Xiaomi sub-brand Maimo has launched its smartwatch globally, with a super-low price tag and decent set of features.
The Apple Watch clone (and similar to the Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite) costs just $39.99, but features a big 1.69-inch TFT LCD screen in a 44mm case and 2.5D curved glass display. It won’t be the sharpest screen without AMOLED, panel but the proprietary OS should be nice and visible with such a large viewing area.
Watch faces are a big part of the Maimo appeal, and there are 50 to choose from.
There’s a heart rate monitor and the Maimo watch also packs in SpO2 for the tracking of blood oxygen.
There are 13 sports profiles available to track, but there’s no GPS built in here. However, it does feature an interesting AI running companion that shows you how far behind or ahead you are of previous efforts. However, without GPS we’re not sure how this is calculated – and there’s no word on connected GPS from a smartphone.
However, it is 5ATM water resistant so it will survive a dip in the pool.
Surprisingly, the Maimo features Alexa on-board, and you get 10 day battery life between charges.
Xiaomi was a late entry into the smartwatch market outside of China, and its Mi Watch Lite and Mi Watch haven’t garnered the same traction in the West as its Mi Band series of fitness trackers.
We’re sure the Maimo watch will be predominantly aimed at developing markets in Asia – but could see interest in Europe and the US.
There are a few smartwatches hitting that sub-$50 market, with the TicWatch GTX, Mi Watch Lite and Wyze Watch all in that space – although this price point still has a noticeable drop off in quality compared to even sub $100 devices.
The Maimo watch looks, on paper at least, that it could give those devices a run for their money. It’s available from maimo.co.
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.