Xiaomi and high-end premium flagships have had an odd relationship in India. For a couple of years now. The Chinese company, that has been well at home vis-a-vis phones under Rs 15,000, has somehow failed to set cash counters ticking as far as phones in the price segment of an upward of Rs 30,000 are concerned. Last year, it did not launch the Mi 6 in the country, and chose to go the unconventional -- by Xiaomi standards -- route, launching the Mi Mix 2 instead. As it turns out, "the Mi Mix 2 might not have been the best fit" for Xiaomi's target audience in India, which is probably one of the reasons why its successor, the Mi Mix 2S, may never make it to the country.

Xiaomi co-founder and CEO Lei Jun and Manu Kumar Jain who is global vice president of Xiaomi and managing director of Xiaomi India in fact had contradictory views on launching the Mi Mix 2 in India.

"I think the Mi Mix 2 might not be the best fit for some of the target audiences in India. It uses four sided curved ceramic body, and 18K gold coating. A lot of these things might not necessarily be suitable for the Indian market. Actually, it's a piece of art. The Indian market will still take some time to accept this product. So with regards to whether we should work on the Mix or not, I and Manu shared different opinions. I always insist that we should not just blindly take all products to India. That might not be appropriate," Lei Jun said while speaking candidly with select reporters at the company's plush new headquarters in Bangalore.

"We're not simply trying to introduce products, we're trying to make everything that we introduce in India a really big hit."

So, if the Mi Mix 2, was not that hit, the Mi Mix 2S won't be any better since it's basically an incremental upgrade to it. That's not to say, it's not good. We've tried it out in person, and it's actually quite a noticeable upgrade. Xiaomi is especially proud of the fact that it supports wireless charging, and the wireless charger that it has made, costs peanuts in comparison to counterparts.

"The Mi Mix 2S is popular (in China) because of wireless charging. Charging speed is actually faster than you expected. Pretty much the same as a 5V, 2A charger. iPhones support wireless charging as well but Apple requires you to buy a separate charging dock that's super expensive. Almost 100$. Right now we charge 15$ for it. We're trying to bring it down even further to say 10$ by the second half of this year. Hopefully by next generation we will give it for free."

India will have to wait to experience Xiaomi's wireless charging tech though. "Next year, or the year after, on premium phones, we can introduce wireless charging in India as well," Lei Jun added. Which ideally means, the Mi Mix 2S, may not be coming to India.

It's not surprising that Xiaomi wants to take things slow now. It's been two years in a row now that Xiaomi has failed to excite from a premium high-end flagship perspective. The Mi 5 did not do well. The Mi Mix 2 didn't do enough either. It's next premium high-end flagship ought to be special.

"It's mainly due to the fact that we've been operating in India for a relatively short period of time. We need to do things step by step. We already have five successful lines. Our next logical focus would be between 15,000 and 20,000. Then 20,000 and 30,000. Then 30,000 and above. We'll introduce them step by step. We believe in the next two years you'll find us present in these three price bands," Lei Jun reiterated.

OnePlus might have a small role to play here as well. "People might be thinking why can't we bring a product like OnePlus in that price segment? Actually, a lot of the OnePlus features and specifications are designed specifically for India. Our Mix unfortunately wasn't designed specifically for India. In China, it was very popular. We're trying hard to figure this plan out for India and we believe next year by the same period, we'll be ready with something."

So will Xiaomi launch the Mi Mix 2S in India or not?

"Our team has limited bandwidth, so right now there are no plans to bring the Mi Mix 2S to India."

In case you haven't noticed, that's a pretty diplomatic statement: one that does not directly imply anything. Read between the lines, and things start to get clearer. The Mi Mix 2S may never come to India, but something else surely is: more Android One devices.

"Yes, there's a plan to bring more Android One devices to India because there are still quite a few users in India who prefer Android One," Lei Jun confirmed.

Xiaomi will launch the Mi 6X in China on April 25. The Mi 6X is particularly interesting with regards to India since its predecessor, the Mi 5X, became the Mi A1 for this market. The Mi 6X, likewise, may end up becoming the Mi A2 for all we know. The Mi 6X may or may not be the Mi A2, but, many would be banking on it. Whatever be the case, we'll know soon enough.

Disclaimer: The reporter's travel and stay for this event in Bengaluru have been arranged by Xiaomi.

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