Xiaomi announced a new smartphone for Japan, the Redmi Note 9T for sale exclusively through SoftBank. The model is the first Xiaomi device in Japan with Mobile FeliCa support and like Huawei Mobile FeliCa support is limited to carrier models only. There was some interesting Twitter discussion between Junya Suzuki and Junya Ishino regarding the latter’s article which had some Redmi Note 9T FeliCa details.
For the Redmi Note 9T Japan model Xiaomi bought a FeliCa chip and modified the 9T antenna and body design to accommodate it. A customized model just for Japan. Xiaomi did not go the custom embedded Secure Element route like Apple, Samsung and Huawei but saw a business opportunity with an exclusive SoftBank deal to recoup development costs and make money. The low price makes Redmi Note 9T one of the cheapest Osaifu Keitai Android devices sold in Japan. It also illustrates the piecemeal Android hardware business approach and why Global NFC is still pipe dream for Android users.
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