
Xiaomi is going to expand in Africa
Chinese companies like Huawei and Xiaomi are taking their battle to Africa
People in China are buying fewer smartphones. So how can Chinese smartphone makers keep growing? By looking to a whole new continent: Africa.
How Xiaomi forged a unique path
Another reason for Xiaomi to be optimistic: Where Western markets tend to sell phones via carriers, IDC's Simon Baker tell us that in Africa most phones are sold on the open market.

Baker says Transsion’s three brands, Tecno, Infinix and itel, all have strong holds on African consumers because they offer a range of competitively-priced phones. A recent Tecno smartphone, the Camon 11, has an AI-enabled 16MP front camera and dual rear cameras, face unlock and a notch -- for just US$156.
But in Africa, it faces other challenges too. IDC’s Baker told us that African consumers have limited spending power, while richer consumers in major urban markets are already seeing some saturation.
Xiaomi wants to sell fancier phones, but people think they aren’t swanky enough
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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.
