Chinese rolling stone Xiaomi has hands in just about every mobile market, from smartphones to a rumored laptop. It’s no surprise, then, that they’ve staked the claim in the fitness wearable market with the Xiaomi Mi Band. The sequel, the Mi Band 1S, comes in at an amazingly cheap $15 USD and has been officially announced after a previous rumor pointed to a release this month.
The fitness band, which does not have its own display, pairs to any Android or iOS device. Its functions include sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, calorie burn counting, step counting and vibrating when the host device receives a notification. The little wearable also has an IP67 specification, meaning it can take a 30 minute dip in up to 3 feet of water. It can also unlock your Xiaomi device, though there’s no confirmation this will work on non-Xiaomi devices. There’s been no word on the battery life, but given its similarities to its predecessor and the addition of a heart monitor, slightly shorter longevity can be expected. Weighing in at only 5.5 grams with a slim design, the diminutive fitness wearable is sure not to slow anybody down.
Xiaomi did quite well for themselves with the first Mi Band, selling a whopping 6 million by last summer, with more sales likely on the way since the release of the Mi Band 1S means the original Mi Band is getting a price drop to $11 USD. Those numbers were sufficient to give the Chinese giant about 24 percent of the market share for wearables, making them the second largest wearables manufacturer in the world.
The device is slated for release on November 11 in China, which happens to coincide with Singles Day, one of China’s biggest shopping days of the year. The $15 fitness tracker is shown in pink and blue, but will likely come in a wide array of colors like its predecessor. Sales of the device will likely be a fairly close match to the original Mi Band as well, with a slightly higher price and better design and features. Xiaomi’s continued adventures into just about every sector of the tech world seem to be going quite well, if the popularity of the Mi Band and the promise of its new sequel are any indication.