Xiaomi Mi

Xiaomi created a Singapore MIUI theme to commemorate the launch of the Redmi in the country. (Credit: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi has started its global expansion outside of Greater China (China, Taiwan and Hong Kong), beginning in the city-state of Singapore. The company's midrange Redmi Android smartphone (our full review here) will go on sale starting this Friday for S$169 (US$134). Given the device's specs, which includes a 720p IPS display and quad-core MediaTek processor, the price is extremely attractive.

In addition, Xiaomi's VP Hugo Barra, who is in charge of global expansion, announced that the flagship Xiaomi Mi-3 smartphone will be available in Singapore from March 7 for S$419 (US$332). This model is the same as the one sold in Hong Kong and Taiwan and will not include LTE connectivity. However, company co-founder Lin Bin said Xiaomi is working on new LTE models and expects to unveil them later this year.

Xiaomi's Hugo Barra (left) and Lin Bin (right) answered questions about the company's expansion outside of Greater China. (Credit: Reuben Lee/CNET)

Aside from hardware, Xiaomi is well-known for its highly customizable MIUI software. To commemorate the launch in Singapore, the company has created a software theme (shown above) with Singapore-centric app icons and an image of the city's skyline for the wallpaper.

Those interested in buying the Redmi can visit xiaomi.com/sg on February 21 -- customers can place an order starting from 12pm (GMT+8). Do note that Xiaomi handsets have proven to be extremely popular in all the markets they have been launched, and usually sell out within minutes of availability.

For those who prefer not to participate in the five (or fewer) minutes of madness this Friday, all three Singapore telcos will also be offering the Redmi. StarHub is the first to announce its plan to sell the phone starting February 27 at S$169 with a prepaid plan or as low as S$0 with a post-paid plan. At the time of writing, both M1 and SingTel have yet to announce their plans.

Xiaomi will open a service center for Singapore customers in a shopping mall called The Central. The company plans to expand to a larger location in the future, with Barra adding that a retail presence could also be a possibility. Singapore will be the base of operations for this region's expansion, with a new corporate office and a distribution center slated to be opened soon. Malaysia will likely be the next launch country but no specific availability date was given.