If Apple did it, you can bet your ass that Xiaomi is going to do it too. In all fairness, the majority of Apple’s competitors do the same thing, but most of them are just following Apple’s lead, whereas Xiaomi tends to just blatantly copy whatever Apple does. Whether or not this will be the case with Xiaomi’s rumored smartwatch remains to be seen, but according to a report from GizmoChina on Friday, we might find out later this week. Next to nothing is known about the device, but there’s reason to believe it might not be as much of an Apple Watch clone as we expect.
Rumors about a supposed Xiaomi smartwatch have been floating around the internet for a couple of years now without anything ever substantiating from them. This time around, however, there might actually be some substance to the rumor. The Chinese company has been dabbling in smartbands for quite some time, and over the last couple of years have released three incarnations of its Mi Band as well as a specialized version for kids. This latest rumor suggests that, in the upcoming August 25th conference Xiaomi will be hosting, the company will finally announce an actual smartwatch – in the typical sense of the word – to add to their product lineup. Not much information has been given just yet, with the main piece of information being that the device will be fairly different from the Apple Watch. The price being thrown around for the Xiaomi smartwatch is ¥999 or just a little over $150 but a comment from someone who is reportedly the “Chinese Mobile Phone League Secretary General” suggests it may be a fair bit pricier than that. Regardless, international buyers should be made aware that this price will likely go up once international resellers add their 30% or so tax to the price tag. We’ll find out whether or not this rumor will manifest in the coming week or so. If it does take hold, it will be interesting to see how rival companies react to Xiaomi’s entry into the smartwatch market.
