Phones stay on agenda for Meitu in Xiaomi partnership

It is very difficult for niche smartphone brands that focus on developing some specific functions, such as beauty enhancing and gaming, to survive in the highly competitive Chinese smartphone market, and they are expected to seek strategic cooperation with large vendors, experts said.

Selfie application maker Meitu Inc said on Monday via its official Sina Weibo account it has adjusted its smartphone business, and carried out strategic cooperation with Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp, which will receive global exclusive license to use the Meitu smartphone brand.

On Nov 19, the two companies reached a strategic cooperation arrangement. The Beijing-based tech giant Xiaomi will be responsible for the design, research and development, production, business operation, sales and marketing of the Meitu smartphones. Meitu will provide its proprietary imaging technologies and beautification algorithms to Xiaomi.