Launched in 2013 as Xiaomi's sub-1000-yuan line; spun off in January 2019 under Lu Weibing (
卢伟冰) as the independent Redmi brand while Xiaomi itself moved upmarket. Redmi K-series phones are famous for cramming flagship chips into mid-range prices, driving the 'value king' (
性价比之王) reputation. The Chinese name stays in common use even though official marketing now prefers 'Redmi'.
