Redmi Joins 5G Handset, Smart Speaker Race

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi's brand Redmi has joined the country's 5G smartphone and smart speaker race to keep pace with emerging markets.

The brand unveiled its first 5G handset and smart speaker among other products on Tuesday.

Priced from 1,999 yuan (about 284 US dollars), the Redmi K30 5G features Qualcomm's Snapdragon 765G processor.

With voice command functions, the Redmi AI Speaker Play serves as a control center to easily command smart devices, such as turning on and off lights and televisions. The product costs 79 yuan.

Redmi, a smartphone series under Xiaomi Corporation, became independent brand at the start of the year as the company seeks a multi-brand strategy to improve its product portfolio.

The group is stepping up investment in 5G, artificial intelligence and the Internet in a bid to seize the opportunities in China's emerging smart economy.