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Xiaomi will announce its first phone for the UK, possibly US

Xiaomi has two events planned, one in London on Nov. 8 and one in New York City on Dec. 8.

Gordon Gottsegen CNET contributor
Gordon Gottsegen is a tech writer who has experience working at publications like Wired. He loves testing out new gadgets and complaining about them. He is the ghost of all failed Kickstarters.
Gordon Gottsegen
2 min read
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Xiaomi's teaser seems to point to a phone with an in-display fingerprint scanner.

Xiaomi

Chinese phone maker Xiaomi has two international events planned for the coming months, which could mean that people in certain parts of the world will get their first chance to buy a Xiaomi phone.

Xiaomi announced on Facebook yesterday that it's hosting an event in London on Nov. 8. In the announcement, Xiaomi says this will be the company's first launch in the UK. And from the teaser image, it looks like Xiaomi will launch a phone with an in-display fingerprint scanner. That could be the recently announced Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 or the Xiaomi Mi 8. The event will be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube at 2 p.m. London local time (GMT).

Xiaomi is also hosting an event in New York City on Dec. 8. Details were shared in a post on Reddit, with a link to register for the event. Xiaomi later confirmed the event to CNET.

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Xiaomi didn't share what it was planning to announce at the NYC event. Perhaps the company will launch its first phone for the US, similar to what it's doing in London. Note that Xiaomi already has certain products available in the US (like home security cameras, e-scooters and other gadgets) but none of its flagship phones.

The IDC ranks Xiaomi the fourth largest smartphone company in terms of global market share -- right below Apple. Despite this, most of Xiaomi's popularity comes from China, India and parts of Asia. Xiaomi doesn't sell phones in the US or other major markets. But that may change after its Nov. 8 and Dec. 8 events.

Xiaomi Mi 8 is an iPhone X clone

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