One Year In, Xiaomi Still Selling Like Hotcakes

It was a little over a year ago that Xiaomi opened the first round of preorders for its first handset, the M1. The 300,000 available units sold out in 34 hours. But a year later, has Xiaomi still got the magic? We’d say yes. This morning the company opened a round of orders for its Mi1S, an upgraded version of the Mi1, and sold 300,000 units in just four minutes and 12 seconds. Seriously.

Of course, part of the reason Xiaomi phones sell out so fast is that the company only sells them from time to time, intentionally creating an artificial scarcity and the “cool” factor that comes along with having a phone most people can’t get because they didn’t make it through the ordering process fast enough. It is a testament to Xiaomi’s appeal, though, that one year in, this strategy hasn’t gone stale or put people off the product. In fact, if the comparative numbers are any indication, people are far more interested in Xiaomi now than they were a year ago. Now that’s some solid hype!

Xiaomi’s real focus right now isn’t the Mi1S at all, but rather the Mi2, the true successor to the Mi1. That phone won’t be available until next month, but judging from the enthusiasm at its announcement, it will likely sell quite quickly, too.

[via Xiaomi Weibo]