MWC 2017: Xiaomi will not attend the event this year, says it doesn't have new phones to debut

Xiaomi has announced that it is skipping the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event entirely this year. MWC is the largest mobile telephony related event and it’s been traditional for all smartphone makers to go there and announce their new products.

Speaking of new products, it’s the lack of new products that has, apparently, forced Xiaomi to take this decision, reports TechCrunch .

Xiaomi made a real splash when it announced the Xiaomi Mi 5 at MWC 2016 . The company had big plans to  enter the western markets of Europe and the US and MWC seemed like the logical place to make that announcement.

The Mi 5 with its mix of great looks, hardware, and most importantly, low price, was the only budget flagship on display.

This year, Xiaomi claims to have nothing to show. The long-awaited Mi 6 , for example, is not coming just yet. Samsung’s hoarding 0f Snapdragon 835 chips might have something to do with this, though.

Xiaomi isn’t alone in this. Samsung, a mainstay at MWC had earlier announced that its flagship Galaxy S8 wouldn’t make an appearance at the event. Samsung doesn’t seem to have cancelled plans for the event, however.

Xiaomi’s more interesting smartphones have either been launched or are still in the process of getting certified .

More recently, the face of Xiaomi outside China, Hugo Barra, quit the company . He’s headed back to Silicon Valley and joining Facebook as VP of VR in the Oculus Division.

Without Barra’s showmanship and a flagship device, it’s likely that the company saw little point in attending the event. TechCrunch also suggests that Xiaomi’s entering a “transition period” after it grew too fast.

Another Chinese manufacturer, LeEco, has also been struggling with the perils of rapid growth.

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