Xiaomi phones finally available in the U.S., but there’s a catch

Xiaomi has been pumping out high-quality smartphones at budget-friendly prices for a while, but the company’s devices are typically only available in China and a few other countries. Now one carrier is finally bringing Xiaomi to the U.S., though it’s not offering the exact models we were hoping for.

PCMag reports that US Mobile just started selling three Xiaomi devices. You can buy the Redmi 2 for $119, the Mi3 for $135 and the Mi4 for $219. The carrier is also introducing a few Meizu phones to America, including the company’s M2 Note for $149.

These all seem like pretty good deals, but they’re still not very exciting. We’re far more interested in the Redmi 3, which launched earlier this month with a metal design and a 4100mAh battery for just $100 in China. There’s also the Xiaomi Mi5, which is expected to arrive next month with flagship specs and a fingerprint sensor.

PCMag notes that none of these devices offer 4G support in the U.S., since they weren’t built for American networks. However, you do get 500MB of data, 500 texts and 500 minutes of talk time for just $24 per month.

It’s possible US Mobile could introduce more Xiaomi phones in the future. Hopefully that includes the latest models, and hopefully by then the Chinese company will offer LTE support for the U.S. as well.