Xiaomi is to launch laptops next year, opening a new front in its battle against its rivals.

Xiaomi's notebook could go on sale as early as the first quarter of next year to compete with premium computers such as Apple's MacBook Air and Lenovo's ThinkPad.

It has held talks with Samsung Electronics to supply memory chips, and media reports say that an initial agreement may extend to providing displays.

Xiaomi's venture into PCs comes as growth in its core market winds down.

Statistics show worldwide smartphone sales recorded their slowest growth rate since 2013 in the second quarter of 2015.