Xiaomi’s presence in India is widely known with the country being the company’s most favorable market. Continuing its domination, Xiaomi has recently started investing heavily in the government’s ‘Make in India’ program. As part of its efforts, Xiaomi has now announced a new Redmi smartphone launch in India. Xiaomi’s next product will be “Desh Ka Smartphone” and will launch on November 30.

Xiaomi’s teaser doesn’t mention anything but going by the India-centric theme, it’s quite possible that the smartphone will fall in the budget category. At present, 95 percent of Xiaomi’s smartphones sold in India are assembled locally. This year, Xiaomi launched two budget smartphones in India – Redmi 4A and Redmi 4. The Redmi 4A is priced at Rs 5,999 for the 16GB variant, and Rs 6,999 for the 32GB model. The Redmi 4 also comes in two storage options of 3GB RAM plus 32GB storage priced at Rs 8,999, and 4GB RAM plus 64GB storage which retails at Rs 10,999.

A new Redmi smartphone is coming your way on Nov 30! Aa raha hai #DeshKaSmartphone pic.twitter.com/Koii0QJEIE

— Redmi India (@RedmiIndia) November 23, 2017

Xiaomi recently announced its third manufacturing unit in India which is also the company’s first non-smartphone unit. With this, Xiaomi also launched its ‘Make in India’ power bank, the Mi Power Bank 2i. Offered in two models of 10,000mAh and 20,000mAh models, the Mi Power Bank 2i is priced at Rs 799 and Rs 1,499 respectively.

Xiaomi also launched its Mi Exchange Program in India. Now you can exchange your old Xiaomi smartphone for a new one at Mi Home Stores. The exchange rate for your smartphone can be checked on Cashify’s app and website, the company Xiaomi has collaborated with for the program.

Coming to the upcoming Xiaomi smartphone, the company is tight lipped about the details. With the launch just next week, it won’t be long till we get to know what Xiaomi has in store for the Indian market. Currently, the Redmi Note 5 is doing rounds in the rumor mill. The Redmi Note 5 would succeed the Redmi Note 4 which is interestingly Xiaomi’s highest selling smartphone in India.

The Xiaomi Mi 6 was launched earlier this year, and with the year coming to an end, rumors about next year’s flagship device, the Mi 7 have already started surfacing online. Now, a few details including the price and specifications of the Mi 7 has surfaced online hinting at what next year’s flagship device could look like.

Spotted by Gizmochina, the Mi 7 is expected to follow the on-going trend in the market and ship with thinner bezels and full-screen when compared to this year’s Mi 6.

In terms of specifications, the Xiaomi Mi 7 will feature a 6.01-inch OLED display that is said to be supplied by Samsung. Under the hood, the device might be powered by a Snapdragon 845 SoC paired with 6GB of RAM. Here it is worth noting that Qualcomm is yet to announce its flagship chipset, the Snapdragon as yet. However, considering Xiaomi uses flagship chipset in their flagship phone, this might actually stand true. A recent rumor hinted that Xiaomi and Qualcomm are currently working to optimize the upcoming Snapdragon 845 SoC for the Xiaomi Mi 7.

On the camera front, the Mi 7 is expected to sport dual-rear camera with a f/1.7 aperture. We still don’t have clarity on the camera resolution though. The might also be a 16-megapixel front-facing camera. The smartphone, in terms of design, is said to be made out metal and glass to add to the premium look and feel of the phone. Previous rumors also suggested that the Xiaomi Mi 7 will likely support Qi standard wireless charging as Xiaomi recently joined the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC).

In terms of pricing, the Xiaomi Mi 7 is expected to retail at a price starting 2,699 RMB (Rs 26,500 approximately) in China. If rumors are to be believed, the Xiaomi Mi 7 is expected to launch in the first quarter or early second quarter of 2018.

To recap, the Xiaomi Mi 6 sports a 5.15-inch display, and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC. For photography, there is a dual-camera setup at the back that includes a pair of 12-megapixel snappers — one wide-angle lens and one telephoto lens capable of 2X lossless zoom. On the front, there is an 8-megapixel camera for selfies. Xiaomi did not launch the Mi 6 in India claiming that the flagship device is too expensive to launch in the Indian market.

Xiaomi has introduced a new exchange program for its devices, under which users will be able to exchange their existing units with new Xiaomi smartphones. The company has tied up with Delhi-based Cashify for the Mi Exchange program.

Under the Mi Exchange program, if you are a Xiaomi user, you can visit a nearby Mi Home store, and buy a new Xiaomi phone in return. The exchange value will be determined by the Cashify team. The value of exchange will be offered as a discount for the new Xiaomi model.

As Gadgets360 notes, the resale value of the handset in exchange will be based on the Cashify app. So for example, if you are purchasing the newer Xiaomi Mi A1 in exchange for the Redmi 3S Prime, you can simply check the exchange amount preview of the older device by visiting the Cashify site.

In addition to that, if you do not want to visit the Mi Home store, Cashify can also arrange for a pickup service of the older device right from the phone’s location. However, availing this benefit will require you to pay the complete amount for the new purchase at the Mi Home store, and the exchange discount will be credited to you at a later stage.

One must note that the exchange value will be determined on the basis of the condition of the device and market value, as is the guideline for most exchange programs. Further, only one device can be exchanged with an available Xiaomi smartphone at Mi Home, and the model being exchanged should be listed in Cashify’s portfolio. You can read more about the terms here.

The program is Xiaomi’s latest initiative to keep the Indian consumers hooked to its affordable yet feature-rich product portfolio. This week, the company announced its third manufacturing plant in India, which is also its first unit for non-smartphone category. Unlike the other two, this is dedicated to the production of powerbanks.

As per latest IDC estimates, Xiaomi is currently the number one brand in the smartphone category in India, and shares the top spot with Samsung. For a three-year-old company, achieving the leading position in a dynamic market like India is no less than a feat. The company now aims to increase its Make in Indiacommitment to ensuring products are locally manufactured through an increase in manufacturing capacities.

Xiaomi India teased a new product launch recently. Most guesses hinted at a smartphone. Instead, Xiaomi actually launched a new Mi Power Bank 2i in India today. The Mi Power Bank 2i comes in two models – 10,000mAh and 20,000mAh priced at Rs 799 and Rs 1,499, respectively. The Mi Power Bank 2i will go on sale on November 23 at 12:00PM exclusively via Mi.com and through its offline Mi Home stores.

Xiaomi’s recent teaser included just the letter “i” preceded with the tricolor. The “i” here stands for the Mi Power Bank 2i and the tricolor represents the company’s “Make in India” initiative. The Mi Power Bank 2i is manufactured at Xiaomi’s new manufacturing facility in Noida. It is also Xiaomi’s first accessory made in India. The Mi Power Bank 2i is available in two color options of black and white and measures 149.5 x 69.6 x 23.9mm.

The 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 support on one of its ports. It also comes with dual-USB output which allows you to charge two devices at the same time. When only a single port is used for charging, the Mi Power Bank 2i will initiate Quick Charge 3.0, provided it is supported by the smartphone. When the dual-USB output is used, the Mi Power Bank 2i is said to adjust power output according to the device capacity.

Xiaomi says that with two devices charging, one can expect up to 5.1V/3.6A dual output. It is also optimized for low power charging of devices like Bluetooth headsets and fitness bands. You can double press the power button to start 2-hour low power charging on the Mi Power Bank 2i.

The 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i also comes with dual-USB output, but it doesn’t support Quick Charge 3.0. This model is also equipped with low-power charging mode. It features an anodized aluminum alloy case which is claimed to withstand collisions and impacts. The anodized finish is also said to be resistant to sweat, corrosion and daily wear. In terms of power capacity, the 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2i offers an actual output capacity of 6,500mAh and conversion rate of over 90 percent.

It was three years ago that China-based Xiaomi entered the Indian smartphone market, and took it by storm with its affordable products. The company recently bagged the top smartphone maker position (along with Samsung) in the country, and attributes a significant chunk of its success to not only balancing features and price right, but also to its commitment to the Make in India initiative by the government.

In continuation of the initiative, Xiaomi today announced its third manufacturing plant in India. The plant is also the company’s first non-smartphone unit, and currently assembles powerbanks. “The most searched brand for power banks is Xiaomi,” claims Manu Jain, Vice President, Xiaomi and Managing Director, Xiaomi India, who addressed the media during an industrial tour of the new manufacturing unit in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

“Xiaomi India has seen exponential growth in India and today it enjoys market leadership in the smartphone segment. I believe a key reason for our success in the smartphone segment has been our commitment to India,” Jain said. Currently, 95 percent of Xiaomi’s smartphones sold in India are assembled locally.

Jain further added, “We spoke to the team at Hipad Technology a year back, and encouraged them to look at the Indian market to set up a Power Bank facility. Hipad is our partner in China for power banks and their constant support has helped Xiaomi become the most popular power bank brand in the world. We thought with the growing market size of power banks in India, it is important that we bring our manufacturing partners to India to provide Mi Fans a truly localized product and extend our commitment to Make in India.”

The company recently teased a new product through social media, and today it took the wraps off a new line of Xiaomi powerbanks. It introduced the Xiaomi Mi Powerbank 2i (‘i’ referring to designed and made in India). The powerbank is available in two capacities – 10,000mAh priced at Rs 799, and 20,000mAh priced at Rs 1,499. As Jain says, these have been designed, and priced based on the feedback of Mi fans community.

Both models support dual-USB output, and feature aluminum metal casing with a double anodized surface. Unlike regular powerbanks that feature a couple of A4 size batteries, the Mi Powerbank 2i comes with lithium polymer batteries, encased in a 14.2mm slim form factor.

Talking about the new manufacturing unit, Jain said that the facility is spread over 2.3 lakh square feet with a starting production capacity of seven powerbanks per minute. This facility is in addition to two smartphone manufacturing units in Andhra Pradesh. BGR India visited the facility on Xiaomi’s invitation, and observed how the company puts something like a powerbank undergo nine levels of product testing, and three layers of process inspection at each stage.

At the raw material/ component stage, the company does random sampling, and tests them for quality. If there are discrepancies, the entire batch is rejected. Even before the final product is packaged, sampling is done to ensure there are no quality issues.

Interestingly, when Jain talked about Xiaomi being the top-most brand which people search for online when it comes to powerbanks, he also revealed that the second-most popular brand is possibly ‘Fake Xiaomi’. Given the visible similarities between the genuine and knockoff powerbanks, people are often duped into paying for the counterfeit models.

However, Jain described an easy way to distinguish between a genuine and counterfeit Xiaomi powerbank. All that you need to do is look for the special Xiaomi hologram on the outer packaging. Upon scratching the hologram, you can see a code which can be cross-checked for authenticity at Xiaomi’s website. If you do end up purchasing a fake Xiaomi powerbank, you could immediately bring it to the company’s notice. While this is a very small feature, having a similar checkpoint for other products in the Xiaomi portfolio might help curb counterfeiting menace in the industry. Without confirming if such holograms will also extend to other products, Jain did say that while there is no plan right now, the company may look at incorporating the basic yet useful feature like hologram to identify genuine Xiaomi products.