On September 6, 2026, Lei Jun, founder of Xiaomi, shared and liked a Forbes article about the company’s strategic upgrade on social media. The article stated that Xiaomi participated in IFA exhibition for the first time, showcasing the foldable screen phone Xiaomi 18 Fold equipped with its own 3nm chip XRing O3. Lu Weibing, president of Xiaomi Group, emphasized that the proprietary chips aim to build underlying capabilities such as AI and operating systems, while continuing to cooperate with Qualcomm and MediaTek. Lu Weibing said that Europe has become the most important market outside China, and the Munich R&D center was established for this purpose. He noted that as Xiaomi’s automotive and smart home businesses have reached scale, the company is entering a new phase, aiming to bring the “people-carrier-home” ecosystem to global users. Forbes analyzed that 2026 will be a turning point for Xiaomi’s development: after ten years of deep involvement in the European market for mobile phones, the home appliance business will begin to scale this year, and electric vehicles will follow next year.
Xiaomi founder Lei Jun shared and liked Forbes’ article about Xiaomi’s efforts in developing its own chips and expanding into the European market. Forbes stated that Xiaomi participated in IFA for the first time, showcasing the foldable phone Xiaomi 18 Fold equipped with its own 3nm chip, XRing O3. Xiaomi Group President Lu Weibing said that self-developed chips are part of building foundational capabilities such as AI and operating systems, and Xiaomi will continue to cooperate with Qualcomm and MediaTek. Europe is the most important market outside China, and the Munich R&D center was established for this purpose. Lu Weibing also mentioned that in the past, Xiaomi was often seen as a mobile phone manufacturer, but now it has entered a new stage. Automobiles and smart homes have become significant businesses, and it’s time to bring the integrated ecosystem of people, cars, and homes to global users. Forbes pointed out in the article that 2026 will be a turning point: Xiaomi’s mobile phones will enter Europe for ten years, household appliances will start to expand on a large scale this year, and electric vehicles will follow next year.