Xiaomi Smartwatch Release Date: Company Confirms Launch of Smartwatch In 2016

By Jenn Loro - 02 May '16 11:43AM

Chinese tech maker Xiaomi is increasingly becoming a serious player in smart devices sector. As wearable devices such as the smartwatch become hot tech commodities, the company wants to gain footing in this line of business too. Recently, the company has just officially confirmed that is currently working on its own brand of the wearable device that is slated for release later this year.

As per Gizmo China report, Liu De, Xiaomi co-founder and vice-president recently announced in a Beijing press meeting that the company is making progress on its very own smartwatch brand. So far, no specific details were given on the device's features and specs but did say that the wearable gadget will be unveiled sometime in the second half of the year.

Xiaomi first entered the wearable market two years ago when it launched its smart fitness tracker, Mi Band. The device caught on and became successful prompting the company to follow-up on its success by developing Mi Band 2 which is slated for release on May 10. Like its predecessor, Mi Band will build on the success of the original Mi Band and enhance the highly popular health-tracking features.

For quite some time, Xiaomi has been hinting on joining the smartwatch bandwagon when it unveiled its child-friendly Rabbit smartwatch as per Tech Times report. The special wearable device for kids has limited GPS tracker and hands-free mobile calls for only $46. As its ambitions grow, the company is feels bold and confident enough to make its mark in the global tech sector.

Rumored Features

If rumors prove correct, the device should be sporting a circular screen display with framework made of brushed metal. According to International Business Times report, the wearable gadget contains a biometric security feature called pulse wave velocity and slew of other health-related features that might be similar to the ones found in earlier fitness-tracking devices.

Although most, if not all, of Xiaomi's smartphones come with default Android OS, Google Play Store always seems conspicuously absent. That is why, observers aren't exactly sure whether Android would still be Mi smartwatch's default OS.

Around this month, Xiaomi is expected to make another announcement on three upcoming devices known as Mi Max, Mi Band 2, and MIUI 8 software. As an upgrade to the original Mi Band, Mi Band 2 is expected to include display and physical button to gain access to the wearable's fitness-oriented features.