Xiaomi Skips Generation to Battle iPhone 17, Aiming to Disrupt Apple's Premium Dominance

TradingKey - On September 15, Xiaomi Group unexpectedly announced that its new flagship smartphone series will be named the "Xiaomi 17 Series," skipping the widely anticipated "Xiaomi 16" sequence and directly positioning itself in "same-generation competition" with Apple's newly launched iPhone 17 series in terms of naming structure.

According to Xiaomi's official disclosure, the series will include three models: Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Pro, and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max. Its naming structure closely mirrors Apple's recently launched iPhone 17 series. This "head-to-head" naming strategy undoubtedly brings the competition between the two companies to the forefront.

Lu Weibing, Partner and President of Xiaomi Group, emphasized that this series represents the "transformational achievement" of the company's five-year high-end strategy and marks a milestone in the critical adjustment phase of its digital series products.

He stated bluntly: "Five years ago, we launched our high-end strategy, learning from the greatest competitor, firmly benchmarking against iPhone. To date, Apple remains exceptional. Everyone has seen the success of the iPhone 17 series, but we remain very confident, which is why we are facing iPhone head-on in the same generation."

Xiaomi's founder, Chairman, and CEO Lei Jun also replied under the related post: "Xiaomi 17 Series features generational product upgrades, fully benchmarking against iPhone, ready to face the challenge head-on!"

This confidence is supported by Xiaomi's continuous ramp-up in R&D investment and the culmination of technological accumulation. Lu Weibing revealed that Xiaomi has already invested over 100 billion yuan in R&D, with this figure set to increase to 200 billion yuan over the next five years.

He stated that these technological investments will be "fully presented" in the Xiaomi 17 series, and specifically mentioned that "it's not just about breakthroughs in underlying technology, but also bringing some 'new elements' to the smartphone industry to break the 'aesthetic fatigue' caused by product homogenization in today's smartphone market."

As a technology giant that started with "cost-effectiveness" and now spans consumer electronics and smart electric vehicles, Xiaomi is attempting to break through Apple's long-dominant high-end market through technological investment and product innovation.

Bryan Ma, an analyst at IDC, commented: "Xiaomi's launch of the 17 series seems to indicate sufficient confidence to claim parity with Apple, while Apple still enjoys high reputation in China."

Xiaomi's Hong Kong-listed stock closed up 1.9% today at HK$56.2, with a cumulative gain exceeding 190% over the past year.