Xiaomi has unveiled the Mi Band, it’s $13 wearable fitness tracker

Rapidly-growing Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi announced its first wearable today, the Mi Band. While it’s a fitness band rather than a smartwatch, it does have one smartwatch-style feature: it can be used instead of a passcode to unlock Mi phones. The waterproof Mi Band measures activity levels and sleep patterns, has a smart sleep-cycle alarm and claims to have a 30-day battery-life. Amazingly, it will be going on sale in China and Singapore for the equivalent of just $13. It’s not yet known whether the Mi Band will make it into other countries. Xiaomi also announced its first LTE phone, the Mi 4. While the company started out making lower-spec handsets, it has quickly established a name for itself in high-spec phones at affordable prices.

Xiaomi on Tuesday not only introduced its next flagship smartphone, the Mi 4, but also took a bold step entering the wearable market segment with the Mi Band. Priced aggressively at $13 (roughly Rs. 790) with no word on availability, the Xiaomi Mi Band, like most existing wearable devices in the market, focuses on user’s health by helping them track their fitness and sleeping routine. The fitness tracking band also features Bluetooth wireless connectivity to pair with smartphones. Flaunting an aluminium surface with a micro laser perforation and no display screen, the Xiaomi Mi Band is water resistant (IP67) and has a standby life of 30 days. Once paired with the smartphone, the Mi Band can be used to unlock the user’s smartphone without typing any password or patterns. The Mi Band will be available in range of colour variants including Blue, Pink, Brown, Black, Purple and Grey. “Today, we launch the Mi Band, a fitness tracking wrist band that monitors your fitness and tracks your sleep. Featuring the industry’s most power-efficient Bluetooth chip and accelerometer, the Mi Band can be powered for 30 days on one charge, and also doubles up as an alarm clock. You can even pair it to unlock your phone without a password. Available for approximately USD$13 each. Want one?,” confirmed Xiaomi on its Facebook page.