It’s a match made in heaven for the two companies: Uber will deliver Xiaomi’s Mi Note, their flagship device which is coming out in Asian markets right now. The deal seems like one of the most promising partnerships as it ties together two of the most exciting start-ups in recent years.
Xiaomi was said to be the Apple of Asia, but through this openness it is proving to be much more than that. Now being in a continuous growth, it’s starting to expand its market towards Brazil. This year, the company’s already sold 35 million devices worldwide.
The main advantage of the Beijing based company is that it is producing low-cost devices and it is also marketing them in a smart way by abandoning the usual retailers as a way to better control the prices that their devices have in areas where different exchange rates and economic struggles would doom their sales.
The Mi Note is already available in the markets of Hong Kong, Taiwan, as well as in Malaysia. The phone packs quite a punch. It is essentially a phablet (sorry) with a display measuring 5.7 inches, which barely fits in one’s hand. It’s got a camera that can shoot for the moon, literally, with 13 megapixels. Specs that could power a NASA computer – okay, I may be exaggerating – but still: 3 gigabytes of RAM, and a Snapdragon 801, as well as 64 gigabytes of storage. So you can forget to close all the apps you want. It won’t mind.
Although the device comes equipped with Google’s latest version of Android, it also has the MIUI 6 interface which makes it look a bit more… stylish.
Uber will make available the phones via its ride-sharing app in Singapore and in the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. This means that one day prior to the phone’s official launch, Singaporeans will be able to order the device. Four minutes after, Uber officials boast, the phone will be on its way inside an Uber driver’s car.
This publicity stunt is bound to be a success for both companies and will definitely have people betting on both companies.
But wait! There’s more good news! The phone will only cost $415! That’s S$569 for those of you in Singapore. Less than both flagships from either HTC (the One M9) or Samsung (the S6). The official date when the phone will be order-able via Uber is set as the 27th of July.
Those of you thinking Uber’s making a strange move, must remember that in the past, the ride-sharing company has delivered Christmas Trees, and even kittens. Yes, kittens.
Image source: cbsistatic.com
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