Xiaomi is a company that most of us know primarily for their smartphones, like the RedMi Note pictured above, but Xiaomi isn’t just a smartphone manufacturer. Not only do they develop their own software suite, the MIUI custom firmware, for their smartphones but they also sell a multitude of other devices and accessories. They recently entered the wearable market earlier this year with the MiBand, an inexpensive fitness tracker that also allowed you to unlock your phone without entering your PIN. Now though, it would seem that Xiaomi is looking to enter the Smartwatch arena, and they’re looking to the community for help.
Ex-Googler, and now Vice President at Xiaomi, has come forward with a short YouTube video saying that they haven’t decided if they would enter the smartwatch arena or not, but the company is reaching out to the community to ask what sort of features you’d want to see from such a device if Xiaomi were to make one. While we can’t speak for the company’s actions, it would seem pretty logical for Xiaomi to enter the smartwatch arena, considering how popular these devices are becoming. Not only that, but chipmakers like Qualcomm and MediaTek now have fairly comprehensive solutions to be used in small, wearable devices like smartwatches. As of right now though, it looks like Xiaomi is still weighing up their options.
One reason Xiaomi might want to consider developing their own smartwatch is that an exclusive watch for their smartphones could help boost their overall brand presence. I’m sure there are a good deal of users that have picked up a Samsung smartphone in order to get access to the latest Gear watch.
If you want to see what Xiaomi can do with a smartwatch if they’re to enter the market, then it’d be best to reach out to them on Twitter or Weibo if you’re in China. Let us know what you’d want to see out of a Xiaomi smartwatch in the comments below and I’m curious to know how much you’d be willing to pay for a smartwatch from the Chinese giant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyasDTHVv3M