You can now install Windows 10 on your Xiaomi phone, if that’s your thing

Image via Xiaomi co-founder @林斌_Bin

Last week, Xiaomi turned heads with the announcement that its new tablet will be available with Windows 10 in addition to the company’s home-spun Android variant. Today, in case there was any doubt of the company’s new direction, it has announced that users of its Mi4 smartphone – which has been out for more than a year – can now install Windows if they wish.

It’s a bit of a weird move, to say the least. Xiaomi is nothing if not an Android brand. As a company, its first product wasn’t a smartphone, it was an Android spin-off called MIUI. Since the first iteration of MIUI – currently on version seven – to now, the company has treated Android as a key part of its business model.

But earlier this year, in March, rumors were afloat that Xiaomi and Microsoft had a bun in the oven. The Mi4 was part of Microsoft’s Insider program, meaning that curious developers could install Windows on their phones if they felt like living a bit dangerously – but that was far from an official release.

That changed today. The company now officially offers a Windows 10 ROM download for its Mi4 phone, with Microsoft’s blessing.

Images via @V嵩屾晔

I can’t help but ask… who is this even for?

Xiaomi releasing a Windows tablet makes sense – a user simply has to strap a keyboard onto the device and they’re working with something pretty close to a full-blown laptop. But putting any elbow grease into the badly struggling Windows phone business seems simply bizarre.

A possible reason for the move is that Xiaomi is playing a long game. Google’s services remain completely blocked in mainland China. While the company has been able to make a largely Google-less Android system for its current devices, it is still dependant on the company.

One factor that may help ease the transition away from Android is that an increasing number of Chinese users spend most of their phone time within a fairly small number of apps. WeChat is now a universe in and of itself with a variety of services from ecommerce to restaurant reservations, in addition to its main chat offerings.

But while WeChat is available on Windows’ phone OS, other popular Chinese apps – namely Taobao and Alipay – are still nowhere to be seen. If Microsoft can get these basic services that most Chinese users are looking for, though, then the main complaint from users about Windows’ lack of mobile apps could be quelled.

Of course, there’s always the chance that I’m overthinking this, and that Xiaomi’s embrace of Windows is just another step in its rather confusing and fast-paced expansion.