Chinese tech giant Xiaomi Inc. is not only known for launching high-end smartphones, but also a wide range of smart products such as smart TVs, smart scales, air and water purifiers, blood pressure monitors and smart appliances, among many other things.

Recently, the Chinese company officially unveiled its first affordable high-end smart rice cooker, called the Mi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker, at a launch event that took place in Beijing.

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As part of Xiaomi's newest "Mi Ecosystem" sub-brand, the smart rice cooker is expected to go on sale via the company's Mi.com website on Apr. 6, with a price tag of about US$150. It is worth noting that the price is still very inexpensive when compared to Japanese brands such as Toshiba.

In terms of the features, the Mi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker can connect to a smartphone via the Mi Home app. Would-be owners will be able to use their smartphones to scan the barcodes on around 200 different kinds of rice packaging, so that the rice cooker will automatically know how to cook it. Engadget reported that Xiaomi's rice cooker "uses 1.2 atm to push the temperature up to 105 degrees Celsius or 221 degrees Fahrenheit".

The Mi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker is the first product under the Mi Ecosystem brand, which is also known as "Mijia" in Chinese, meaning "Mi Home". The company has launched the new brand in order to differentiate its core products and businesses, such as its smartphones and Mi TVs, from its ecosystem partners.

Xiaomi has invested in 55 companies so far; among them are Zimi and Huami. To date, Zimi has sold over 46.9 million power bank units, while Huami was able to sell over 18.5 million fitness bands, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

TagsXiaomi News, Xiaomi Smart Rice Cooker March 2016, Xiaomi Inc., Xiaomi Mi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker, Xiaomi Mi Ecosystem Sub-Brand Mijia China