Why Do Filipinos Love Xiaomi Smartphones? How Can Xiaomi Improve Their Handsets?

Within a span of just six months, Xiaomi Philippines has managed to re-emerge from nearly ending operations here to being one of the top players in our local mobile scene.

How was Xiaomi able to accomplish this stellar feat?

For me, the answer is simple: They decided to consistently release quality products that are priced very competitively and with no lengthy delays. That's also the reason why I particularly like this brand; They now prioritize the Philippines and they continue to be mindful of consumers' budget in emerging economies like our own.

Xiaomi Philippines

On June 10, 2018, I asked my blog readers and followers on social media why they like or love Xiaomi Android smartphones -- just to get some insight as to what exactly they look for in the price categories that this brand currently dominates. Here are some of the best answers:

"I like the way that Xiaomi offers smartphones with great specs and low price that everyone can afford. Xiaomi gives their best in terms of consistent updates on their good Android skin, MIUI. Also, Xiaomi is very open source with their devices' kernels so freelance developers can stay updated and upstream custom ROMs that are suitable to every user's taste."
Nikko Angelo Esteves

"Long battery life. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4x user here."
Andy Mhar Diaz

"I've been using Redmi Note 3 for a year now and I'm very satisfied with it. The camera is not so good but the overall performance is excellent and that's what matters the most for me."
Jhun Villacarlos Gedorio

"They produce great phones that aren't expensive. That's what I love about Xiaomi! Mi user here since the Redmi 1S!"
Lloyd Saladaga

"All downloaded apps can be transferred directly to the external memory card of Xiaomi smartphones and their built-in cleaner is superb! These handsets are very user-friendly. Also, they don't lag and they have long-life battery."
Kael B. Suerte Felipe

"The best thing that I love Xiaomi is their user interface. It's very fluid and well polished. A UI that all long-time and first-time users love."
Ian Bert Sapa Rafal

"I love Xiaomi because it can give you amazing specs on a handset with an affordable price. For me, Xiaomi is the best technology company."
Harren Buslon

"One thing that made me shift to Xiaomi from other brands is their developer support. The community is so lively and active. Devs have come and gone but the community still thrives. Users who love to tinker with their devices will definitely be busy when they switch to Xiaomi. Mi3 was my first Xiaomi phone and it's still working fine until today. It's a great phone and I didn't experience any factory defect from the moment I took the phone out of the box -- and that's a big plus!"
Rocky Gali

"Sulit na sulit! You get the same specs as what's on high-end smartphones by other brands but for a lesser price. All of my gadgets are Xiaomi products including my smartwatch, dashcam, routers, and wifi extenders."
Jullius Anusencion

"Having a Xiaomi phone is like a home run win in a baseball game. Mi Max2 user here."
Jam Ian Torre-Campo

"The main advantage of Xiaomi is their price to performance ratio. For me, there is no other smartphone vendor out there that is willing to compete with Xiaomi's pricing. Mi smartphones have solid hardware, great build, advance features, tons of software updates and the most important part: Solid quality. You'll never go wrong buying a Mi phone because it will last for a long time. It's worth every penny that you will spend on it."
Anton Umali

"Xiaomi makes affordable smartphones for gamers and useful handsets for businessmen since they fully support Microsoft tools."
Natz Cayanan

"Xiaomi is love! Their phones are good for gaming and are very affordable. I don't have anything negative to say about this brand."
Joel C. Bentillo

"For the most part, if you would compare a Xiaomi phone to a competing handset from annother brand with almost the same specs, you'll find that Xiaomi is much more affordable and it even has much better hardware. Furthermore, I think MIUI is gradually improving."
Raymond Reyes

"The things I like Xiaomi devices are speed and smoothness of interface; No hangs and no bugs. Updates are also clean. No need to flash or reformat."
Jeric Lee

To conclude, I would say that based on my readers' answers, Xiaomi Smartphones are loved in the Philippines because they have an affordable price tag, great technical specifications, good gaming performance, long battery life, smooth and clean user interface, and great developer support. I agree.

If you notice, however, almost none of my followers mentioned great camera performance (for both rear and front shooters) -- so I guess that's a clear area for improvement in Xiaomi Android smartphones, especially those in the midrange category which are popular amongst Pinoys. It's not a bad thing, though. After all, no handset brand is perfect and it's good for companies to be aware of how they can further enhance their products to make their loyal fans and consumers happy.

Congratulations, Xiaomi Philippines! Things are indeed looking up for the company in our market! Please keep prioritizing the Philippines when it comes to product releases; Filipinos deserve nothing but the best.

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