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Lu Weibing points to multiple bottlenecks holding back Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 production; Mi Pad 5 to arrive in Europe next month

The Mi Mix 4 may remain a Chinese exclusive smartphone. (Image source: Xiaomi)
The Mi Mix 4 may remain a Chinese exclusive smartphone. (Image source: Xiaomi)
The Mi Pad 5 may arrive in Europe as early as September, albeit possibly without the Mi Pad 5 Pro. On the other hand, Redmi General Manager Lu Weibing asserts that several factors are preventing Xiaomi from producing as many Mi Mix 4 handsets as possible.

The Mi Pad 5 and Mi Mix 4 are selling well, despite only launching in China so far. Unfortunately, Lu Weibing has hinted that Xiaomi had limited stock available of the latter, and that it would be hard to come by for a while, if not indefinitely.

Apparently, Qualcomm is struggling to produce many Snapdragon 888+ chipsets, which Xiaomi must share with its competitors. Incidentally, this may explain why Samsung chose the Snapdragon 888 for the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3, having used the Snapdragon 865+ in the Galaxy Z Fold 2 last year. Hardly anything separates the Snapdragon 888 from the Snapdragon 888+ though, as we covered when Qualcomm announced its refreshed SoC earlier this year.

Additionally, Weibing states that Xiaomi has low yields of the Mi Mix 4's ceramic body, another bottleneck for the smartphone. Supposedly, the ceramic material costs five or six times that of glass too, a third factor limiting a wider release of the Mi Mix 4.

By contrast, Gizmochina asserts that Xiaomi will launch the Mi Pad 5 next month in Europe. Citing an unnamed supply chain source, the website claims that only the Mi Pad 5 will make its way outside China. Regardless of this being true, Xiaomi has already certified the Mi Pad 5 with the FCC in the US. Hence, we would expect Xiaomi to sell its latest tablet in Europe and North America within the next few months.

The Mi Pad 5 has an 11-inch display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. (Image source: Xiaomi)
The Mi Pad 5 has an 11-inch display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. (Image source: Xiaomi)
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2021 08 > Lu Weibing points to multiple bottlenecks holding back Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 production; Mi Pad 5 to arrive in Europe next month
Alex Alderson, 2021-08-16 (Update: 2021-08-16)