Xiaomi’s Watch Looks Similar to Apple Watch But Won’t Cost a Lot

Xiaomi’s latest attempt to ‘inspire and design’ from Apple will be launched alongside a slew of other devices.

Will you buy the Mi Watch?

(Photo: Mi screen grab)

Apple has become the undisputed smartwatch leader with its version of ‘Watch’ and now Xiaomi is all set to launch a product inspired from Apple’s device.

The purported device will be called Mi Watch, and the product will be making its debut on 5 November at the global launch event this week in China.

But it’s hard to ignore the similarities of the Mi Watch with the Apple Watch, and from the looks of the product images leaked, the brand has copied the crown dial from Apple as well.

The resemblance is uncanny, and Mi Watch buyers are most likely to be praised for buying the Apple Watch, except they get the Xiaomi Watch, expected to cost much lower than what Apple charges.

Talking about the device, Mi Watch will be running on MiUi version for smartwatch, and expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 3100 processor, tailor made for such devices.

We’re not sure if it’ll sport a camera but we’re hopeful it will have health-centric features like heart rate sensor, GPS for navigation and other sensors used while running or exercising.

Mi Watch or Apple Watch clone?(Photo: Xiaomi global screen grab)

But more importantly, Mi Watch will have to be tuned effectively to support a decent battery life, which for this form factor has been a challenge for manufacturers. Which is why the MiUi customised for the Watch needs to be streamlined to consume less battery.

In terms of pricing, Xiaomi is unlikely to aim for the sky, which is why it’s expected that the Mi Watch will be priced under $150 (Rs 10,500 approx) which would appeal to the consumers looking for a smartwatch in the budget segment.

Speaking of wearables, Google on Friday confirmed its decision to buy FitBit for a reported $2.1 billion. The search giant will add the brand to its fleet of Made by Google division and work on future products running on its WearOS ecosystem.