Xiaomi likely to launch first notebook in 2016 first quarter

With a strong foothold in the budget smartphone segment in emerging markets like India, Xiaomi is planning to launch its first laptop in the beginning of 2016. The Chinese manufacturer even had talks with Samsung for the supply of memory chips. Samsung could also provide displays for the upcoming device.

Not much is known about the new product, but sources with knowledge of the matter revealed to Bloomberg that the notebook is expected to go on sale in the first quarter of 2016. The laptop will directly compete with premium products such as Apple's MacBook Air and Lenovo's ThinkPad series.

The above information surfaced after DigiTimes reported that Xiaomi is currently developing the notebook with its ODM partners, Inventec and Foxconn. Mass production of the notebook has yet to be confirmed though. Sources from the supply chain added that the company is expected to continue the same strategy as that for its smartphones and that the notebooks will deliver high performance and come with an equally high price.

The sources assert the notebook is likely to sport a 15in screen and will be priced around $471. They also expect Lenovo, which currently has 20-25% market share in China, to be badly hit.

While both Xiaomi and Samsung declined to comment on this, a recent IDC report suggests that worldwide PC shipments are expected to fall by -8.7% in 2015 and the growth will resume only in 2017. The second quarter of 2015 could be a transition period as vendors prepare for the Windows 10 operating system around the same time.