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In the case of the Xiaomi 14’s release date, people may actually be right to be unhappy about it.
Why? Because, in a nutshell, the Xiaomi 14 is a stupendous device. Also, it has been available in its homeland, China, for almost three months now. So, it’s not like the model itself is not yet fully developed and that’s why it’s being delayed.
The Xiaomi 14 Pro, for instance, packs some serious hardware (it’s unknown if the Pro model is going to make it to Barcelone, but let’s hope so). Here are some key features at a glance:
- 6.7-inch WQHD+ (522 ppi), 1-120 Hz LTPO display, and 3,000 nits peak brightness
- Ceramic Glass for the display panel (Xiaomi claims it’s so sturdy)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor
- 256 and 512GB storage options, up to 16GB of RAM
- Variable aperture: ƒ/1.42-ƒ/4.0 camera
- 4880mAh battery
- 120W wired HyperCharge and 50W wireless HyperCharge
The variable aperture is always a nice addition to see on a camera – uh, excuse me – on a phone, so the photography fans will rejoice. This allows further manual controls and not only makes amateurs feel like a pro, but actually comes handy in situations when you want to achieve a specific look. With a variable aperture, it’s easier to control the background blur (feel free to use the term bokeh), the sharpness, the overall exposure and to do some artsy motion blur tricks.
The rumored 16GB of RAM option for the Xiaomi 14 Pro is not just a show-off move from the Chinese maker. As you’ve probably noticed, more and more phones lately have put the RAM bar up in the sky, some offering 24GB of random-access memory. Apart from being imposing and borderline arrogant, that’s an act of future-proofing. The (very) near future could turn out to be indeed very AI-oriented, and for the magic to happen, a lot of RAM is needed (among other things, like a special processor).
Late entry: advantages and disadvantages
It would be rather foolish to assume that Xiaomi execs closed their eyes, threw a dart at the calendar and just so happened it pierced the end of February for the Xiaomi 14’s global release. No, the end of February is chosen for no less than two reasons.
They want to set a gap between them and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 line and the OnePlus 12.
And the second reason is that the Mobile World Congress (set for February 26-29, 2024) is indeed suited for the Xiaomi 14.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to a late entry. The extra time offers interesting opportunities and allows for refining the product if needed. However, that would hardly be necessary, given how well the Xiaomi 14 has been selling in China. “Sales of the Mi 14 series have exceeded 1 million units and the phones are still in severe short supply,” Xiaomi Chief Executive Lei Jun posted on Weibo not so long ago.
Aside from providing an opportunity to learn from competitors’ mistakes and gather more customer feedback, a late entry could result in production costs decreasing over time, thus translating to higher profit margins.
As for the disadvantages, there’s a three-word damnation that can make you forget about a late entry immediately: “Lost Market Share”! If you deliberately choose to enter the market late, you better know what you’re doing, or else it can easily turn into losing potential customers to competitors who have already bloomed and sold their products.
Also, there are potential problems like reduced impact (it’s harder to convince the audience to buy your product if they’ve already been fed something similar), damage to the brand reputation (some might see a later entry as a sign of weakness out of fearing direct toe-to-toe clash with the competition), or lost opportunities.
So, if both the Galaxy S24 and the OnePlus 12 succeed at capturing not only people’s attention but also their wallets, this could turn ugly for the Xiaomi 14 duo. Yes, the phone is a hit in China, but the real power is to sell your product 7,000 miles away as easily as in your homeland.
To wrap things up
The Apple fans don’t have a dog in the fight. Probably 9 out of 10 of them will never break up with Cupertino – the important date for a phone release, as far as they’re concerned, is somewhere in September.
The Android universe is a much more chaotic one. The phenomenon of brand loyalty exists among Android users, of course, but not so much as among the aforementioned zealots. Switching between different phone makers in the Android world is no drama. That’s why people who are interested in Samsung’s Galaxy flagships, for example, are open to the OnePlus’ top dog or goggle at Google’s Pixel series, or drool after Nothing’s riveting glyph design… or eye what’s the latest and greatest from China.
If I were in Xiaomi’s shoes and I had to roll out globally the Xiaomi 14 weeks after the competition has presented their devices, I’d go and get the shiniest (but classy) wrapping paper out there. While gently swathing the flagships in convincing, clever ads, I’d make sure to throw in something extra for my global users. Like a pre-order bonus, maybe?
And, most importantly, if I wanted to make sure my customers are going to abstain from purchasing a device from the competition (and instead wait for me), I’d price the Xiaomi 14 line adequately. Or would I?
