News about the Xiaomi Mi 6 keep on pouring in everyday. There have been lots of details about the upcoming flagship. There are rumors of it launching with two size variants; a Snapdragon 821 processor; and dual cameras. We have also heard of the launch date being pushed forward. Today’s info is a bigger surprise as it is a move we’ve never expected Xiaomi capable of making.
According to a Weibo post by an industry professional, Xiaomi’s Mi 6 will ditch the headphone jack and there is a high chance of it being waterproof. Surprised? We are too.
Xiaomi will not be the first Chinese manufacturer to ditch the audio jack. Last year, LeEco did the same with its phones. However, quite a number of people will rather not purchase a phone without an earphone jack as the trouble associated with its absence may not be considered worth it. Most people don’t want to shell out extra money purchasing a new pair of wireless earphones neither would they like the idea of attaching an adapter to use their existing wired ones.
If Xiaomi is indeed removing the audio jack, it may in fact be shooting itself in the foot. There are still major manufacturers that have retained the audio jack on their phones. LG is an example and so is Samsung and Huawei. If these options didn’t exist, then it would be a different case entirely.
Last year, Xiaomi didn’t do very well. Fellow Chinese brands Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo recorded more sales than it did. These companies didn’t follow the trend but rather came up with some very interesting developments especially in camera and battery technology. If Xiaomi wants to reclaim its position in China, then it should consider giving the people what they want.
For the case of waterproofing (or water resistance), that too is a surprise. Last year, Xiaomi CEO had said in an interview that the reason for not making waterproof phones is because the protection deteriorates when the phone has a fault and needs to be repaired. He also mentioned that adding waterproofing will drive the cost of the phone up. Xiaomi is known for offering flagship-grade phones for half the price of what you get from other manufacturers. If it is adding extra protection, that means customers will be paying more for its phones.