Xiaomi Corporation , registered in Asia as Xiaomi Inc., is a Chinese designer and manufacturer of consumer electronics and related software, home appliances, and household items. Behind Samsung, it is the second largest manufacturer of smartphones, all of which run the MIUI operating system, a fork of Android. In 2020, the company sold 146.3 million smartphones and, as of August 2021, its MIUI operating system had over 450 million monthly active users. It also is a major manufacturer of appliances including televisions, flashlights, unmanned aerial vehicles, and air purifiers using its Internet of Things and Xiaomi Smart Home product ecosystems. The name “Xiaomi” literally means millet and rice, and is based on the Buddhist concept of starting from the bottom before aiming for the top.
Xiaomi was founded in 2010 in Beijing by now multi-billionaire Lei Jun when he was 40 years old, along with six senior associates. Lei had founded Kingsoft as well as Joyo.com, which he sold to Amazon for $75 million in 2004. In August 2011, Xiaomi released its first smartphone and, by 2014, it had the largest market share of smartphones sold in China. By 2015, it was developing a wide range of consumer electronics.
In the second quarter of 2021, Xiaomi surpassed Apple Inc. to become the second-largest seller of smartphones worldwide.
The company is ranked 338th and is the youngest company on the Fortune Global 500.
Xiaomi keeps its prices close to its manufacturing costs and bill of materials costs by keeping most of its products in the market for 18 months, longer than most smartphone companies, and by making a profit from the sale of related services, software, and peripheral .devices
