The world may be waiting for a follow up to the Xiaomi MiBand, but that hasn't stopped the company backing a new fitness tracker via its hardware partner Huami.
It's not wholly backed by Xiaomi but a partnership between Xiaomi and Huaheng Electronic Technology
The Amazfit band features a design we've not really seen before, and the company says it can be worn around the wrist or neck to suit most looks. It's an intriguing style, and hard to identify as a fitness tracker without prompting. The picture below looks more like a mad Bluetooth headset than an activity band.
The Amazfit band features a series of white and black bands, to create a circular doughnut style design. It's made of ceramic, which may sound unusual but is actually the material of choice for a host of high end classic wrist watches. It buffs to a metal-like shine but is as hard as sapphire, making it extraordinarily scratch-resistant. And it makes a satisfying clinking sound too – try it sometime.
It's a very feminine design, and there also seems to be a range of straps to change the look as well, including a watch style leather band and a thin bracelet too.
There's no screen or any on-device indicators of progress, meaning that on the surface it's simply a piece of jewellery. However, it links to a smartphone for fairly standard tracker with steps, sleep and calories all tracked.
It's on sale now, but availability is limited to Asia.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.