Xiaomi to expand presence in S.Korea with new phones

Seoul, March 24 Xiaomi said it will launch new mid range smartphones in South Korea as the Chinese tech giant tries to beef up its presence amid rumors that the country's homegrown brand LG Electronics Inc. may exit from the mobile business.

Xiaomi said the Redmi Note 10 will be released in South Korea on March 30 at 218,000 won (US$190), while the Redmi Note 10 Pro will hit shelves on April 9 at 319,000 won.

The Redmi Note 10 Pro comes with a quad rear camera setup that includes a 108-megapixel main shooter. Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 732G chipset, it features a 6.67-inch screen supporting 120Hz refresh rate and packs a 5,020mAh battery.

The Redmi Note 10 also has four cameras on the back, including a 48MP main sensor, and features a 6.43-inch display.

Industry observers said Xiaomi is likely to ramp up its push in South Korea this year to take over market share from LG, which has been considering withdrawing from the smartphone business, reports Yonhap news agency.

According to market tracker Counterpoint Research, LG was South Korea's third-largest smartphone vendor last year with a share of 13 per cent.

Samsung Electronics Co. was the dominant player on its home turf with a market share of 65 per cent, followed by Apple Inc. with a 20 per cent share.

Analysts predicted that Xiaomi will target local consumers with midrange smartphones with high-quality specs.

Counterpoint Research data showed smartphones priced $400 or below represented 41 per cent of South Korea's smartphone market in 2020, up from 34 per cent a year earlier.

( With inputs from IANS )