We all know that fitness bands belong to your wrist, right? That's why they're called bands! Well, Xiaomi thinks a bit differently. Behold the Xiaomi Smart Band 8, one of the few wearables out there that you can actually wear as a necklace around your neck.
The idea is not entirely new, there are models in the Mi Band range that could also be worn around the neck, though they do require a special case for that purpose. The newly announced Smart Band 8 that the company showed today is designed with style in mind.
The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 is now much sleeker and sports a pill-shaped design, featuring removable lugs as well as a wide variety of wristbands (actually, the lugs are part of the straps themselves).
You can easily slap on a genuine leather band or a fancy chain bracelet-like one to suit your style. There's also a special ring to allow wearing the Smart Band 8 like a necklace, as we mentioned above, and thanks to the redesigned looks, the setup is really classy.
But the Smart Band 8 is not all about looks! There's an array of sensors inside that can track more than 150 sports. For runners, Xiaomi has designed a special running clip that allows the Smart Band 8 to be worn on your running shoes, measuring important parameters such as frequency, stride, and more.
The Smart Band 8 comes equipped with a 1.62-inch AMOLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate and auto-brightness capabilities. There's a heart rate scanner onboard, sleep tracking, smart notifications, NFC for mobile payments, 16 days of battery life (6 days with Always-on activated), and 5 ATM (50 meters) water resistance.
Xiaomi has also baked a few interesting games into the Smart Band 8, such as Sudoku, 2048, math games, puzzles, and more. What's even more interesting is that there's a boxing game that uses the Smart Band 8's accelerometer, just like a JoyCon, and you can throw a few punches in the air to see how good of a boxer you really are.
At the moment, the Smart Band 8 is available in China in two variants. The NFC-equipped version costs 279 yuan (around $40), and the regular version costs 239 yuan (around $35). There's no information on when the Smart Band 8 will make its global debut.
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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