Xiaomi’s budget sub-brand Redmi has never released a smartwatch before, and its first entry turns out to be what you’d expect: a pretty uninspiring design at a pretty attractive price. The Redmi Watch just launched in China for 299 yuan, or about $45.
The watch has a 1.4-inch rectangular display with curved glass, and it comes in black, white, and blue color variants. The silicone strap is available in black, white, blue, green, and pink. There’s a single button on the side of the watch, with everything else being handled by the touchscreen or the Mi Fit app on a paired smartphone.
Other specs include NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, a heart rate monitor, and waterproofing up to 50m. Xiaomi claims that battery life will be good for up to 7 days, or 12 days if you use a power-saving mode. The UI and watch faces make heavy use of black backgrounds, not unlike 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 may come to other markets — including the US — in 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.
