Mochou Lee
On Wednesday Xiaomi issued an official statement in response to public concerns over the screen quality of its latest phone release, Mi 4c.
“The upcoming Mi 4c will be equipped with screens made by Sharp, AUO and LG,” the statement said.
“In order to meet the huge demand, Xiaomi may use screens made by other companies provided that they are of the same specification and quality,” it added.
In August, right after the RedMi Note 2 was launched, Xiaomi was troubled by controversy that it had replaced the screen of the RedMi Note 2 with a lower quality one, Tencent Tech reported.
Some Xiaomi customers have found that their RedMi Note 2 screens have been yellow. Customers, after taking apart their phones, have uncovered screens made by small domestic companies, Tianma and Jingdongfan, in place of the manufacturers Sharp, AU Optronics and LG as mentioned in the original advertisements.
Xiaomi Co-founder and president Lin Bin, claims that screens made by Tianma company employ Low Temperature Poly Silicon (LTPS) technology and are actually better than those made by Sharp. As for screen color, Lin put this down to a matter of personal preference.
Lin apologized to customers for neglecting to ensure quality processes in the manufacture of the RedMi Note 2.
“As a means of selling the products faster, some sales platforms including JD.com and Suning have used advertisements misleading customers with claims that screens are made by Sharp, LG and AUO. These advertisements were not approved by Xiaomi,” said Lin.
After the official statement and apology, Xiaomi changed its advertising for the RedMi Note 2. The new advertisement claims screens are provided by Sharp, AUO, Century Technology Co., Ltd and BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
At the beginning of September, two weeks out from launch, the Red Mi Note 2 saw sales numbering as high as 1.5 million, one of the strongest performances in Xiaomi history, the company said.
Edited by Rohan Malhotra
(Mochou Lee is a guest writer at AllChinaTech.com)