Xiaomi picked a strange moment to launch cheap hardware, because the global gadget market spent 2024 and early 2025 conditioning buyers to accept higher prices. Phones, laptops, tablets, and wearables all saw price increases between 15 and 30 percent compared to 2022 models, and most brands blamed supply chain costs, component shortages, and inflation without offering much evidence that those factors still applied by mid-2025. Even Apple, which held iPhone pricing relatively steady for years, finally bumped the base iPhone 16 Pro up by $100 in late 2024. The price hikes stuck anyway, largely because competitors moved in unison and consumers had few alternatives. Xiaomi clearly saw an opening in categories where pricing had stagnated rather than spiked, and photo printers fit that description almost perfectly.
The Mijia Desktop Photo Printer 2 launched this week at 699 yuan (about $107) through Xiaomi’s , with a retail price of 799 yuan ($122) planned after the campaign closes. The device uses 4-color dye sublimation printing, supports 4 inch and 6 inch photo sizes, and connects via Bluetooth to phones, tablets, and computers without needing a Wi-Fi network. Xiaomi claims the per-print cost can drop to 0.99 yuan (roughly 14 cents) when using the 4 inch dual-print paper packs in higher-volume bundles, which would make it one of the cheapest per-print options in the compact photo printer category. The Mi Home app adds templates, AR photo playback, ID photo generation, and LUT color filters, leaning into the same app-native feature strategy Xiaomi uses across its smart home lineup.
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Canon’s Selphy CP1500 typically retails between $140 and $160 depending on region and sales cycles, and HP’s Sprocket models sit in a similar range. Fujifilm’s Instax Share SP-3 launched at $199 and has stayed there for years. None of those companies aggressively cut hardware prices, because photo printer economics depend heavily on consumables revenue. The paper and ribbon cartridges generate steady income long after the hardware sale, so keeping hardware prices high protects the perceived value of those refills. Xiaomi is attacking both sides of that model by undercutting the upfront hardware cost and claiming a per-print expense well below what competitors charge for equivalent output.
The per-print math is where Xiaomi’s really squeezing out the competition. Canon’s RP-108 paper and ink set costs around $40 for 108 4×6 prints, which works out to roughly 37 cents per photo. HP’s Zink paper for the Sprocket runs about 50 cents per 2×3 print, though the smaller format makes direct comparison tricky. Xiaomi’s claimed 14 cent per-print cost assumes you buy the dual-print 4 inch paper packs in bulk, but even the 6 inch professional paper is listed at 2.48 yuan (about 35 cents) per sheet during the crowdfunding campaign. That pricing could shift after launch, but the gap between Xiaomi and the incumbents is wide enough that even a modest increase would still leave Xiaomi ahead.
The Mijia Desktop Photo Printer 2 ships in China first, with no confirmed timeline for international availability. Xiaomi typically tests hardware on the domestic market before deciding whether to expand regionally, so this could stay China-only for months or longer. The bigger question is whether Canon, HP, and Fujifilm respond by cutting prices or whether they hold steady and bet that brand loyalty and distribution advantages keep Xiaomi contained to its home market.
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