Xiaomi arrives in the UK with slew of products and a retail store
- Friday, November 9th, 2018
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Xiaomi has expanded its presence in Europe, making a variety of products available in the UK for the first time and opening up its first retail store in the market.
The Chinese electronics maker has debuted a pair of smartphones, a fitness band, and an electric scooter to the UK – which joins France, Italy, and Spain as European locations where the company is active.
“Today we witness a new chapter in Xiaomi’s global expansion journey, underpinned by our global ambitions,” said Wang Xiang, SVP of Xiaomi Corporation. “We are thrilled to make great strides by announcing our arrival in the UK. By bringing a range of our amazing products at honest pricing we want to offer more choices and let everyone in the UK enjoy a connected simple life through our innovative technology.”
The UK is the first market outside of Greater China to receive Xiaomi’s flagship Mi 8 Pro. An upgraded to the Mi 8, the smartphone comes with a 12-megapixel AI dual camera, an IR face unlock, a pressure sensitive in-display fingerprint senor, and features a 6.21-inch AMOLED full screen display.
The smartphone is available in ‘transparent titanium’ with an 8GB RAM and 128GB storage for £499 through Three, Amazon, Argos, John Lewis, Carphone Warehouse, Currys PC World, Very, GoMobile, Mobile Phones Direct, Katana, and Mi.com. 
The Mi 8 Pro is joined by the more affordable Redmi 6A, which comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera, priced at £99.
In addition to the mobile devices, Xiaomi has launched its Xiaomi Band 3 in the UK. The fitness-tracking wristband features an OLED touchscreen display with a physical button and promises a 20-day battery life and 50-metre water resistance. The band is priced at £26.99 and available through Amazon, Mi.com, Three, eBuyer, Scan, BuyItDirect, Box, Currys PC World, and Carphone Warehouse.
The final product debuting in the UK is the £399 Mi Electric Scooter, which Xiaomi says is capable of travelling up to 30km in one charge. It weighs 12.5kg and comes with an LED headlight and regenerative braking. The scooter is available through Amazon, Mi.com, eBuyer, Scan, Box, Halfords, Very, Littlewoods, and Pure.
All of these products – and more – will also be available at Xiaomi’s first retail store in the UK, based in Westfield’s Shepherd’s Bush London shopping centre. The store is due to open on 18 November.
