Apart from the rumors that Samsung will not be announcing a flagship device at the Mobile World Congress this February, it seems that another prominent smartphone manufacturer will not be announcing devices at Barcelona. A company source has revealed that not only will prominent Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi not be announcing a device at MWC this year – it will be completely absent from the event.
TechCrunch confirms that a company source has indeed given word that Xiaomi will not be participating at MWC 2017. This is highly unusual for a company which announced big things and gadgets at this tradeshow just a year before. A lot of this may have to do with Hugo Barra calling time on his stint as head of international businesses at Xiaomi just this week.
Last year, Barra spearheaded the team that announced the Xiaomi Mi5 flagship at MWC. This year, apart from the complications that Barra’s resignation brings, it seems that Xiaomi just doesn’t have a device to announce at the tradeshow. People who were expecting the Mi6 to be announced here are just going to have to wait a bit more.
Where will Xiaomi go from here? Apparently, the company understands that this is a time of transition, after a huge growth spurt in terms of profit and global reach. Barra’s loss will sting – he has been a bright spot for Xiaomi in its efforts to become a globally known brand. It’s up to CEO Lei Jun to lead this company through this transition and come out the better for it.
SOURCE: TechCrunch
