Xiaomi Denies Partnership with Microsoft, Says It's an “Experimental Program”

There's been a lot of talk surrounding Microsoft's partnership with two of the most successful Chinese brands, Lenovo and Xiaomi. The former will launch its first Windows Phone in the coming months, while the latter will put Windows Phone on some of its Mi4 smartphones.

However, it looks like Xiaomi seemed a little bit upset that Microsoft's announcement was bit too optimistic when it comes to the Chinese company's contribution to this project. In that regard, Xiaomi's VP Hugo Barra issued an official statement in which it explains that his company has not signed any partnerships with Microsoft Barra claims Microsoft is running (and leading) an experimental program with Mi fan community in China. Xiaomi does not have any contribution to this program, but the Chinese company is supportive of users who want to try new things.

This is the main reasons Xiaomi allowed Microsoft to work directly with members of the Xiaomi Forum in China. It's also important to mention that this program will only be available in China.

Xiaomi continue to bet on Android ecosystem

According to Barra, Microsoft's Windows Phone ROM that will be made available as a separate download on the Xiaomi Forum, will not be running on top of Android nor be available as a dual-boot option. Basically, Xiaomi Mi4 owners who want to test Windows 10 Technical Preview on their smartphones will be able to manually re-flash their devices with this ROM, in the same way they would re-flash other Android ROMs. Last but not least, Xiaomi reiterates its support to Android operating system through its proprietary user interface and many other in-house developed apps and services.

“Xiaomi continues to fully embrace the Android ecosystem through our MIUI software platform and we’re moving ahead full steam building many exciting new Android-based features and services,” said Hugo Barra.

Xiaomi Mi4
Image credits to Xiaomi

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