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Xiaomi has yet to hit its sixth birthday, but already, the Chinese smartphone maker has made a name for itself in domestic and foreign markets alike. After catapulting its way to the top and becoming the fifth-largest smartphone maker in the world, the Beijing-based firm is expanding its already formidable empire. No longer just a smartphone company, Xiaomi has launched its first sub-brand, and is making its way into the smart home space. And its latest product? A smart rice cooker.
The brand new “Mi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker” (a lengthy but truly descriptive name), sits under the company’s brand new Mi Ecosystem brand. Attempting to highlight the notion that Xiaomi’s products have a place in many different industries and markets, this ecosystem includes such gadgets and gizmos as a scooter, a router, a water purifier, and now, of course, this rice cooker.
While the Japanese have long maintained a monopoly over the best rice cookers in the world, the Chinese company is planning on giving its neighbors a run for their money (or rather, their business). The smartphone-controlled rice cooker will be able to change its settings based on the type of grain used. “Users can scan their pack of rice to identify the type of rice, brand, and origin, and based on that, the rice cooker can adjust its heating methodology to best suit the type of rice. It currently supports more than 200 brands of rice, and this will be expanded in the future,” Xiaomi said in a statement.
And don’t worry — if you want to cook more than rice in the Mi Induction unit, you’ll be able to make cakes, other baked goods, and more with the cooker. The latest Xiaomi product will debut on the company’s sixth birthday on April 6 for the equivalent of around $150. While it’s unclear as to whether you’ll be able to buy the cooker outside of China, if it’s anywhere near as cool as Xiaomi claims, we’ll probably want to be able to get it stateside, too.
