China's big Apple rival is headed to the U.S. -- but you can't buy its phones just yet

 By 
Jason Abbruzzese
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker that is considered a burgeoning competitor to Apple, will soon be entering the U.S. market.

Those eager to get their hands of one of its phones, however, will have to wait.

[seealso slug=http://sale-online.click/2015/01/18/what-is-xiaomi/%5D%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe company announced at a conference on Thursday that it will be dipping its toe into the U.S. market with an e-commerce website, Mi.com, that will only sell accessories -- at least for now.

Xiaomi will bring its http://t.co/R7n3HCMkLu ecommerce site to the US "in a few months" to sell its accessories - but NOT its phones (yet).— Tim Bradshaw (@tim) February 12, 2015

Hugo Barra, the vice president of Xiaomi GLobal, expanded on the thought: "We do business through Mi.com. Where Mi.com doesn’t exist, we’re working on it. It’s our best direct to consumer channel. Bringing Mi.com to a new market is an incredibly hard job. It takes a lot of resources, a lot of logistics. It takes a lot of work."

The company is aiming to bring MI.com to the U.S. in several months time, "potentially five months from now."

The site will include items like Mi headphones, the Mi power bank, Mi band "and so many other products which we could bring to market," Barra added.

Xiaomi currently claims more than 100 million users worldwide.

The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!