Xiaomi is a name in the tech world that it's becoming hard to ignore, particularly if you live in the US. The company was the top Chinese brand in China as of last Fall, before Huawei took that crown from the Chinese Android OEM, and the company's Mi Band series had been outselling well-known smartwatch manufacturers worldwide, including Apple and Samsung, though, contrary to analyst statements, I don't think fitness bands and smartwatches should be compared. Xiaomi even manufactures kid smartwatches, providing a little of everything for everyone.
After leaking the new smartwatch category at its website, product sketch, and more, Xiaomi announced its AMAZFIT smartwatch that retails for $120. Few well-known smartwatches are announced at that price point.
The Xiaomi Mi Band 2 was announced this week in India, with Xiaomi's second fitness band in the Mi series featuring an OLED display instead of the usual LCD screens while maintaining an optical heart rate sensor and water resistance (IP67) that can be seen in the Mi Band 1s. The battery can last up to 20 days on a single charge, Xiaomi says, and we presume the OLED display helps in this regard (though the Mi Band 2 is new territory in terms of its touch screen; the Mi Band 1s didn't have one). According to one Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Review, the device lasted 20 days on a single charge and still had 49% battery left. A hypoallergenic wristband prevents the common "itching" complaints that result from user experience (as is the case with McDonald's Step-It activity tracker for kids).
The Xiaomi Mi Band costs 199 Yuan, or $30, works with Android devices running 5.0 Lollipop or higher and iOS and is currently an exclusive at Amazon India and at Xiaomi's Mi.com website.
Would you be interested in picking up the Xiaomi Mi Band 2?
