Xiaomi has make an agreement with Microsoft to partner on bundling Skype and Office apps on the Mi 4s, Mi Max, Mi 5, Redmi 3 and Redmi Note 3.
According to The Verge, the Xiaomi partnership is related to a patent-licensing deal, like previous deals with Dell, Asus, Sony and Samsung. The details of the present deal have not been fully disclosed yet.
According to IDC, Xiaomi has become one of the top five phone markers in the world. Most of the company's success in growing its market share has been attributed to its market performance in China.
Microsoft aims to tap into the overall Chinese market and Xiaomi's rise in growth. The partnership between the two companies follows other previous collaborations, such as Microsoft's running Windows 10 on the Mi Pad and powering the Mi Cloud service with Azure.
According to The Wall Street Journal, as part of the deal, Xiaomi will purchase 1,500 patents from Microsoft. By bundling Skype and Office apps, Xiaomi will provide Microsoft with a new way to reach Chinese consumers.
According to Tech Crunch, this partnership is also serving Xiaomi's market strategy aiming to launch its smartphones in the United States. This new deal of the Chinese company comes after Xiaomi developed closely with Google its upcoming Android set-top box. China's largest smartphone maker also had a patent deal with Qualcomm last year.
It appears clearly that Xiaomi is building key allies in preparation to expand into North America. Up to date, the Chinese company is present in the markets in six countries in Asia, as well as in Brazil. However, the company has made clear its plans to become more global. Expansion on the global market is essential for Xiaomi, since China is experiencing a slowing in mobile market growth.
The two companies will provide the Skype and Office bundle starting this September. Several of Xiaomi's smartphones will be sold with Microsoft's applications preloaded.
