Although it is a leading device manufacturer, the company’s phones are not common in the United States.
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Americans looking at a list of the most popular smartphone brands around the world may be faced with a harsh reality: We are systematically cut off from some of the most exciting mobile technologies on the market. Most consumers are forced to choose between smartphones from a handful of brands, primarily Apple, Samsung, Google and Motorola. But take a trip abroad and you’ll discover a multitude of brands. Foreign markets have access to devices from companies such as Oppo, RealMe, Honor, Huawei and, of course, Xiaomi.
Although not available in the United States, Xiaomi is the third most popular mobile phone vendor in the world as of this writing, holding just under 10% of the global market. Many Yankees may think that they were never able to get their hands on Xiaomi’s latest flagships, like the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, because the phones are of Chinese origin and therefore banned in the United States. But that’s not the case.
While the tech rivalry between the United States and China has been tumultuous in recent years, with everything from smartphones to Wi-Fi routers ending up on a sort of blacklist or banned list, Xiaomi products were only briefly the subject of such a crackdown a few years ago. The real reason its phones are so rarely sold here is much simpler: The company hasn’t made inroads into the US market on its own merits. Our business operating environment is not compatible with Xiaomi’s business principles and, in the meantime, its offerings in China and elsewhere are improving more than ever.
Xiaomi was (very briefly) on a US blacklist
If you remember that Xiaomi phones were banned in the US, your memory isn’t entirely faulty. In early 2021, as former and future President Donald Trump prepared to reluctantly leave office, his administration engaged in a series of harsh crackdowns on Chinese technology. The most famous and longest-lasting of these bans hit Huawei, which was gaining significant traction in the U.S. market and quickly becoming a viable competitor to Apple and Samsung. But as Reuters reported on January 14, 2021, Xiaomi was added to a blacklist of companies believed to have ties to the Chinese military. American investors were prohibited from transacting in the company and were required to divest their stakes.
This ban was short-lived. Two weeks later, Xiaomi filed a lawsuit challenging the ban. On May 25, just over four months after being blacklisted, the US government agreed to lift the ban on Xiaomi. But even though the debacle only lasted a third of a year, and despite the fact that there’s nothing technically stopping Xiaomi gadgets from being sold in the United States, you’re definitely not using one if you’re a long-time US resident.
One of the reasons why Xiaomi doesn’t participate much in the US market is obvious. Entering the United States would hold a sword of Damocles over Xiaomi’s head. Having already been subject to a US government ban, and with Chinese technology increasingly a boogieman for US lawmakers, the company can never be sure that it won’t spend a lot of money against the existing Apple-Samsung duopoly, only to get crushed by a new blacklist. But there are much bigger reasons why the only way to get a Xiaomi phone in the US is to import it.
Xiaomi doesn’t operate in the United States, but you can import one of its gadgets
As a major player in the global smartphone market, Xiaomi is a brand you’d expect to see in stores alongside the Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy lines that Americans know most intimately. But there are several reasons why, despite no longer being banned by the US government, Xiaomi prefers not to get entangled in the US market.
First, there is branding. Although its flagship hardware has reached truly impressive heights, with powerful processors and some of the most capable camera systems you can put in your pocket, the company has achieved its success by entering developing markets. The more mature American market is more expensive to enter. As noted by Android Central, Xiaomi has long prided itself on selling its phones with margins as thin as 5%, while still maintaining impressive hardware and competitive pricing. While the United States is dominated by carriers whose partnership is necessary to make real progress, Xiaomi executives have more problems than it’s worth.
You can still buy a Xiaomi product in the US, but unless you’re willing to pay import fees, it won’t be a phone. Instead, you can get the company’s air purifiers, chargers, and desk accessories, or the sleekest cordless screwdrivers you’ve ever seen.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi’s most interesting products are developed on its own territory. It is part of China’s booming electric car market and has already launched several high-tech vehicles. Xiaomi’s SU7 sedan claims to be competitive with a Porsche, and the 2026 model can be purchased for just under US$32,000. Unfortunately, Xiaomi vehicles do not have certifications for American roads; for the Xiaomi car and phone combo, you will have to go abroad.
