Alibaba Leads US$650M Investment in Chinese Smartphone Maker Meizu

Alibaba Group has decided to invest US$590 million into Chinese smartphone maker Meizu, the two companies announced today. Another US$60 million in funding came from Haitong Kaiyuan Investment. It’s only six months since Meizu announced its first outside investment.

Meizu was one of the first smartphone brands in China. Since launching its first Android phone in 2009, Meizu has received plaudits for its customized Android system and finely designed hardware from both the smartphone industry and consumers.

Although Xiaomi began making Android phones several years later, it is now far more successful in branding and sales. Huang Zhang (aka Jhon Wang), founder of Meizu, accused Xiaomi of stealing their business secrets as Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun had once visited Meizu as a potential investor. Xiaomi’s approach to software development, hardware design and user engagement strategies in its early days was remarkably similar.

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