Xiaomi's sub-brand Redmi has officially launched its first fitness tracker Redmi Band in China on Friday. The Redmi Band is priced at 99 yuan (around $14 or about Rs 1,000) in an effort to tap into the niche category of fitness wearables where its parent company has been greatly successful.
Redmi launched the Redmi Band as a part of a crowdfunding initiative and available from 10 a.m. on April 9 in China. There's no word on its international availability yet and we don't see it coming to the Indian shores anytime soon. But Redmi Band's arrival makes for a nice comparison with popular fitness trackers, Realme Band and Mi Band 4.
Both Mi Band 4 and Realme Band are available in India, priced at Rs 2,299 and Rs 1,499, respectively. The difference in the pricing is quite evident, but we assume the Redmi Band to be on the similar lines of Realme Band if and when it launches in India. Putting the pricing aside, let's take a look at what we know about all these trackers and see which one emerges winner.
Redmi Band vs Realme Band vs Mi Band 4
All three fitness trackers fall in the affordable category with some compelling features. Let's see what each one has to offer.
The newly-launched Redmi Band features a 1.08-inch rectangular color screen, 72 face options, and four colors (black, blue, red, and brown). The design of the Redmi Band is identical to FitBit Surge and the dial doesn't separate from the watch band. The Redmi Band can track sleep, monitor heart rate, show notifications and reminders and the biggest USP is the 14-day battery life.
In the case of Mi Band 4, it features a 0.95-inch AMOLED display in an oval shape. There's a 2.5D curved glass with anti-fingerprint coating. The body is separable from the dial, allowing users to charge it using a 2-pin pogo pin charger. The tracker can support 6 workout modes, has continuous heart rate monitoring, swim tracking and water resistance up to 50m. There are clearly some extras in the Mi Band 4, but that comes at a small price to pay.
Finally, the Realme Band offers a balanced set of features to justify its price tag. The spec-sheet is definitely comparable to the Mi Band 4 in more ways than one. It comes with a 0.96-inch colour display, sports tracker, real-time heart-rate monitor, sleep monitoring notifications and personalised with faces. It comes with IP68 water resistance, USB direct charge to avoid the need for a cable.
With the right pricing in India, Redmi Band could pose a threat to not just Realme but even Xiaomi. Stay tuned for updates.
