the road and your home -- and extends into your bedroom.
All products are made by a bedding manufacturer called 8H, which of course has Xiaomi as an investor. The name derives from its mission statement: To provide everyone with eight hours of good sleep.
Unlike the pens though, there’s a little more to say here. Or at least, Xiaomi has more to say about these products, and their descriptions are pretty amazing: Its memory foam neck pillows can help you “float into dreams”; its goose down comforters are “warm, just like you”; and its latex mattresses want to keep you “youthful from inside to outside”.    
How Lei Jun plans to build Xiaomi into a global empire 

For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.



Tesla plans cheaper Model Y, self-driving upgrade to put brakes on China sales slide

China’s UBTech debuts US$41,000 humanoid robot in race to build cheaper machines

Was Manus another DeepSeek moment? Chinese AI agent faces doubts after rapid rise to fame

Xiaomi 15 offers next-level AI, software and hardware in an almost unchanged phone body

Xiaomi

Five of the weirdest products from Xiaomi

This robot will shoot bullets at your enemies -- if you manage to put together all the pieces. (Picture: Xiaomi)

Yeah, riding a Segway next to the water is a great idea. (Picture: Xiaomi)

A must-have bedside companion in China: An air purifier. (Picture: Xiaomi)

These are pens. (Picture: Xiaomi)

This pillow can "relieve stress and lead you into gentle dreams". (Picture: Xiaomi)

Abacus

Tech

Big Tech

One of the world’s largest smartphone makers offers more than just handsets and computers


Abacus - China Tech News