Looking to buy your first smartwatch? Another option may be on its way! Xiaomi is set to take the wraps off of its first real smartwatch, which is rumored to be called the Mi Smartwatch or the Mi Watch.
To date we’ve only heard whispers about the device, and it really wasn’t even certain that Xiaomi was indeed releasing a smartwatch. That all changed in late April, though, when Liu De, the co-founder and VP of Xiaomi, revealed that the company was in fact working on a smartwatch and that it will be released sometime in the second quarter of 2016 after May.
Unfortunately, the announcement that the smartwatch exists is basically all we know about it, although it was reported last year that the watch would include a brushed metal design and a large round dial. Given that plans for the watch have been confirmed, however, we can expect to hear more about it in the near future. If it’s going to compete with Android Wear watches like the Moto 360, Huawei Watch, and the LG Watch Urbane; it has to look spectacular.
It will also be interesting to see which operating system the watch runs and how it handles apps. While Xiaomi’s smartphones run Android, they generally don’t feature the Google Play Store, so it’s unclear whether the watch will run Android Wear or a proprietary OS.
Regardless, it looks like Xiaomi is serious about entering the world of smartwatches. It recently unveiled a smartwatch for kids priced at just 300 Yuan, or around $46. Of course, it’s also known for devices like the Mi Band, which is a fitness tracker that has been doing quite well since it was released.
We’ll update this article when we get more details about the Xiaomi smartwatch, so stay tuned!