The Xiaomi 14 is last to the party: why does it want to avoid the Galaxy S24?،
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In the case of the Xiaomi 14 release date, people may be right to be upset about it.
For what? Because, in a word, the Xiaomi 14 is a great device. Additionally, it has been available in its home country of China for almost three months now. So it's not like the model itself isn't fully developed yet and that's why it's delayed.
THE Xiaomi 14 Pro, for example, packs some serious hardware (it's unclear if the Pro model will make it to Barcelona, but let's hope so). Here are some key features at a glance:
- 6.7-inch WQHD+ display (522 ppi), 1-120 Hz LTPO display, and 3,000 nits peak brightness
- Ceramic glass for the display panel (Xiaomi claims it is so strong)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 generation 3 processor
- 256 and 512 GB storage options, up to 16 GB RAM
- Variable aperture: camera ƒ/1.42-ƒ/4.0
- 4880mAh battery
- 120W Wired HyperCharge and 50W Wireless HyperCharge
Variable aperture is always a nice addition to see on a camera – er, excuse me – on a phone, so photography fans will rejoice. This allows for additional manual controls and not only makes amateurs feel like pros, but also comes in handy in situations where you want to achieve a specific look. With a variable aperture, it's easier to control background blur (feel free to use the term bokeh), sharpness, overall exposure, and perform some artistic motion blur tricks.
The rumored 16GB RAM option for the Xiaomi 14 Pro is not just a show-off gesture on the part of the Chinese manufacturer. As you've probably noticed, more and more phones have been setting the RAM bar through the sky recently, with some offering 24GB of RAM. In addition to being imposing and bordering on arrogance, it is an act of sustainability. The (very) near future could indeed turn out to be very AI-oriented, and for the magic to work, you need a lot of RAM (among other things, like a special processor).
Late entry: advantages and disadvantages
It would be rather foolish to assume that Xiaomi executives turned a blind eye, threw a dart at the calendar and, by chance, the global release of the Xiaomi 14 was set for the end of February. No, the end of February is chosen for no less than two reasons.
They want to create a divide between them and Samsung Galaxy S24 range and the OnePlus 12.
And the second reason is that the Mobile World Congress (scheduled for February 26-29, 2024) is indeed suitable for Xiaomi 14.
Late entry has both advantages and disadvantages. The additional time offers interesting opportunities and allows the product to be refined if necessary. However, this would hardly be necessary, given the effectiveness with which Xiaomi 14 sold in China. “Sales of the Mi 14 series have exceeded one million units and the phones are still suffering from a serious shortage,” Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said on Weibo not long ago.
In addition to providing the opportunity to learn from competitors' mistakes and gather more customer feedback, late entry could lead to lower production costs over time, thereby translating into higher profit margins.
As for the downsides, there is a three-word damnation that can immediately make you forget about a late entry: “Lost Market Share”! If you deliberately choose to enter the market late, you better know what you're doing, otherwise it can easily result in losing potential customers to competitors who have already flourished and sold their products.
Additionally, there are potential issues such as reduced impact (it is harder to convince audiences to buy your product if they have already received something similar), damage to brand reputation (some might view a later entry as a sign of weakness relative to the brand). fearing a direct clash with the competition) or lost opportunities.
So if both Galaxy S24 and the OnePlus 12 succeed in capturing not only people's attention but also their wallets, it could turn out badly for the Xiaomi 14 duo. Yes, the phone is a success in China, but the real power is selling your product 7,000 miles from home as easily as in your home country.
To conclude
Apple fans have no say in the fight. Probably 9 out of 10 of them will never break with Cupertino – the important date for a phone release, for them, is somewhere in September.
The Android universe is much more chaotic. The phenomenon of brand loyalty exists among Android users, of course, but not as much as among the aforementioned fanatics. Switching between phone manufacturers in the Android world is no drama. That's why people who are interested in Samsung's Galaxy flagships, for example, are open to top dog or OnePlus' glasses from Google's Pixel series, or drool over Nothing's fascinating glyph design… or watch which is the newest and best from China.
If I were in Xiaomi's shoes and I had to deploy the Xiaomi 14 Weeks after the competition presented its devices, I went looking for the shiniest (yet elegant) wrapping paper ever. While gently wrapping the flagship products in compelling and clever advertisements, I would make sure to add something extra to my global users. Like a pre-order bonus, perhaps?
And, more importantly, if I wanted to ensure that my customers refrained from purchasing a device from the competition (and waited for me instead), I would set the price of the product. Xiaomi 14 line properly. Or would I?
