“As I recall, Xiaomi was able to break through initially thanks to its solid product quality and distinctive cost-performance advantage – in those early years, other brands would often price similar models at four or five thousand yuan, while Xiaomi could keep the price under two thousand yuan. Many people were switching phones at that time, and they chose Xiaomi because of the ‘low-cost entry into high configuration.’”

Current Situation

However, in the past two or three generations of flagship phones, the upgrade momentum has noticeably weakened. Every time I look at new product parameters and features, it’s hard to have a “wow” moment – most are minor adjustments: such as camera algorithm optimization, slight battery life improvements, or simply changing the color scheme. There’s a lack of core changes that leave a lasting impression.

After reading the full text of Xiaomi 17’s launch event, this feeling is even more pronounced — this generation’s upgrades are still limited, whether it’s performance or features, they haven’t stepped out of the “minor repairs” category.

Actually, this isn’t just about Xiaomi; the entire digital technology industry now faces a similar situation: significant breakthroughs in hardware are becoming increasingly difficult to achieve, and the industry as a whole seems to be entering a slowdown. Unlike several years ago, when there were dazzling new developments every year – screen refresh rates increased, charging speeds doubled – it’s now much more difficult to achieve disruptive breakthroughs in hardware.

With many rational users dominating discussions on Zhihu (a Chinese Q&A platform), the related topics for Xiaomi 17’s launch are overwhelmingly critical, highlighting the small upgrade intensity.

Marketing Prowess

The runaway success of the Xiaomi SU7 unexpectedly reached a large number of previously overlooked female users, allowing Xiaomi to discover new user growth segments.

Almost simultaneously, the “Xiaomi 16 directly renamed to Xiaomi 17” event perfectly capitalized on this attention – not only did this break external stereotypes about Xiaomi phones, but it also leveraged “porting” to generate buzz.

The goodwill accumulated by the SU7’s users resonated with the public sentiment surrounding the rebranding: those interested in the SU7 would be curious about Xiaomi’s phone products, and those who noticed the renaming would also be more inclined to learn about Xiaomi’s reputation thanks to the SU7’s positive word-of-mouth.

Ultimately, this synergy allowed the Xiaomi 17 launch event to successfully break through to a significant number of non-traditional users who were previously unfamiliar with Xiaomi.