Xiaomi Launches ‘Women-Only’ Smartphone

If you’ve ever thought that the wide range of smartphones out on the market today are a bit too masculine (anyone?), then Xiaomi may have just come up with the answer for you.

The Chinese manufacturer has today announced the incredibly-named Mi Note for Ladies, a ‘special edition’ of its Mi Note flagship smartphone.

Seemingly under the impression that women don’t actually buy technology (describing the device is described as the “best buy for your girlfriend”), Xiaomi also apparently thinks all members of the female sex are desperate for pink, with a differently-coloured body the only significant difference from the original Mi Note, released back in January.

Super-serious

“[The] Mi Note for Ladies is a tailored edition for modern ladies who combine fashion and tech into one slim body,” a Xiaomi statement announcing the device said.

So for CN¥2499 (around £272), female smartphone lovers can get the device along with a 5,000mAh portable gift charger. Ignoring all other aspects, this is a fairly decent price, especially as the Mi Note packs in a 5.7″ Full HD IPS display, 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM and up to 16GB of internal storage.

There’s also a 13MP rear camera, and HTC-made UltraPixel front camera, and a 3000mAh built-in battery.

Next step

The female-friendly device was announced at a special event in Beijing to mark the fifth anniversary of the founding of Xiaomi, alongside several other new releases.

This included the RedMi 2A, a wallet-friendly 4G smartphone which will cost just CN¥599 (£65) on release.

Powered by a quad-core Cortex A7 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage and a 4.7in IPS display, the RedMi 2A should prove an attractive proposition when it goes on sale on April 8.

Set up in 2010, Xiaomi has enjoyed a rapid rise in the technology industry, and was rated as the world’s most valuable start-up following a $45bn round of funding in December. Currently the third-biggest smartphone manufacturer in the world behind Apple and Samsung, it occupies the number one spot in its home nation, which is set to become the largest mobile device market in the world.

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