Last year saw Xiaomi make its way to the US for the first time with its Mi Store, which sells accessories like headphones and battery packs. At the time, Xiaomi said that it was at least one year away from selling its phones in the US, but now a US carrier has taken it upon itself to begin selling Xiaomi handsets in the States.
US Mobile is now selling Xiaomi and Meizu phones in its online store. The prepaid operator — which runs on T-Mobile’s network — is offering the Xiaomi Redmi 2 for $119, Xiaomi Mi 3 for $139, Xiaomi Mi 4i for $219, and Meizu M2 Note for $149. Unfortunately, because these phones aren’t really meant to be sold in the US, they won’t run on our 4G LTE networks.
Here’s what Ahmed Khattak, CEO of US Mobile, had to say about selling Xiaomi and Meizu hardware:
"U.S. consumers have traditionally had to compromise to afford incredible devices. Now, with the launch of our marketplace, we are thrilled to offer complete range of exceptional smartphones for low monthly payments and to give our customers access to exceptional phones otherwise not available in the U.S."
US Mobile offers customizable rate plans that let you decide how many minutes, texts and megabytes you need each month. For example, you can get 5GB of data, unlimited texting, and 100 minutes for $45 per month, or you can opt for 1GB of data, 500 texts, and 1500 minutes for $28.
The big draw of Xiaomi and Meizu phones is that they offer solid specs and good design for low prices. For example, the Xiaomi Mi 4i offers a 5-inch 1920x1080 screen, octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, and 13-megapixel camera, all for $219. That said, the lack of 4G LTE may be a deal breaker for some, and some of these devices are running older software (the Mi 3 ships with Android 4.4). It’s a big deal to see Xiaomi and Meizu hardware that’s easy to be in the US. but you’ll definitely want to weigh the decision and decide how important LTE is to you before buying one of these phones.
Are any of you thinking about buying a Xiaomi or Meizu phone from US Mobile?
