Xiaomi Corp’s billionaire co-founder unveiled a US$630 (RM2,658) smartphone designed to take on the just-released iPhone 17, underscoring the Chinese company’s broader ambitions to take on US rivals from Apple Inc to Tesla Inc.
The Xiaomi 17, which will be offered in Pro and Pro Max models just like Apple’s marquee series, starts at 4,499 yuan (RM2,660 or US$631.20) for the most basic model, rising to 5,999 yuan (RM3,547) at the top end, co-founder and chief executive officer Lei Jun said via a livestreamed event on Thursday. That’s more than US$100 (RM422) cheaper than the base iPhone 17, introduced just weeks before during Apple’s annual product launch event.
