The first Redmi phone Redmi 1, released in 2013, was first launched on Xiaomi's website, with consumer sales beginning on 12 July 2013. Redmi sales were attributed as a contributing factor toward this gain in shipment rankings.
In August 2014, The Wall Street Journal reported that in the second quarter of the 2014 fiscal year, Xiaomi had a market share of 4% of smartphone shipment rankings in China. The most significant difference from other Xiaomi smartphones is that they use less-expensive components and thus have lower prices while retaining higher specifications. In addition, the unrelated Mi A Android One series is also positioned in the similar market segment with Redmi devices, despite being part of the upper-range Xiaomi Mi lineup. Models are divided into the entry-level Redmi, the mid-range Redmi Note, and the high-end Redmi K. Redmi phones use the Xiaomi's MIUI user interface on top of Android.
It was first announced in July 2013 as a budget smartphone line, and became a separate sub-brand of Xiaomi in 2019 with entry-level and mid-range devices, while Xiaomi itself produces upper-range and flagship Mi phones. Redmi is a subsidiary company owned by the Chinese electronics company Xiaomi. Manu Kumar Jain, VP and MD of Xiaomi India (left), Katrina Kaif (middle) at Redmi Y1 promotional event.
