Xiaomi had recently released the global variants of their latest Mi 10 flagships and have shipped to buyers in Europe and the US – it’s not in Malaysia yet, so we have to be a little more patient. Youtubers who’ve gotten their hands on the phone found an interesting but unusual sentence on the packaging.
Image credit: XDA Developers
On the side of the cover, we see the words ‘with easy access to the Google apps you use most’; making it seem like Xiaomi is taking a sly dig at Huawei for not having access to GMS and the Google Play Store. But the Chinese company has taken to Weibo to refute these claims, and said that this is a new requirement by partner phone makers to include in the box art.
They say that this is similar to computer brands sticking the ‘Intel Inside’ logo on their laptops or the ‘Powered by Android’ boot screen when an Android phone is turned on. Xiaomi says that this is a new requirement set by Google themselves and they’re simply the first brand to do this since the timing of their partnership renewal coincides with the implementation. So it’s possible more manufacturers will follow suit.
The odd thing is, Google hasn’t officially confirmed this yet, so we still don’t know the whole truth of the matter. But the optimist in me would like to think that Xiaomi really are just following the rules – the US-China trade war isn’t just a problem for Huawei; other Chinese brands should be concerned about President Trumps heavy-handed judgement landing on them at one point or another.
Therefore, we don’t think Xiaomi, or any other brand would outright take a swipe at Huawei for something that could potentially ruin their own market. However, we don’t deny that the situation looks bad for both parties, and the sooner Google gives us clarification, the better.
