Xiaomi upgrades its ecosystem strategy with sub-brand

Xiaomi founder Lei Jun shares the sales figure of Mi bands at a media conference held in Beijing on March 29, 2016.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Previously, under the Xiaomi brand, Huami Inc, which was founded in 2014, had sold 18.5 million fitness-tracking wristbands, ranking No 2 in the smart wearable sector globally.

Likewise, Zimi Tech had sold 46.9 million portable power rechargers and Smartmi (or Zhimi in Chinese) had sold one million units of air purifiers each year, Lei said at the conference.

Xiaomi has been building an ecosystem around its core business since two and a half years ago. In addition to making smartphones, it also "makes startups", Lei said.