Xiaomi mocked online after spending 3 years on new logo that looks almost identical to the original

The revamped logo that was unveiled this week looks like a slightly rounded version of the previous logo. The colors have remained the same – orange and white.

A Logo That Feels "Alive"#InnovationForEveryone pic.twitter.com/oimhPHZohK

— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) March 30, 2021

Chinese social media users were baffled at how little was changed, considering that the redesign took three years to develop and reportedly cost two million yuan ($305,000). Many joked that the company’s co-founder and CEO Lei Jun “got scammed” and should “call the police.” Others claimed that they could have come up with a new logo for a much cheaper price.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) quoted a person writing online as saying “I can do this for 20,000 yuan,” and another adding “Or 2,000.”

English-speakers did not seem impressed either, arguing on social media that the old and the new logos were almost identical. “Haha spot the difference,” one person wrote, while others called the redesign “a joke” and poked fun at the hashtag #InnovationForEveryone, which Xiaomi used to promote the new logo.

New year. New look. New us.

Together with @haraken_tokyo, we've changed our logo! How do you like our new logo? #XiaomiMegaLaunch pic.twitter.com/bqi33ZC3vE

— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) March 30, 2021

“I could have made that for half the price the designer did[,] it’s nothing new,” one user wrote in English.

Japanese graphic designer Kenya Hara, who created the new logo, called it “a perfect balance between a square and a circle,” that captures Xiaomi’s “inner spirit.” He said the design was inspired by geometry and mathematics.

Let's hear from @haraken_tokyo and the story behind our new logo design. #XiaomiMegaLaunch pic.twitter.com/FGkXJXM1nK

— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) March 30, 2021

Lei acknowledged that some might be “disappointed” by the change. “I suppose many people would say, ‘That’s it? That took three years?’” he wrote in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo, according to SCMP. He argued that the redesign represents an upgrade of the company’s “internal spirit and qualities.”

"To be honest, I didn't get it at the first sight, but I've grown to like it a lot. It's the best representation of today's Xiaomi," Lei wrote on Twitter.