Xiaomi has released a new edition of its eternally popular Mi Band fitness tracker – but it’s heading for India only.
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 3i is a rehashing of the previous generation fitness tracker, but at an even lower price. It’s set to retail for ₹1,299, which translates to around $18.
However, this new tracker isn’t simply Xiaomi flogging its old stock. The Mi Smart Band 3i loses the heart rate monitor to keep prices super low.
However, the rest of the package is much the same. It still has a 0.7-inch AMOLED display with a 128 x 80 resolution, and it’s rated at 5ATM so you can take it for a dip. It will show calls and alert you to notifications – and will last around 20 days on a single charge.
Introducing the all-new #MiSmartBand3i - Designed exclusively for India!
- AMOLED touch display
- Up to 20 days of battery life
- Multiple activity tracking
- Rated 5ATM water resistant
- Call and notification alerts
Pre-order now: https://t.co/1RB4och7Zd pic.twitter.com/x83ca2xV6u
— Mi India for #MiFans (@XiaomiIndia) November 21, 2019
Xiaomi’s cut price fitness trackers have been a runaway success and have made it a powerhouse in the wearables market.
But that volume has generally come from the huge market it’s carved out in China – and then the rest. This release of the Mi Band 3i shows its best set to do the same in developing markets, too.
So where next for Xiaomi? Well, make sure you keep an eye on the Xiaomi Mi Watch, which was announced last month and is the company’s first attempt at unseating the Apple Watch’s huge market share.
That could be a challenge given the much larger $185 price tag, which doesn’t represent the same value for money that helped the company make the Mi Band such a huge success.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.