[Insights] Xiaomi Leaps to 17 to Mirror iPhone: Decoding China’s Benchmarking Strategy

In fall 2025, the global tech spotlight once again turns to the annual smartphone showdown. In a surprise move, Chinese tech giant Xiaomi named its flagship lineup from “15” straight to “17,” skipping the number 16 to set up a direct clash with Apple’s iPhone 17. According to Dindo Lin’s column in TechNews, founder Lei Jun has openly acknowledged this as a “benchmarking” strategy aimed at aligning the brand’s image and market position with the globally recognized industry standard, the iPhone.

“Benchmarking” is a business strategy in which companies evaluate and analyze competitors’ products to guide their own development. As TechNews notes, it has been instrumental in shaping China’s tech landscape, though the country has gradually moved beyond imitation and is shifting toward innovation.

China’s aggressive drive for innovation is evident in its surging patent filings. As TechNews highlights, the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) World Intellectual Property Indicators 2024 report, based on 2023 data, shows that China has become the world’s largest source of patent applications.

Benchmarking: A Core Strategy in Modern Tech Rivalry

TechNews notes that in the consumer electronics sector—especially smartphones, where product cycles move quickly and competition is intense—brands often adopt benchmarking strategies across hardware, design, and user experience. One early example was the similarity between Xiaomi’s MIUI operating system and Apple’s iOS. As TechNews points out, as the market matured, benchmarking expanded to hardware aesthetics, such as the resemblance between the OPPO Watch and the Apple Watch.

Beyond Benchmarking: China’s Rise as a Global Tech Innovator

Benchmarking strategies often spark debates over product similarities. However, TechNews notes that China’s tech development has increasingly moved beyond imitation. The rise of the social and e-commerce platform Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) exemplifies how China has localized and innovated upon borrowed business models. The country has also become a major force across several industries—DJI continues to dominate the global consumer drone market, while BYD’s pure electric vehicle sales briefly surpassed Tesla’s in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Moreover, Chinese innovation has at times become a model for the West. As TechNews highlights, TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, the core technology behind the rise of short videos, has inspired imitation by platforms in Europe and the U.S..

In 2023, according to the WIPO report, China filed over 1.64 million patents, representing 47.2% of the global total and surpassing the combined figures of the U.S. and Japan. TechNews notes that these patents are concentrated in fields such as digital communications, computer technology, electrical equipment, and energy, which form the core of global technological competition.

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(Photo credit: Xiaomi)

Please note that this article cites information from TechNews and the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) World Intellectual Property Indicators 2024 report.

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