Amazon has dropped the 32 GB version of Redmi Note 3 from its flash sale registration page, indicating that Xiaomi has suspended sales of the 32 GB version in India after selling an estimated 2,000-4,000 pieces.
In comparison, an estimated 5-10 mln people are expected to have shown an interest in the model by registering for the various flash sales this month.
UPDATE: Responding to complaints, Xiaomi has clarified that more stocks are on their way to India from China and 32 GB sales have not been discontinued. See here.
As of last week, Amazon had clearly shown both the 16 GB and the 32 GB variants as part of its promotion of the March 23 flash sale. Today, however, the page shows only the 2-GB RAM model.
It should also be noted that Amazon had removed the 32 GB version from its product search results as well.
Xiaomi’s link for registering for tomorrow’s sale on its own website also shows only the 2 GB version.
This is likely to come as a huge disappointment for fans as comparatively few are interested in the 2 GB / 16 GB model and nearly everyone wants to get hold of the 32 GB version.
The Redmi Note 3 has got a lot of positive reviews from the media that praises it for offering great specifications and performance at such a small price, but these reviews were conducted on the 3 GB RAM version that Xiaomi supplied.
Moreover, the company failed to provide even a decent quantity of 32 GB models in its first two flash sales, resulting in many people compromising by buying the 16 GB version which comes with only 2 GB of RAM.
It remains to be seen if people will still buy the 16 GB variant tomorrow, and if so how many. Unlike other models, Xiaomi does not reveal its sales statistics for Redmi Note 3, another point of frustration for would-be buyers.
According to a poll that we conducted, out of the 586 respondents looking for information on the Redmi Note 3, only 14% were willing to buy the 16 GB variant, while 24% were willing to buy the LeTV Le 1s — which offers 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage — if the higher-end version was not avialable. 52% were ready to wait for Xiaomi to make the 32 GB variant available in India.
It is not clear why the Chinese company is having so much trouble making the more expensive version available. However, the most plausible reason is that there is no stock. But that leads us to the question of why the sales were started if there were no stock.
Xiaomi is facing very tough competition from fellow-Chinese brands LeTV and Lenovo.
While LeTV launched the Le 1s in February and sold over 2 lakh units, Lenovo has sold almost a similar number of K4 Note smartphone this year. In addition, Lenovo is all set to sell its first batch of K5 Plus — priced Rs 8,499 — tomorrow.
Though the K5 Plus is hardly any competition for Redmi Note 3, the same cannot be said for LeTV Le 1s, which — to make matters worse for Xiaomi — is available on demand.
The primary advantage that Redmi Note 3 has over LeEco Le 1s is a longer battery life, hybrid SIM-slot and support for 4G voice, while the Le 1s can boast of 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage, Gorilla Glass 3 protection, an overall more power processor and easy availability. Camera quality is more or less the same in both models.
Meanwhile, LeTV is getting ready to open a new front in the war by introducing its high-end flagship to India next month. The brand is seen launching either a modified version of its Le 1 Pro model or the Le 2 Pro model in the first half of April in India. Xiaomi is also scheduled to launch its Mi5 next month.
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