If you’re interested in mobile devices from Xiaomi, you probably already know that this Chinese giant operates in multiple markets and offers models that are sometimes specifically made for selected regions.
We often also see changes in the naming of individual smartphones depending on the market they’re sold in. Here, you can get global or European versions. So what’s the difference?
This is how you’ll find out what distribution your device has
If you buy a phone that isn’t intended for our region, you might run into some issues, such as notifications not coming through. So how do you find out which market your phone is meant for, and what differences you can observe between the different versions?
Everything should be clear once you check your system version. You can find it by going into Settings, specifically the “About phone” section. Look at “MIUI Version” and you’ll see whether you have European (EEA) or Global (Global) ROM. If you didn’t order your phone from China, you’re most likely using a version with these two types of ROM.
In the first image, you can see a screenshot from the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite, which is the global version. The MIUI version label includes the version number, i.e. 12.5.7.0, and then after that, in brackets, the model identifier: (RFNMIXM). Those two letters (MI) indicate which distribution the phone belongs to. In this case, it’s the global version.
The screenshot in the middle is from the Xiaomi 11T Pro model, where the MIUI 14.0.3.0 version label includes TKDEUXM. EU indicates that it’s an European distribution of the model, which is also often referred to as EEA (European Economic Area).
In the third image, you can see a screenshot from the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro model, which is sold exclusively in the Chinese version. That’s why the MIUI version label is V13.0.9.0.SKACNXM, where CN means the Chinese version.
MIUI naming depends on the market where those models are sold and is known as:
- China – CN
- Global – Mi
- Europe – EEA / EU
- India – IN
- Russia – RU
- Indonesia – ID
- Turkey – TR
- Taiwan – TN
What’s the difference between global and European ROM?
Global ROM (MI) is the official system version used around the world except China. It’s characterized by the availability of a beta program for those who want to test new versions of the user interface and the Android operating system. Updates are released once every one to two months.
European ROM (EU / EEA) is intended only for European countries. During the initial smartphone setup, you can disable all ads from one place that are included in preinstalled apps.
With the global version, you have to disable them by going into the actual app. This is due to regulations in the European Union (GDPR). It’s also worth noting that the EEA ROM doesn’t have a beta program, and it appears that software updates are released a bit less regularly.
The difference is also in update speed
Another big difference between these versions is also the speed of update rollout. Based on our experience, we can say that the EEA versions, i.e. the European phone versions, get new updates a bit earlier than the global MI versions. However, this may not be true for every phone model. Unfortunately, Xiaomi doesn’t publish any update release schedule anywhere.
The Chinese version is a bit more limited for us—one common issue is receiving notifications from certain apps—and it comes with several preinstalled apps of Chinese origin. You can, however, easily get rid of them, and otherwise the device is quite usable. The advantage is that the Chinese MIUI version gets the latest updates first, since China is still Xiaomi’s biggest market.
If you own a Chinese model, you can install the ROM from miuios.cz, also known as Xiaomi.EU. However, for some models, the limitation may still include things like the absence of certain LTE bands.
On the XiaomiPlanet website, we keep you updated not only with the latest news, but also with tips and tricks from the world of Xiaomi. Join our active Facebook group as well, where we help each other out with more than 11.5 thousand members. If you don’t want to miss any discount coupon for your favorite Xiaomi product, we invite you to our Telegram channel.
Don’t miss the best coupons 📩
Subscribe and we’ll email you new coupons before they expire. We only send it once a month — no spam.
