Xiaomi rolls out improved fitness tracker in UAE

Xiaomi announced the UAE release of its newest fitness band, which promises improved accuracy and support for a wider range of sports activities.

Xiaomi's wearables segment has steadily gained popularity over recent years. Research from Statista shows that the Beijing-based company - which is also among the top smartphone vendors - is the market's second-biggest vendor as at May 2020, ahead of Apple and just behind industry pioneer Fitbit.

Grand View Research says the market size of the global wearables market was at $32.63 billion last year, with a 15.9 per cent compound annual growth rate projected from 2020-27.

The Mi Band 5 now comes with an improved PPG heart rate sensor, which Xiaomi says is now up to 50 per cent more accurate. It also has a personal activity intelligence feature, which gathers all metrics so users can easily understand their health statistics.

It also has a 1.1-inch display, which is 20 per cent bigger than its predecessor, and up to 14 days of battery life. Sports modes supported are now up at 11, including swimming; by comparison, the Mi Band 4 offered only a total of four activities.

The global version of the device, however, misses out on a number of useful features: NFC (near-field communication) - primarily used for mobile payments - and SpO2 blood oxygen tracking are only available on Mi Band 5 units released in Xiaomi's home market of China.

- alvin@khaleejtimes.com