The Xiaomi Mi Band 4 fitness tracker will get a release this year. We know that because the company behind making the wearable announced it would be in its most recent quarterly earnings call.
So how will Xiaomi improve on the Mi Band 3, which continues to be a great seller for the company? We've pulled together all the details so far that help us build a picture of what the next gen fitness tracker will be capable of.
What do you hope to see in the Mi Band 4? Let us know in the comments below.
Xiaomi Mi Band 4: Design and features
While its existence has been confirmed we don't yet have any clues as to what the new Mi Band will look like. But it's probably safe to assume that it will adopt the same band with tracker module combo and a touchscreen to navigate data screens. It'll probably stick with giving users the option to switch up the bands too. Xiaomi introduced a waterproof design with the Mi Band 3, so we'd like to think it'll be safe for the pool once again.
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So what about those features? chief financial officer at Huami David Cui reaffirmed that each generation of the enduringly popular fitness tracker has introduced something new – and that would be the same with the Mi Band 4.
“Each generation we learn something, we always do better. And Mi Band 3, we -- you can take a look at 2018's volume, right. So it's really much better as compared to previous version. So we expect Mi Band 4 will be a similar - will have similar trend. So once we launch Mi Band 4, we expect that product will sell well,” he said.
Our biggest indication of what to expect comes courtesy of the tracker popping up for Bluetooth certification revealing some of the key features. There's set to be two versions of the Mi Band 4 – one with NFC support (XMSH08HM) and one without (XMSH07HM).
There was a special NFC edition of the Mi Band 3, which enabled contactless payments and the ability to use the wearable as a virtual access card. Those features and that model was only available in China.
But it's the report that it could potentially match the Apple Watch by including an ECG sensor, which is really interesting here. Huami has already put ECG tech inside of its Amazfit range of wearables. So this isn't new territory for the wearable maker. This would be the first time though it would be found inside of a super affordable device.
Xiaomi Mi Band 4: Price and release date
In that quarterly earnings call, David Cui was asked whether the Mi Band 4 was scheduled for a March or April release. His answer revealed that while we’re unlikely to see the new fitness tracker in the next few weeks, Xiaomi was planning when to drop its updated band.
"For Mi Band 4, it's going to be in this year. It will be in 2019. But I'm not sure, it's going to be in March and April. But, it is going to be in this year," he said on the earnings call, transcribed by Motley Fool.
It seems the success of the Mi Band 3 will dictate when the Mi Band 4 is released:
“Right now, Mi Band 3 is still hot sale -- is still -- so really, really well. The margin is not shrinking, the shipments are not shrinking. So we will pick -- work with Xiaomi to pick the right time to launch Mi Band 4 in the year,” said Cui.
As far as price, Cui said that as with all previous Mi Band updates, the fourth generation would bring new features while honouring the low price of its predecessors. So it looks like we can look forward to cutting-edge fitness tracker that keeps that price tag reasonable.
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What do you think?