Skip to main content

Xiaomi turns five, may announce first smartwatch and new smartphone to celebrate

xiaomi no sales us smartphone market mi 4 top
Although it has only come to international prominence over the past year or so, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi actually turns five years old in April. It will announce at least one new product as part of its celebrations.

The news comes from a blog post on its official forums, informing fans of the company that March 31 will be the big day. Apparently, Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s CEO, will host an event where the new devices will be revealed, along with other, similarly unknown surprises.

It’s not certain how many products Xiaomi will launch, or exactly what they will be, but the post does hint there will be more than one. It even asks forum members to guess how many will be announced, with the possibility of more than three being the most popular, taking nearly 60 percent of the vote at the time of writing.

Xiaomi has already announced several new devices this year, the Mi Note and the Mi Note Pro, along with a second generation Mi TV — a 40-inch smart TV running Android. What does that leave for March 31? There are rumors of a new mid-range smartphone, and continued talk about its first smartwatch.

Leaks have recently revealed a phone codename Ferrari, which despite the high-performance name, is likely to be a mid-to-high range device with a 4.9-inch, 1080p screen, a Snapdragon 615 processor, a 12-megapixel rear camera, and Android Lollipop onboard. Little is known about the possible smartwatch, outside of a leak stating the device will be made of metal, have a round face, and a new system of monitoring health.

The surprises mentioned in the post may related to flash sales — a Xiaomi speciality — or special discounts. We’ll bring you all the news of Xiaomi’s latest products following the announcement at the end of the month.

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
I record interviews for work. These are my favorite free recorder apps
The iPhone 14 Pro and Google Pixel 7 Pro's voice recording apps running together.

The Voice Recorder app on a phone (left) and the Voice Memos on another phone Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Before you head to the app store on your phone to buy a voice-recording app, take a moment to consider the apps that may already be installed on your phone. Why? In my experience, they're likely all you really need. I’ve recorded interviews and voice-overs for work for years, and I’ve found the two best examples come preinstalled on your phone already, so they’re entirely free to use.

Read more
The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 cases: 10 best ones so far
Two Galaxy Z Fold 5 phones next to each other -- one is open and one is closed.

Samsung’s next-generation foldable is here with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. This iteration has some notable improvements, including a new hinge design that eliminates the gap from previous generations when the device was folded. You also get a 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the outside while having a 6.7-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the inside, with both screens having a 120Hz refresh rate. In other words, they're about as nice as you could ask for.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is made with premium materials, and the triple-lens camera system packs in a 50MP main shooter, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide lens. There’s a 10MP selfie camera on the front cover, and a 4MP camera on the inner display. You also get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip inside for the best performance and power efficiency.

Read more
Google Pixel Tablet just got its first big discount and it’s worth a look
Google Pixel Tablet on its charging dock.

Tablets are a dime-a-dozen these days, with offerings from all the great brands including Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, and more. So, if you really want to stand out in a sea of similar tech, you need to do things a little differently. That's what Google's Pixel Tablet offers. How? It comes with a unique speaker dock that can be used to both charge the device and offer room-filling sound -- almost like a smart speaker add-on. Better yet, when your Pixel Tablet is docked it benefits from the Hub Mode, turning the device into a smart display, with digital photo frame support, smart home controls, and hands-free Google functionality. Of course, it could set you back at full price, normally $499 unless you find it included in a roundup of the best Google Pixel deals. Well, guess what? Thanks to a Best Buy Google Pixel Tablet deal, you can get it today for $439 and save $60. Hurry, though, it's part of Best Buy's recent 48-hour sale so it won't stick around for long.

Why you should buy the Google Pixel Tablet
Okay, okay, so in our Google Pixel Tablet review, Joe Maring did give it less than stellar remarks, but he called out its reliable fingerprint sensor, comfortability during use and excellent speaker dock. Honestly, how many tablets come with a matching speaker dock that transforms the entire experience? This tablet also marks a "lot of firsts" for Google, as it's the first tablet from the company in nearly five years, the first Android tablet in eight years, and can be converted into a smart home display with the speaker dock. All of which are notable milestones.

Read more