Xiaomi will not attend this year's MWC

Xiaomi made its MWC debut last year, by launching the Mi 5 at the event, but don't expect the company to announce the successor, Mi 6 at this year's MWC, as it will not be present. The Chinese smartphone maker is giving this year's MWC a miss.

According to a report from TechCrunch, Xiaomi has nothing new to present at MWC, and will skip the largest annual mobile trade show entirely, quashing the rumor that MI 6 will be announced at this year's MWC. 

This is not surprising, since Snapdragon 835 chip, which will most likely be used in Mi 6, is out of reach for Xiaomi, as Samsung is hoarding Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chip's initial supply until Galaxy S8 release, leaving other OEMs with no option to place sufficient order.

Earlier this month Xiaomi made an impressive CES debut showcasing the Mi Mix, Mi Router HD and Mi TV 4 at the event. Meanwhile, Xiaomi's Global VP Hugo Barra, who has been the face of Xiaomi for the global audience will not be with the company anymore. Barra will be leaving Xiaomi in February and join Facebook to lead its VR division.

Without Barra's showmanship and no flagship device, it makes sense, why Xiaomi is skipping the event. With MWC out of sight, it is expected that Xiaomi will unveil the Mi 6 sometime in second quarter of 2017.