Power Struggle: Xiaomi and OnePlus Play Tug of War
These days if there is another gadget which is more sought after than a smartphone, it’s a powerbank. Since smartphone manufacturers have failed miserably at providing batteries that last more than a day, the powerbank industry is currently booming.
OnePlus and Xiaomi, two manufactures that entered the Indian market last year, recently launched their own battery packs in the country. If you haven’t noticed, the young Chinese companies have kept an eye on each other. Their current flagships, the Mi4 and the One, both come with similar specifications and a similar price tag. So much so that the OnePlus One and Xiaomi Mi4 have even faced price cuts at the same time.
Now it seems like OnePlus and Xiaomi are playing the same game with their powerbanks.
OnePlus, after teasing their portable charger endlessly, finally brought it to India earlier this month. The charger provides 10,000mAh of power, can easily slip in your pocket and apparently charges the OnePlus One 3 times on a single charge. OnePlus introduced the power bank at an affordable price tag of Rs. 1,399. Less than a month later, Xiaomi retaliated.
Yesterday, Xiaomi announced they’re bringing in the massive 16,000mAh external battery, priced same as OnePlus’ power bank, down to the last Rupee.
Other than the amount of power they provide and their design, the two power banks are almost identical in features. Both feature two USB 2.0 ports and one Micro-USB port; both can charge two devices at the same time. Since it’s an additional device you need to carry around, it is worth mentioning that the OnePlus power bank weighs 225g and the Xiaomi power bank weighs, 350g.
We have an inkling that the OnePlus powerbank may face a price cut within the next few weeks. Only time will tell how the company decides to play its cards – it’s time for their move.
