Xiaomi Mi 10 5G to now launch in India on May 8th

Xiaomi’s Mi 10 will be the most expensive phone to be sold by the company in India. Moreover, the phone will not be manufactured in India initially; the import duties along with the 50% hike in Goods & Services Tax (GST) will pile on top of the direct CNY-INR conversion, pushing the price past the ₹45,000-mark easily. This is also the reason why Xiaomi will not be launching the Mi 10 Pro 5G in India just yet.

We say “Indian Mi 10” because Xiaomi has modified bits on the Mi 10 here-and-there. The Mi 10 is said to be most advanced smartphone Xiaomi has brought to India (second the Mi MIX Alpha, which was a concept device), and hence, Xiaomi is pulling out all the obstacles. The Mi 10 will take Xiaomi’s game to the space that’s currently dominated by OnePlus, Samsung, Apple and Oppo. The exact price will be revealed on May 8, though.

-Xiaomi says that the Mi 10 is a teir-1 Android device and that means it will be less “MIUI-fied”. The software will make more use of Google’s apps such as the Google dialler and Google Contacts. However, it will still be MIUI 11 based on Android and will be updated to MIUI 12 later in the year.

-Most importantly, Xiaomi has clarified that there will be no ads on the Mi 10. The MIUI 11 interface on the Mi 10 will be ad-free, thereby justifying the premium for the phone.

-Speaking of premium, the Mi 10 will have a different pricing plan for India. It is going to be an expensive phone that will likely play along with the OnePlus 8 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S20 and iPhone 11. The reason for the high pricing is due to the import taxes, higher GST rates, and the depreciating Rupee-Dollar value. Yes, the Mi 10 will be completely imported as Xiaomi India does not have an assembly line prepared to manufacture the device locally.