Xiaomi's Redmi Note 3 launch in India is so big, it is being hosted in a stadium
Known for its smartphone flash sales that run out in seconds, Xiaomi is taking things to the next level in India. Today, the Chinese smartphone brand is hosting a product launch event in a stadium, because it couldn't find any other venue to accommodate thousands of fans, who have registered to attend the event.
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Xiaomi is launching the Redmi Note 3 in India today at Delhi's Talkatora Indoor Stadium. The company ran a contest on social media preceding the event, where fans could participate and get a chance to attend the event. Nearly 8,000 fans have registered to attend the gig.
Unlike other companies, however, Xiaomi is not covering their cost of travel and accommodation, which hints at the loyal fan following the brand has managed to garner in less than two years of launching in India. Apart from getting a chance to check out the latest gadgets from their favourite brands, the bigger draw for these fans is the opportunity to see the charismatic Hugo Barra, the global Vice President, whom Xiaomi had hired from Google.
Image: Facebook/Hugo Barra
Fans often profess their love for him by regularly leaving notes on his Facebook posts. Barra doesn't disappoint his fans and often replies to them personally not only on social media platforms but often with hand written notes. The media launch event today will be followed by a special event for fans.
This is not the first time Xiaomi is hosting a launch event with fans in attendance in India. Last year, Xiaomi hosted the global launch of the Mi 4i in Delhi's Siri Fort Auditorium, which over a thousand fans attended. Later last year, it hosted a smaller event to showcase its MIUI 7 user interface, where Barra copied Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
Image: Facebook/Hugo Barra
In comparison, around 8,000 fans have registered for the Redmi Note 3 launch this time, with Xiaomi promising a free gift bag for the first 1,000 attendees. "Mi cares for fans as friends and is well aware that every one of you has been asking about the launch date. We heard you. The wait is over. Mi is coming to India on March 3rd with the beast you guys desire," the company announced in a forum post in February. In January, it had also held a contest which selected 100 participants to try the Redmi Note 3 and complete a series of missions using the smartphone.
Barra is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the excitement reaches its crescendo by posting several teasers over the last couple of days, some asking fans to guess other surprises it has lined up for today apart from the Redmi Note 3.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 was launched in China last year, but the company is now launching a new version that runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor. The 16GB version has 2GB of RAM and 4,000mAh battery and the 32GB version has 3GB of RAM and 4,050 mAh battery.
The phone has a 5.5-inch, 1080p display, along with a hybrid SIM card slot. It comes with a 16-megapixel rear camera with a LED flash, and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. It runs on Android Lollipop MIUI 7, and comes with 4G LTE support, Bluetooth, WI-Fi and GPS. The Redmi Note 3 is also the first Xiaomi phone to have a fingerprint sensor. It is expected to be priced below Rs 15,000 ($222) and likely to be sold only on Amazon India.
The launch can be watched live below.
