Xiaomi is a household name in the tech industry, but not here in Kenya. However, following its official entry into the local market, the company has been taking strides towards making itself known to the Kenyan consumer, with the most recent effort ushering in the first Mi Home Kenya for offline purchases, located at The Hub in Karen, Nairobi.
Even before the dust settled, Xiaomi Kenya revealed its plans to open the first Mi Store in Nairobi’s CBD. It will be located in Giwa House, opposite the Bazaar on Moi Avenue. Apparently, this is not similar to the full-fledged Mi Home in Karen, rather, you can think of it as a mini Mi Home. If anything, this should mean not every Xiaomi product and service will be available here, which is quite unfortunate for the people who wouldn’t want to go all the way to The Hub.
Xiaomi Kenya has been teasing the arrival of the Mi Band 4 in the country on the same day the Mi Store opens doors to the public, August 10. The smart band is already up for pre-order, but the company doesn’t say anything regarding the pricing. We have an idea of what it could cost, though.
Alongside the Mi Band 4, Xiaomi Kenya also says fans can pre-order the long-overdue Mi TV Box S and Mi AirDots, “amongst others.”
Now, it is the bit on “amongst others” that is interesting. Based on this list, you can now pre-order Xiaomi Mi A3, Mi TV, Mi Action Camera, and any other device for that matter. Whether these devices will also be part of the Mi Store launch is suspect to us, after all, Xiaomi may just be looking for feedback it could use to determine the future products to stock in the Mi shops.
That’s not bad at all. Depending on the number of pre-orders, who knows, we may see some Mi TVs in the country soon. As for the Mi A3, probably one of the most-awaited smartphones around here, it’s unlikely to feature, unless Xiaomi Kenya is keeping things super-secret this time around.
We only have a few days before we verify all the details.