It has been about one year since Xiaomi released its first
fitness tracker, Mi Band. In the period until June, Xiaomi had successfully
shipped more than 6 million units of Mi band globally, based on the Xiaomi
Today report - so most likely the figure had increased till this November 2015.
And now Xiaomi officially reveals the presence of
second-generation of its fitness tracker named Mi Band 1S - or Mi Band Pulse,
if referring to the news on the official forum, where there seems to be a name
change shortly after it's announced. Seeing its name, probably most of you
would guess that the new mainstay feature in this fitness tracker is a heart
rate sensor. Yup, you're right!
Xiaomi admitted that there were quite a lot of Mi Band users
who asked the company to add heart-rate monitoring feature to the next
generation of Mi Band. Now Mi Band Pulse comes to make it comes true where the
heart rate sensor is embedded on the bottom side, just like the majority of
other smartwatches and fitness trackers on the market.
Physically, Mi Band Pulse looks almost identical to its
predecessor, complete with IP67 water resistance certification. It consists of
two parts: a module where the entire sensors are stored and a strap to secure
the module. However, because Mi Band Pulse carries a heart rate sensor, the
size of its module is slightly enlarged: 37 x 13.6 x 9.9 mm, with a weight of
5.5 grams.
Mi Band Pulse still relies on Bluetooth 4.0 to communicate
with Android and iOS devices. It is powered by a 45mAh battery; but even it is
equipped with a heart rate sensor which its accuracy is believed to be
equivalent with Apple Watch, it's claimed can still operate up to 20 days in
one-time charge. Other change lies in its strap material, Xiaomi claims that Mi
Band Pulse uses a better material that's more durable than before.
Mi Band Pulse is still offered at a very affordable price,
only $ 15. So far Mi Band Pulse is marketed only in China, there is no
information if the fitness tracker will also be offered to other countries or
not.