Xiaomi Said to Launch Third Smartphone Brand This Month; First Model's Render Leaked

In what might come as a big surprise for the tech industry, Xiaomi is reportedly planning to launch its third sub-brand later this month. While the company's existing sub-brands Mi and Redmi primarily focus on online retail, the upcoming sub-brand (name unknown yet) has been tipped to focus especially on the offline retail market to compete with other smartphone makers from China.

Chinese news website MyDrivers reports that the third brand is being launched to compete with the likes of Oppo and Vivo, subsidiaries of BBK Electronics, which have increased their offline presence in China through retail stores across the country, as pointed out in a report by GSMArena. While Xiaomi has a strong presence in online space, its near absence in offline stores has left room for other brands to grow.

Interestingly, a new Xiaomi smartphone, allegedly from the upcoming third sub-brand, has also been leaked in a render image. The dual-camera setup and the antenna lines suggest that the phone will borrow design elements from Oppo R11 Plus and recently-released OnePlus 5 (which itself shares aesthetic similarities with the iPhone 7 Plus). Notably, the LED flash on the side of the rear dual camera setup is present on the opposite side in case of the new smartphone in comparison with OnePlus 5 and Oppo R11 Plus.

As the smartphone is expected to be launched later this month, we will not have to wait for long to get its specifications and the name itself. Stay tuned in for more updates regarding the same.