Google and Xiaomi revive stalled Android One programme in India
san francisco — Google is teaming with China’s Xiaomi Corp. to resurrect its Android One smartphone programme for India, revamping a stalled effort to showcase its mobile software for users in emerging markets.
Xiaomi’s Mi A1 dual-camera device goes was on sale on Tuesday for 14,999 rupees ($234) and will be its first under the Android One banner. Alphabet Inc.’s search giant started the project in India three years ago to get affordable phones in circulation sporting the latest features, a persistent weakness when compared with Apple Inc.’s pricier and often beefier iPhones. But early partners, particularly in India, couldn’t sell enough of the devices and interest waned. The Indian partnership marks a departure from Google’s earlier cheap-gadgets approach, and is intended to shore up their presence in the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market. The Mi A1 is a mid-range phone that will be sold in countries from Indonesia and Vietnam to Russia and Mexico as well. Xiaomi, now the No. 2 brand in India, seeks to rejuvenate growth and arrest losses in market share in part by going overseas. Google wants to capture more users while ultimately imposing order on a fragmented Android ecosystem. “Google came to us in Q4 of last year as they were seeking to evolve their Android One programme,” Xiaomi Senior vice-president Wang Xiang wrote in an email. “The Mi A1 is an entirely new type of device.” The all-aluminum smartphone is Xiaomi’s first with a dual camera to be launched in India, and comes with free unlimited storage of photos and videos, he added. Devices will be better optimised for Google Assistant.