Lackluster Sales Signal Xiaomi's Growing Pains

(Beijing) – Fans of popular Chinese smart device maker Xiaomi have got used to the swashbuckling moves from its founder Lei Jun.

But recent wobbly sales figures from Xiaomi Inc., the world's second highest-valued startup worth US$ 45 billion, has upset market analysts.

Lei's January announcement that the company failed to hit its annual sales target for 2015, after a solid 227 percent growth in handset sales in 2014, raised concerns about the future prospects of the company, that relies on the fast saturating smartphone market at home for growth.