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Xiaomi unveils Mi Band 2 fitness tracker for $23

With its latest wearable device, Xiaomi aims to snag more price-conscious consumers.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read
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Xiaomi's new Mi Band 2 is more expensive than the original but still mighty cheap.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi will soon launch another super cheap activity tracker.

Due to reach Chinese consumers on June 7, the new $23 Mi Band 2 fitness tracker comes with an OLED display, which Xiaomi touts as resistant to scratches and fingerprints and bright enough to be seen under direct sunlight.

The display shows you the time, your heart rate, calories burned, number of steps you take, battery charge and other details. You can switch among the data displayed by pressing a button on the Mi Band 2 and customize which information appears.

Fitness bands made by Fitbit, Garmin and Xiaomi have increasingly gained traction with consumers. Such wearables may lack the array of features found in smartwatches but they offer a clear purpose that has proven attractive. They also tend to be budget-friendly devices.

The Mi Band 2 includes an accelerometer designed to more accurately count your steps and a built-in sensor to determine your heart rate. You'll get around 20 days of life on a single battery charge, 10 days less than the original Mi Band.

Available in black, blue, green and orange, the device's silicone bands are also replaceable.

The Mi Band 2 is Xiaomi's third entry in the category following in the footsteps of the Mi Band and Mi Band Pulse.

Though still relatively unknown outside its home base of China, Xiaomi has gained a healthy market share for both its smartwatches and its fitness bands. The company has been among the top smartphone makers not just in China but across the world. In the global wearables arena, Xiaomi scored second place last quarter behind Fitbit by selling 3.7 million devices.

However, its market share dropped to 19 percent from 22.4 percent for the same quarter in 2015, according to research firm IDC.

"It should be pointed out that its success is solely based on China, and expanding beyond its home turf will continue to be its largest hurdle," IDC said.

Xiaomi didn't reveal if or when the Mi Band 2 would be available outside of China. The company did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.