Xiaomi is on a new product spree right now. In the past month, the Chinese device maker has announced the Mi Max phablet and a new Android TV box, and today it revealed a new wearable, too.
The Xioami Mi Band 2 is now official. The major difference between the Mi Band and the Mi Band 2 is that the new model includes a display, a 0.42-inch OLED display, to be specific. You can use this display to view the time, your step count, your heart rate, your calories burned, and more. You can view this info either by lifting your wrist or by pressing the Mi Band 2’s capacitive button.
The Mi Band 2’s strap has also been improved with a new design will “firmly” hold the capsule in place. Xiaomi says that the strap is also more skin-friendly and is made of a softer material.
Also included with the Mi Band 2 is sleep tracking, an IP67-rated design for water resistance, a 70mAh battery that Xiaomi says will last for 20 days on a single charge, call and message alerts, and support for both Android (4.4 and up) and iOS (7.0 and up). Plus, if you’ve got a compatible Android phone, you can use the Mi Band 2 to skip your smartphone’s lock screen.
The Mi Band 2 will launch in China on June 7 at a price of 149 yuan, or around $23. There’s no word on when or if it’ll launch in other countries. Xiaomi does offer the original Mi Band in other countries like the US — or at least it did, because the Mi Band is now showing as out of stock — so here’s to hoping that the Mi Band 2 gets wide availability, too.
Xiaomi’s new Mi Band 2 looks like a solid activity tracker. It’s got a simple, clean design, and the addition of a screen is a major upgrade because it’ll let you view your activity data and the time without having to check your smartphone. You can also swap the main capsule into differently colored bands to make the Mi Band 2 match your outfit. And then there’s the price, which is super affordable compared to many other fitness trackers.