Poll of the week: Do you find Xiaomi's phone catalog confusing?
NextPit asked and you answered: Your unanimous opinion is that Xiaomi causes confusion with its many smartphones. Too many models, too little consistency. Here comes the evaluation of our survey from the fifth calendar week of the year!
It's relatively rare that the German-speaking, French-speaking and English-speaking NextPit communities are as united as they are today: You think that Xiaomi is really causing chaos with its product policy! Let's check out your reactions now.
Xiaomi confuses the NextPit community
I already said it: You all agreed on our first question. 88% of you think that Xiaomi's huge smartphone portfolio is confusing. The strongest signals came from France with 95%! In the following diagram, you can see this clear statement in visual form:
Our reader Olaf from the German community mentions an interesting aspect: Many models also mean that it will be more difficult for Xiaomi to maintain the software. He writes:
A perceived 30 devices per month are not necessarily the customer's best choice for software maintenance, either. For example, my wife's Poco F2 Pro is still bumbling around with the November 2021 security patch under Android 11. Xiaomi was also able to do that much faster and better with considerably fewer smartphones at the start.
The second question reinforces this impression because we wanted to know whether Xiaomi should release fewer products - or even more. Again, almost 70% of you agree that Xiaomi should urgently release fewer smartphones.
However, it is also interesting to note that about one in four in the English-speaking community (Germany 18%, France 16%) states that the number of smartphones released would not matter. That means that at least some of you don't care about the model chaos because you know pretty precisely what you want to buy. I find it quite funny that two percent of our readers in France and Germany actually demand even more models.
If it has to be Xiaomi, then it must be the new flagship!
This also brings us to your purchase intentions. We can see that the picture is a bit less uniform than in the previous questions. There is at least one point of agreement: On all three domains, the dominant answer was that you don't want to buy a Xiaomi phone at all.
If we then look at the different model series, the Xiaomi 12 series is in the lead overall. More than 25% across all communities said they would buy one of the top smartphones as soon as they are available. However, France is a bit out of line, because the interest in the Redmi Note 11 series is even higher there. Thus, 31% of our French readers are eyeing the mid-range, while in other domains it is about half (16%).
With that, we have answered and discussed all three questions. Finally, we want to make it clear that the survey was not about evaluating Xiaomi's smartphones or their quality, but only the product policy. You have made a clear statement in this regard, thank you very much for that!
On Friday, there will be a new poll and then we will deal with another smartphone giant and their product lineup, that much is already revealed.
Original article
A few days ago, Xiaomi introduced the Redmi Note 11 series. The global versions of the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro should follow in the next days. And there will be many more launch days from Xiaomi in 2022 with many more smartphones. Reason enough to ask: Can you still see through Xiaomi's product policy?
I must say first that I like Xiaomi, I really do! When I tested the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro last year, I was blown away. It is amazing what the Chinese manufacturer offers in this price range. The manufacturer's devices are sometimes really innovative, sometimes extremely well-equipped and almost always surprisingly inexpensive for what is offered.
Redmi Note 10s [128 GB] for $250
Chaos has a name: Xiaomi!
But it's getting to be too much for me. Xiaomi launches new smartphones very often in the year. Just in December came the Xiaomi 12 series for China, then soon we expect the Xiaomi 12 devices for the global market. In between, we had the four Redmi Note 11 series smartphones in January. There are budget, mid-range and high-end smartphones, different series, different brands and sub-brands.
And as if it wasn't bad enough, there are also rebrandings - identical smartphones that bear different names in different markets. With that, the chaos is still not complete. The model names are sometimes inconsistent and also not always purposeful.
An example? Take the Redmi Note 10 and the Redmi Note 10 5G. At first glance, you might think that they are almost identical smartphones - with and without a 5G modem, respectively. But that is not the case: The Note 10 has a 6.43-inch AMOLED screen, the Note 10 5G only LCD (6.5 inches). The 5G model comes with Bluetooth 5.1 and NFC, whereas the Note 10 has Bluetooth 5.0 and no NFC. Triple cam in one, quad cam in the other. One charging with 33 watts, one with 18 watts. A hopeless mess!
A lot of run-up for what is actually a very short question for the NextPit community: Are you also overwhelmed by this chaos, or do you still completely see through it?
Should Xiaomi be releasing fewer smartphones?
I'm not sure which is better: the huge selection that offers the right device for every smartphone wish? Or rather the manageable catalog with a focus on the essentials? I would also like to pass this question on to you and, as always, tell us what you think in the comments. We are always happy to take up your statements for our evaluations.
Which Xiaomi smartphone do you want to buy?
But Xiaomi is definitely doing something right, since the smartphones from China are selling like hot cakes. So chances are more than good that many of you already have a specific model of the manufacturer in mind, or at least a model series.
That's exactly why my last question today is aimed at exactly that: Have you already fallen in love with one of the new mid-range smartphones? Are you waiting for the powerful Xiaomi 12 or are you content with the Xiaomi 11? Or are you even waiting for an innovative foldable like the Mi Mix Fold?
Did you answer all three questions? Then you've done it for today and earned your weekend. Thank you very much for taking part! Write us in the comments what you think about Xiaomi's product policy. I'm very curious if some of you also have a buzzing head in view of so many Xiaomi phones. As usual, we'll have the results on Monday, and then we'll certainly be wiser.
