Global release of Xiaomi Mi Watch nears as device gets Bluetooth certification
Xiaomi Mi Watch has received the stamp of approval from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG) in the past few days. This confirms the international launch is not too far off.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
For those not in the know, Bluetooth SIG is the body that regulates a global community of over 30,000 companies serving to harmonize the vast range of connected devices around us. It oversees the development of Bluetooth standards and the licensing of such technologies.
The declaration ID in the listing is D046837. The Xiaomi product name is 小米手表. Our Chinese language skills are not that great, but a simple Google search reveals that this is, indeed, the Mi Watch.
In China, the timepiece is available for purchase from today, November 11th. The launch has been timed to coincide with the country’s Singles Day, an annual buying frenzy that compares to Black Friday in the US. Interestingly, the occasion started as an “anti-Valentine’s” celebration for single people in China a couple of decades ago.
The company has not given a timing for the global launch but this certification suggests it could happen in the next month or two. The company is yet to secure regulatory approval from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
To remind, the Mi Watch was announced about a week ago. On paper, it certainly sounds impressive. Xiaomi refers to it as “a small mobile phone on the wrist”.
The thing runs a customized version of Wear OS. Housed in an Apple Watch-looking design is support for eSIM/4G LTE, NFC and the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 3100.
There’s plenty of fitness hardware, as well, including a 6-axis accelerometer, heart rate sensor, compass, barometer and a trio of positioning systems (GPS, Galileo, and BeiDou). The watch provides stress, sleep, body energy monitoring and much more. Some have incorrectly reported it monitors blood oxygen levels, but this is not the case.
The 10 professional sports modes include running outdoors, outdoor walking, off-road, mountaineering, indoor running, outdoor riding, indoor bicycle, swimming in the pool, open water swimming and free movement. Each of these comes with its own real-time performance metrics. There are also a total of ten Firstbeat metrics giving you additional insight into your fitness.
Xiaomi Mi Watch costs $185 (CNY 1299) in China. There’s also a more premium version that sells for $285 (CNY 1999). This one puts a sapphire crystal on top of the 44mm OLED, and houses it in a polished stainless steel body attached to a stainless steel strap.
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