It’s been rumoured for several months since its first unofficial sighting, but Xiaomi has officially unveiled the next version of its Mi Band wearable. Called the Mi Band 1S, it will debut in China as part of the huge “Double 11” shopping festival.
Retaining the original Mi Band’s design, the Mi Band 1S is largely similar to its predecessor, but with one major addition: an optical heart rate sensor. The addition of this sensor surprisingly did not add any noticeable difference to its size and weight compared to the original Mi Band, however, with it being only 0.5g heavier, and imperceivably longer and thicker (1mm and 0.9mm respectively).
The new Mi Band will also be better at tracking the user’s sleep patterns; the original Mi Band had a tendency to be quite generous with its readings. Xiaomi also addressed the weak strap quality on the Mi Band, using a better (unspecified) material for the new Mi Band 1S, which is said to be more durable. Also, the Mi Band 1S retains a 45mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.0, ADI sensor, and its IP67 rating.
With a slightly shorter battery life expectancy of 20 days, the Mi Band 1S is still one of the longest-lasting wearables around. And just like its predecessor which single-handedly drove Xiaomi’s global market share for wearables to second place in Q1 this year, the Mi Band 1S has support for Android 4.4 and newer as well as iOS 7 and newer versions, the Mi Band has a huge pool of compatible devices, making it a very promising product for Xiaomi – especially with the holiday season looming.
And at a retail price of just 99 Yuan (about RM68), it’s almost unbelievable how Xiaomi has managed to pack an optical heart rate sensor into the Mi Band 1S and virtually not change its retail price. For now, it will be available in China during Xiaomi’s 11 November sales, with no indication when it will be available in international markets.
(Source & Images: MIUI Forums)
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