Xiaomi Mi Watch Hands-On: Cheaper Version Of Apple Watch

As of Q2 2019, Xiaomi is a leader in the smart wearables segment with a 17.3% market share, according to IDC data. Xiaomi's success mainly comes from the Mi Band lineup. It attracts users mostly because of its low price. However, because of that, Mi Band also clearly shows some limitations in terms of display, features, and design. As the demands for smart wearable devices with sleek and many features like Apple Watch have been increasing, it is clear that Xiaomi can not keep relying on low price as its strength.

Therefore, recently in China, Xiaomi has launched the Xiaomi Mi Watch smartwatch. Mi Watch bears a very similar design to the Apple Watch, including a square watch face, a "Digital Crown" knob, eSIM support, and a software interface with many similarities to its Apple counterpart.

Because it is equipped with many more technologies than Mi Band, the price of Mi Watch is also much higher. In China, the Mi Watch’s price starts from CNY 1,299 (around Rs. 13,200) to CNY 1,999 (around Rs. 20,400), 10 times more expensive than the Mi Band 4. In fact, the price of the Mi Watch is on the same level as the Apple Watch Series 3. Being considered as a clone, the Mi Watch still has a price that is on par with the genuine goods, it is not appreciated by the community. However, like many other Xiaomi products, Xiaomi is expected to drop its price in the near future.

Even though the Apple Watch is still better, the Mi Watch has one advantage that the Apple Watch cannot have, and that is Android support. And, for Android users who want a smartwatch that looks and works the Apple Watch, the Mi Watch will be the closest thing they can get.