Huami drops more hints on new Amazfit product categories for CES 2020
Huami has dropped a few more teaser images on upcoming Amazfit-branded products that are set to land at CES 2020. Judging by the picture and statements, it looks to be a fitness product related to sneakers, smart earphones and a wrist-based activity tracker.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
The company has had a very busy 2019. A plethora of devices were launched over the summer including the Amazfit GTS, Amazfit GTR and Stratos 3 smartwatches.
Huami has hinted earlier this month there would be exciting news at the start of next year but many assumed it would simply be the international launch of Stratos 3. While GTS and GTR are currently available for purchase in the US and Europe, Stratos 3 is not. But it seems the news is a bit more interesting.
A poster shared on Weibo provides more clues on what to expect. It shows a silhouette of a female runner. Look closely and you’ll notice that the most distinct part of the picture is one of her sneakers. The other highlighted parts of her body are the ear and wrist.
Here is the teaser in all its glory.
If your Chinese is not up to scratch, the text below the “Leap over Limits” caption says “not just smartwatches”. Which makes it pretty clear what not to expect.
This is further confirmed by Huami’s press release from a few days ago which clearly states it is “expanding product categories beyond smartwatches”. And that the company is “gearing up to unveil multiple series of new and innovative products” at CES 2020.
So what do we know?
The one product category that has been confirmed are TWS (true wireless) earbuds. Huan Wang, CEO of Huami has confirmed the buds will come with a built-in heart rate sensor. They will also come with noise reduction and sound insulation features. Here’s the latest tweet which provide a glimpse of the new buds.
Pumped to see what we’ll unveil at #CES2020 ?
A message from our CEO: “your guesses are on the right track! #Amazfit is going to expand its portfolio beyond the #smartwatch category. The first Amazfit TWS headset is coming soon and there's more. ”#LeapOverLimits pic.twitter.com/sQFLeiuDjn
— Amazfit (@amazfit) December 24, 2019
Smart earbuds are expected to be one of the fastest growing product categories in the next few years so it’s not really surprising Huami is looking to get in on the fun. An Amazfit-branded AirPods competitor might be a good seller.
“Our vision is to build a global health ecology, so from this perspective I have made a lot of interesting explorations on the headset, such as equipped with a heart rate sensor, everyone can look forward to it. There are no shoes, but there will be products related to shoes,” adds Huami CEO.
Smart running shoes are not a new concept. After all, the feet are the most logical place to track a person’s steps. A much better location to stick a pedometer than the wrist. But we have yet to see the concept (or smart clothing as a category) take off in a meaningful way.
Xiaomi has launched a couple of smart running shoes in recent years as have a handful of Western brands such as Altra. There are also Sensoria Smart Socks which are infused with 100% textile pressure sensors. Our bet is that Huami will release something akin to a smart insole or a pod that attaches to your shoes to track your runs and improve your form.
Another product that we are looking forward to is the futuristic looking Amazfit X fitness band. It is expected to go into mass production during the first half of 2020. It will probably make an appearance at the show. Huami has also revealed it will launch the Amazfit Bip S, the successor to the Bip at CES.
The latest Facebook and Twitter post continues to drop hints on upcoming health products. However, this one does really offer any useful clues that we could spot.
Christmas is here! For all you #health geeks who are singing "All I want for #Christmas is…a better you" and can't wait to get back to their #fitness regime after the holidays, we are going to unveil something amazing at CES!
Any guesses what it could be?#LeapOverLimits pic.twitter.com/XkdTo2DT65— Amazfit (@amazfit) December 24, 2019
All will be known on January 7th at 16:30 Las Vegas time. This is the first day of CES 2020. Its quite likely Huami will continue to drop hints as the day approaches. We will, of course, update as and when we hear more.
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