Inside Xiaomi’s Showroom at IFC Mall

Walking through IFC Mall in Yeouido, I came across a shop near Apple that invited an immediate comparison. The layout was familiar, with devices set out on tables where you could try them. At a glance, it looked like another version of an Apple Store. It was Xiaomi.

Xiaomi has become more familiar in Korea, and finding one of its shops no longer seems unusual. The room felt different from what I had expected of an electronics store. It looked like somewhere to see the range of a brand’s products, starting with the phones.

---

A Familiar Layout and a Different Kind of Visit

The shop opens straight onto the corridor. There is almost no boundary between the mall and the display, so it is easy to step in as you pass.

Phones and tablets sit on tables where you can pick them up and try them. That was what first reminded me of Apple.

The experience changes when you stay. I am used to being able to browse freely at Apple. Here someone came over to ask whether I needed help. It was friendly, though it might feel like more attention than you want if you are only there to try something briefly.

I felt as if I was in a place set up for someone to show me how things work. That difference helps explain why two stores with similar tables can feel different.

---

Trying the Leica Collaboration

I was most interested in a recent phone made in collaboration with Leica. I could take photographs and look at the results. Phone cameras are so familiar now that it was interesting to see a different approach to color and contrast in the files.

Trying a phone camera in the shop has an obvious advantage. You can look at the photographs it makes instead of having to decide from a list of specifications. It makes the display worth a look if you are curious about cameras, even without plans to buy.

---

What Else Is on the Shelves?

I had expected phones and tablets. The range was much wider, with small appliances, household goods, bags and accessories. Together they looked like things for everyday life rather than just devices.

One table had phones. A few steps away were an air purifier and a smart scale. Another part of the shop had backpacks and other small goods.

I had the impression of a company trying to put its whole idea of home and daily life in one room. The shop felt a little like an exhibition inside the mall.

---

What You Can Learn by Handling a Device

Most of these products can be bought online. The reason to visit is the chance to handle them.

A specification does not give you much idea of how a device feels in the hand, or how you will see its screen and photographs. I used the store to answer those questions before thinking about a purchase.

The location in IFC Mall makes the comparison easy. The Apple Store is just across from it. Visiting one after the other makes the choices behind each display more apparent.

Apple gives me a more closely managed sense of a single product ecosystem. Xiaomi puts a wider range of things in front of me at once.

---

A Small Exhibition in a Shopping Mall

When I left, I felt I had seen a small exhibition of what the brand makes.

Handling the devices, trying a camera and browsing household goods made for an easy stop even without a purchase. It fit between lunch and a visit to a café.

With Apple nearby, it was one of the more interesting places in IFC Mall to compare how two companies show what they make.