We know that Leica and Huawei have had a pretty long partnership at this point making and marketing smartphones under the Huawei flag with a Leica label, and now it looks like fellow Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi wants to get in on this action.
In a report that hints that the company is interested in partnering with either Nikon, Canon, or Hasselblad, PetaPixel points to a recent post by Xiaomi Vice President Chang Cheng that polled his followers about what brand they should partner with on a smartphone.
The winner (by far) was DJI’s own Hasselblad while Canon came in second, no need for branding came in third, and Nikon arrived at fourth.
Of course, this is pretty much speculation at this point but analysts point to the amazing success that Huawei has had with its branded partnership with Leica.
That partnership, which even survived a Brazilian marketing effort that highlighted Tiananmen Square, has given Huawei a certain cachet with a segment of the smartphone consumer base that Xiaomi might want to replicate.
Further, a partnership could also have benefits for the brand chosen as it would increase awareness of it in China – a market that is exploding with growth in this area.
As PetaPixel points out, Motorola and Hasselblad have teamed up in the past which means another partnership in the future – especially with a domestically owned partner – isn’t a completely far-fetched idea.
From this author’s perspective, a smartphone with a “Hasselblad camera” will probably be the closest I ever get to owning one of those.
What do you think?
Would the Nikon, Canon, or Hasselblad branding make you look at a Xiaomi smartphone?
Let us know your thoughts about this story in the comments below if you like.
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