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Xiaomi Phone. Photo: Nextpit

OhMiDawg! Woof!

Okay, this one is peculiar, but it might be our fave. There was frequently a stray dog running loose in the Beijing neighborhood where Xiaomi's headquarters were being built. And it would continue to travel about the structure long after it was finished.

Xiaomi, though, accepted it. Wang Cai was the name of the company's beloved dog. Even trips to the dog spa are funded by contributions from the staff.

1. Xiaomi holds a Guinness World Record

Xiaomi broke the 24-hour record for most smartphones sold on a single platform in 2015. A total of 2,112,010 were purchased through the company's website while they were offering various discounts for their annual fan festival. Impressive!

Alibaba's Tmall established the previous record in 2014 by selling 1,894,867 phones in one day.

Notable but not record-breaking sales for Xiaomi included 770,000 smart home products, 247,000 power strips, 208,000 Mi Band fitness trackers, and 38,000 smart televisions. It earned a total of 2.08 trillion yuan (about $420 million). Really not bad for a day's labor.

2. The start-up value is phenomenal

For Xiaomi, the year 2015 marked a watershed moment in its history. Xiaomi overtook Uber to become the most valuable start-up in the world, challenging the common perception that start-ups are small businesses with fewer than 30 employees trying to break into the market. How much money was made during this period? Twenty billion dollars, minimum! Honestly, what else do you need?

Today, Bytedance, the company behind TikTok, has surpassed both companies. Nonetheless, Xiaomi is expanding and now has over 16,000 employees, which is a lot but pales in comparison to its Chinese competitor Huawei's 190,000 employees.

3. Xiaomi paid $3.6 million for a domain name

Mi.com was Xiaomi's official website until 2014, when it was purchased for $3.6 million. The company spent heavily in order to increase its presence in international markets outside of China, where the name Xiaomi is often mispronounced.

The word "mi" is much simpler to pronounce than the other options. It's also easier to remember, which is crucial for a business that relies heavily on online sales. Xiaomi could have saved a lot of money if its executives had given this more consideration in 2010.

When it was purchased, mi.com was the year's most expensive domain. Insurance.com reportedly sold for $35.6 million, nearly 10 times more than Mi.com, making it the most expensive domain ever sold.

4. The Xiaomi logo has hidden meanings

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Xiaomi Logo. Photo: Androidauthority

The MI logo on Xiaomi gadgets looks simple, yet it's hard to ignore. Ever wondered what it means?

We'll unlock the mystery for you. According to Xiaomi itself, the MI in its logo stands for "mobile internet." It may also mean "Mission Impossible" (not the movie, though) to signify the many challenges that the company has overcome when it was just starting out.

Literally, the two Chinese characters 小米 in Xiaomi means "little millet" or "little rice" (Go, look it up on Google Translate!). It refers to a Buddhist concept that symbolizes starting small before aiming for greater things.

Turned upside down, the MI in the Xiaomi logo looks like a Chinese character that means "heart."

5. Xiaomi vs. Apple gadgets: You can hardly tell the difference!

China's Apple is referred to as Xiaomi. It would be more appropriate to call it the inexpensive Apple. Nearly every square inch of a Xiaomi laptop or smartphone is reminiscent of Apple's simple, sophisticated design.

Therefore, if the high cost of an Apple product prevents you from purchasing it, you can find a fantastic deal with a Xiaomi device as a substitute. Consider Xiaomi laptops, which are competitive with MacBooks.

6. Xiaomi has also been accused of spying

Maybe you've heard that the Chinese like to spy on people using their phones. Which is more prevalent, stereotypes or reality? 2014 saw the discovery of spyware (spy software) on the Xiaomi Redmi Note and Redmi 1S, which had been turned on in models that were sold in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. A Taiwanese commission conducted an investigation after the situation was made public by the media and included other local manufacturers. Everyone was exonerated as a result.

Nevertheless, Xiaomi was able to establish a reputation. G Data, a German company, revealed in 2015 that spyware was frequently found on Chinese smartphones, supporting the findings from the Star N9500.

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