No, Xiaomi isn’t about to copy the iPhone SE

The “Xiaomi copies Apple” narrative has been around since the Chinese company’s earliest days – and there have definitely been times when Xiaomi deserved it. But this ain’t one of ‘em.

Following the launch of Apple’s 4-inch iPhone SE earlier this month, it was only a matter of time before rumors of a smaller-sized Xiaomi phone began to make the rounds.

The rumor that started it all. Image via Weibo.

Sure enough, a Weibo post by user account “Phone Leader – Nana” purportedly showing a 4.3-inch new Xiaomi phone named the Mi2 SE began to make the rounds on March 28. The post was more than just a blurry photo – it was a blurry photo accompanied by a wealth of tech info, ranging from the phone’s processor to its screen resolution.

This Weibo post was soon picked up by GizChina, whose article headlined “Mystery 4.3-inch Xiaomi phone with Snapdragon 820 sighted.” And once it hit the English-language blogosphere, it exploded.

The Times of India ran a piece, as did Mashable, and UberGizmo. And the photo spread across Twitter and Weibo. The sites all caveated their posts to varying degrees, explaining that the images couldn’t be verified and that the specs were rumors.

The only problem is, the photo is fake – and presumably the whole story behind it too. The shot is just a cropped version of a photo from a Xiaomi Mi5 hands-on posted on The Verge.

Rumor photo, left, compared to image from The Verge. Image credit: The Verge.

The phone’s size isn’t even photoshopped – it just appears as though Verge reporter Vlad Savov has the kind of hands that Donald Trump dreams he had. It makes the 5.15-inch Mi5 appear small.

Just because you’re wrong once…

None of this means that Xiaomi isn’t working on a smaller phone, it just means that this one ain’t it.

While the company has trended towards more original designs, the impulse to imitate Apple still exists within Xiaomi – after Apple released its “rose gold” iPhone, for example, Xiaomi followed up with a “champagne gold” tablet.

It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if Xiaomi released a phone with a 4-ish-inch screen – it’s not like Apple invented small phones, after all – but let’s just hope they don’t call it the Mi SE. And if we’re going to be taken in by blurry “leaked” photos, let’s at least get tricked by ones that aren’t just stolen rehashes.