It's not Mi, it's Xiaomi: Chinese smartphone company drops using "Mi" in products following Mix 4 launch

Xiaomi is letting go of its “Mi” brand. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer debuted in India with the Mi 3 as its first phone. According to a report, 10 years after the launch of the original Mi 1, Xiaomi has decided the ditch the Mi branding from its products going forward.

An XDA Developers report states that a Xiaomi spokesperson confirmed the news about it dropping the Mi branding. It has also done so with the launch of the Mix 4, Xiaomi’s first phone with an under-screen camera. Future Xiaomi products will follow suit as well. This means that the Mi 12 series or the Mi 11T series could debut as Xiaomi 12 series and Xiaomi 11T series.

The decision was made soon after Xiaomi celebrated the 10th-anniversary of its first phone, the Mi 1. Why would Xiaomi ditch Mi, an iconic brand that was created during the course of a decade? The company has not released an official statement yet but it is being assumed that Xiaomi does not want itself to be associated as a mobile-only brand. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has often said that Mi stands for Mobile Internet and Mission Impossible. It wants to focus on ensuring the best of products with cutting-edge technology is available to the masses without breaking the bank.

However, Xiaomi has entered different categories with the launch of new laptops, AIoT devices, and even lifestyle products. The company recently became the world’s number 1 smartphone company in June 2021 as well. 

It would be interesting to see if the company also decides to change the domain name from mi.com and back to xiaomi.com. Fun fact, Xiaomi spent $3.6 million to get the mi.com domain in 2014.