Another big addition comes in the form of Heart Rate Sensor which will go along with the other features. The Mi Band 2 display is programmed to show step count, heart rate, power, calories, sleep quality and thankfully it will also be beaming notifications from your phone. Xiaomi claims that the new band will last for more than 50 percent longer as opposed to its predecessor and this brings the total battery life to 20 days which is quite commendable. Moreover, the Mi Band 2 has IP67 certification which makes it resistant to water, dust and sweat. Now for the pricing, Mi Band 2 has been priced at 149 Yuan (aprx $23/Rs 1,500) and will start retailing in China from June 7th. Fitness bands are being slowly accepted into our lifestyles, for instance I started using my Goqii band almost a year ago and it has already become an in dispensable tool for me, just like my smartphone. Moreover, since the Mi Band comes integrated with notification feature it can very well shape up as a quasi-smartwatch alternative. Xiaomi is yet to reveal the India launch date. We just hope that Xiaomi will make the Mi Band 2 available in all of its markets without any shortcomings in the supply chain, the Mi Band was almost never in stock during the first couple of months. That being said, not everything is hunky dory for Xiaomi, with the recent drop in sales number and the setback in the Brazilian market, it does need to largely revamp its strategies. It is very likely that Xiaomi might be trying to make up for the drop in smartphone sales and apparently the profit margin on accessories is on the higher side making it a worthwhile effort.
