Xiaomi’s budget sub-brand Redmi has never released a smartwatch previous to, and its first entry seems to be what you’d expect a reasonably lackluster design at a reasonably attractive price. The Redmi Watch just launched in China for 299 yuan, or equivalent $45.
The watch features a 1.4-inch rectangular display with curved glass, and it comes in black, white, and blue color variants. The silicone strap is out there in black, white, blue, green, and pink. There’s one button on the side of the watch, with everything else being handled by the touchscreen or the Mi Fit app on a corresponding smartphone.
Other specs include NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, a pulse monitor, and waterproofing up to 50m. Xiaomi claims that battery life is going to be good for up to 7 days, or 12 days if you employ a power-saving mode. The UI and watch faces make heavy use of black backgrounds, not like the Apple Watch, though at this price you can’t expect an OLED display.
The watch will go on sale in China on December 1st, but it’s going to come to other markets including the US during a slightly tweaked form. XDA Developers recently dug up an FCC listing for a seemingly near-identical watch called the Mi Watch Lite, which still hasn’t been released.
