Xiaomi: All Redmi Note series smartphones will ‘hopefully’ be 5G in the next year – Times of India

Redmi-parent Xiaomi offers a diverse selection of electronics ranging from smartphones, TVs, laptops and tablets. Earlier this year, the company celebrated its 8th anniversary in India and now, the “beacon” of the Redmi brand – the Redmi Note series of smartphones – is completing 8 years. On the occasion, Anuj Sharma – Chief Marketing Officer at Xiaomi India, talked to TOI-Gadgets Now about the evolution of the Note series in India, the company’s plans on boarding the 5G train, IoT strategy and Make in India initiative.
Entire Redmi Note series to adopt 5G
When asked about Redmi’s plan to jump onto the 5G wagon, especially at a time when OEMs are bullish in launching 5G products, Sharma said that the entire Redmi Note series will “hopefully” move to 5G next year.
“For the last two years, we’ve had a combination of 4G and 5G phones coexisting. This year, we don’t need to [have it]. We will move the entire Note series, hopefully, into 5G next year,” the executive added. The 5G auction and quick rollout made it “easier for us to manage a portfolio especially beyond a particular price point where we will try and switch all to a 5G..at least for the Note series.”
Replying to a question on why the Note series is the best fit for transition to 5G, Sharma said that for the company, the last two years have been quite complex in terms of portfolio planning. He noted that a majority of people wanted 4G smartphones because “there was no 5G” and switching from 4G to 5G increases the cost of a smartphone by $50-$60 (approximately Rs 4,000-Rs 5,000) – “something that not everyone will be comfortable with.”
“If I were to create a sub-$200 (approximately Rs 16,000) or sub-$150 (approximately Rs 12,000) phone today, which is a 5G device, users should be able to use beyond its 5G aspects. This means that if I’m selling a smartphone at Rs 7,000, adding 5G automatically to it will increase its price to up to Rs 10,000 which might be a bit of a stretch. Since, Redmi Note is a mid-premium offering, we’ll be able to move the series to 5G completely,” Sharma told TOI-Gadgets Now.
Redmi Note series legacy
Sharma credits Redmi Note as the enabler of the creator economy. He also noted that the success of Xiaomi is closely tied with the success of the Note series.
“The Redmi Note series has always been the hero for the people. The series, over the years, has enabled, in a large part, the entire creator economy that we see across the country – whether it’s in the metros, whether it’s tier one, tier two, or even going to the smallest corners of the country,” Sharma said.

Sharma also highlighted that back in 2014, there weren’t “good devices under Rs 15,000 – Rs 20,000.” Then the Redmi Note came in and changed things significantly. Highlighting the success of the Redmi Note 3, the launch of which coincided with the Jio 4G rollout, Sharma said that Redmi Note 3 had features like VoLTE “which even the more expensive devices did not have.”
“So that built up a lot of trust in the entire system. Then coming into 2018, we started focusing a lot on the cameras. So if I look at a mid-segment phone today, if you’re looking for a camera device, chances are that it will be a Redmi Note. In 2021, we switched to Super AMOLED displays on the entire Redmi Note series because people are consuming more content than ever. I think the preference for the Redmi Note series has always been going up,” Sharma explained.
The executive also touched upon how an extremely important pillar the Redmi Note series is for the Digital India economy. “When India was switching over to the entire digitised way – whether it’s for education or payments – Redmi Note always was the recommended device,” he added.
As per market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), Redmi Note 11, along with Redmi 9A and Redmi 10, accounted for 35% of total smartphone shipments by the company.
Redmi’s Make in India initiative
While talking about what is being made in India, Sharma said that some of the key components such as camera, chargers, cables, power banks – a natural extension of chargers and mechanical chassis – are being sourced locally.
“It’s almost close to about 70% of the value of the device that is local. There are certain aspects that we cannot, unfortunately, source locally. For example, most of the processors that you get either from TSMC or from Samsung Electronics. However, looking at the recent trends and recent government directives, we are quite hopeful we’ll get to see India stepping into the semiconductor space,” Sharma added.
Redmi ecosystem coming?
Redmi, which was previously only known for smartphones at competitive pricing, forayed into laptop and tablets space, essentially taking baby steps towards making an ecosystem of its own. Sharma differentiated Xiaomi and Redmi’s ecosystem by saying that Xiaomi-branded products are placed in a pricier segment with premium features.
Redmi, on the other hand, offers best of both worlds – products with technologies which people really care about offered at comparatively lower price points. Sharma also says that Redmi accounts for at least about a quarter to a third of the company’s overall sales in the new categories. “Obviously, from a phone perspective, it is massive,” he added.