Xiaomi Mi Smartwatch Rumors: Release Date Set In Second Half Of 2016

It is official that Xiaomi is working on a smartwatch. The wearable device is expected to release in the second half of this year.

According to Gizmo China, Liu De, the co-founder and vice-president of Xiaomi has confirmed through a press meeting in Beijing that the company is working on its first ever smartwatch. De has not revealed any details on Xiaomi Mi Smartwatch’s specifications and features, but he has confirmed that the smartwatch will be launched in the second half of 2016.

Since the official name of the Xiaomi smartwatch has not been confirmed, the rumor mill is calling it with different names such as Mi Smartwatch and Mi Watch. The news about the Xiaomi Mi Smartwatch had first surfaced in March 2015. It was also expected to release in November last year. However, it did not happen so. It is only now that the company has officially spoken about its upcoming smartwatch.

Speculations suggest that it will be sporting a circular display and its chassis will be made up of brushed metal. A biometric recognition feature called pulse wave velocity is one of the rumored features of Mi Watch, GSM Arena reported. It is also expected to come with health-centric features.

Xiaomi’s wearable devices like Mi Band and Mi Band 1S have received rave reviews from critics and users. Hence, there are a lot of expectations from the Mi Watch.

Xiaomi smartphones come preloaded with Android OS, but they usually do not feature the Google Play Store. Hence, it is unsure whether the Mi Watch will be arriving with Android Wear or its own software.

On May 10, Xiaomi will be announcing three new devices such as the Xiaomi Mi Max, the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 and MIUI 8 software. The Mi Band 2 fitness band is expected to feature a display and a physical button to access fitness-related features.