Latest news with #XiaomiCorp
GSM Arena
5 days ago
- GSM Arena
Xiaomi Redmi 15 official-looking renders surface, colors revealed
With the Redmi Note 15 series out and about, it's time for Xiaomi to release its ultra-budget models, the Redmi 15, 15C and possibly the 15R, if we go by last year's Redmi 14 lineup. However, by the looks of it, the standard Redmi 15 won't miss the party this time around (there was no vanilla Redmi 14) as we already have a good idea of what the phone might bring to the table. Shortly after this rather revealing leak, a tipster on X shared some images of what appear to be official renders of the Redmi 15. We've got a frontal image showing maybe thinner bezels than before, compared to the Redmi 13, although it's a bit hard to tell from renders alone. Alleged Redmi 15 colors We also have three images depicting the Redmi 15 in three colors - Black, Purple and some sort of Silver-ish, Gold-ish paint job. The back design seems to align with the current Redmi Note 15 lineup, but more importantly, the pictures show three camera sensors on the back. If we have to guess, the two auxiliary shooters will likely be ultrawide and macro. The Redmi 13 from last year only had one main 108MP camera and a 2MP macro shooter. Going by the previous leak, the Redmi 15 will offer a substantial upgrade over its predecessor with upgrades in the display, battery, chipset and camera departments. Source
GSM Arena
20-07-2025
- GSM Arena
Xiaomi Smart Band 10 review
It's been eleven years since Xiaomi launched its original Mi Band and the series has now entered its tenth generation. The Mi Band was the catalyst to Xiaomi's rise in the wearables market, managing to maintain its position as one of the best bang for your buck devices out there. With the Smart Band 10 now official, Xiaomi tried to refine its best-selling wearable with a few hardware upgrades and an ever-so-slightly higher starting price. Xiaomi Smart Band 10 specifications Display: 1.72' AMOLED touchscreen, 212 x 520 px resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, 1,500 nits HBM brightness 1.72' AMOLED touchscreen, 212 x 520 px resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, 1,500 nits HBM brightness Straps: Detachable proprietary straps, 135-210mm adjustable length Detachable proprietary straps, 135-210mm adjustable length Features: 5ATM rating, Real-time heart rate monitor, 24/7 Blood Oxygen level monitor, Sleep tracking, Stress monitoring, Sports tracking, Step Counter, Meditation, Notifications, Idle Alert, Phone Finder, Weather Forecast, Music and Camera Control, Alarm, Stopwatch, linear Vibration Motor, Flashlight. 5ATM rating, Real-time heart rate monitor, 24/7 Blood Oxygen level monitor, Sleep tracking, Stress monitoring, Sports tracking, Step Counter, Meditation, Notifications, Idle Alert, Phone Finder, Weather Forecast, Music and Camera Control, Alarm, Stopwatch, linear Vibration Motor, Flashlight. Sports Modes: Outdoor Run, Indoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Cycling, Hiking, Pool Swimming, Jump rope, Freestyle (150+ more in Mi Fitness app) Outdoor Run, Indoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Cycling, Hiking, Pool Swimming, Jump rope, Freestyle (150+ more in Mi Fitness app) Sensors: PPG optical heart rate sensor, SpO2 sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, electronic compass PPG optical heart rate sensor, SpO2 sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, electronic compass Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4, Compatible with Android 8.0 and iOS 12+ Bluetooth 5.4, Compatible with Android 8.0 and iOS 12+ Battery: 233mAh 233mAh Colors: Black, Silver, Rose, White Black, Silver, Rose, White Dimensions: 46.57 × 22.54 × 10.95mm (Metal), 47.74 × 23.94 × 10.95mm (Ceramic) 46.57 × 22.54 × 10.95mm (Metal), 47.74 × 23.94 × 10.95mm (Ceramic) Weight (without strap): 16g (Aluminium), 26g (Ceramic Edition) The main additions to this year's Band 10 are the slightly larger and brighter screen alongside claims of more accurate health and activity tracking. You're also getting an updated vibration motor in the same basic design that's practically unchanged since the Band 7 days. So, are the new additions worth the higher asking price? Design Xiaomi didn't change much with the Smart Band 10's design. It's still the same pebble-shaped puck with its long and narrow AMOLED display. The new model features a larger screen diagonal, measuring 1.72 inches, compared to 1.62 inches on its predecessor. The bezels are slimmer this time around at 2mm on each side and they are perfectly symmetrical. The other big addition is the updated max brightness. Band 10 now cranks out 1,500 nits HBM brightness, which tops the 1,200 nits on its predecessor. That's a nice upgrade that helps when using the Band 10 outdoors in these sunny summer days. You still get auto brightness, which is what we used during our review process, and Always-on display (AOD) when you just want to glance over at the time. Our review unit is the Ceramic Edition. This is not the first ceramic Xiaomi Smart Band, but it is the first one making its way to global markets. The side frame is made from ceramic, while the bottom, where we have the sensors, is still made from plastic. Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Ceramic Edition The Ceramic Edition Band 10 sports a sleek white color that gives off Stormtrooper armor vibes. The other immediately noticeable fact is how much heavier it feels compared to past Smart Bands. Our review unit weighs 26 grams on its own and 44 grams with its fluororubber strap. For context, the regular version of the Band 10, which features a metal shell, should weigh in at around 16 grams sans its strap. Despite the added heft, Band 10 feels that bit more premium in its ceramic finish. We'd like to go off on a tangent here as the lack of physical buttons on the last four generations of Xiaomi Smart Bands has been a recurring annoyance for this reviewer in particular. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: bring back the physical buttons! Or at least a capacitive back button? There's no way to turn the band on apart from attaching it to the magnetic charger. If you need to restart the band and you don't have the charger with you, you're out of luck. We're still not convinced that the all-swipe gesture navigation model is the best way to go on a wearable, especially when your hands are wet, so we'd urge Xiaomi to at least consider bringing back buttons for the Smart Band 11. The box contents are the usual Xiaomi Smart Band affair – a proprietary two-pin magnetic charging cable, a quick start guide and a warranty leaflet. Xiaomi Smart Band 10 pearl-chain pendant Xiaomi also sent out its new pearl-chain pendant, which transforms the Band 10 into a fashion accessory if you're into that. Features Smart bands made their mark as inexpensive activity trackers, and in recent years, they have been getting closer in feature parity to smartwatches. But a band always comes with its limitations when compared to fully-fledged smartwatches, and the Smart Band 10 is no exception. For one, it does not feature a speaker, so you can only receive notifications for incoming calls without the ability to answer them. For obvious (size) reasons, there's no on-screen keyboard, so you can't reply to incoming messages. Our global version does not feature NFC connectivity and Xiaomi has yet again omitted a GPS receiver so you need to bring your phone if you want to track runs and other aerobic exercises. Band 10 pairs over Bluetooth 5.4 and features a multitude of sensors. These include an accelerometer, gyroscope, optical heart rate sensor, pulse oximeter and ambient light sensor. The new addition this year is the electronic compass, which is a nice feature to have, but in our opinion, a dedicated GPS receiver would have been a more useful addition. Another new addition is the ability to broadcast heart rate data during workouts to third-party devices like a cycle speedometer. Band 10 also gets guided running courses and deeper integration with Xiaomi's AIoT device ecosystem, allowing you to control compatible Xiaomi devices and smart appliances. Smart Band 10 comes with a new linear motor with an upgraded algorithm and custom vibrations. You can assign different vibration patterns for incoming notifications, calls, and alarms. Xiaomi also added an option to buzz your wrist when you swipe to go back in the menus, which is a nice addition, but as we said previously, a physical or even a capacitive back button would have been a better option. Band 10 gets an upgraded vibration motor Band 10 is 5ATM waterproof, which lets you take it to the pool and it can survive dives in fresh water up to 50 meters. Xiaomi is also advertising an upgraded activity tracking sensor with an enhanced sports tracking algorithm. For more details, refer to the health and activity tracking section. Software and performance Band 10 boots Xiaomi HyperOS 2.0, which looks and feels just like previous generations of Xiaomi Smart Bands. It's a real-time operating system (RTOS) operated via swipes with a handful of first-party apps and card-based widgets. We'd again like to emphasize the lack of physical buttons here, which makes navigating the UI on this small and narrow screen challenging in more ways than one. The 60Hz screen leaves little to be desired in terms of smoothness, everything works as you'd expect without any delays or hiccups. Band 10 now offers a total of 26 pre-installed apps, including the new running course app, a compass app, tasks and focus mode. One notable addition on the Band 10 is the ability to add widgets directly from the Band itself without going into the Mi Fitness app. Another positive is that Xiaomi made text on the Band 10's display slightly larger compared to the Band 9 which makes it easier to read incoming messages and system UI elements. As with any Xiaomi wearable, you'll need to install the Mi Fitness app on your phone to get started. This is your one-stop shop for accessing your health and activity data as well as tweaking, managing watch faces, and installing updates. Mi Fitness app on iOS The Mi Fitness companion app stores a month's worth of health-tracking and also brings access to a seemingly endless list of watch faces. There are numerous options that are bound to suit your style. From classical analog to minimalist electronic modes and even animated versions with animals and simple games, Band 10 brings arguably the best selection of watch faces to date. A few of the watch faces available inside the Mi Fitness app Nearly all watch faces bring an AOD option with varying degrees of additional information displayed at all times. Some AOD options also add glanceable details like battery status, weather info, and steps counter. Xiaomi allows you to store up to a month's worth of health and workout data, and you can sync it to Apple Health, Google Fit as well as Strava and Suunto. Some irks we had with the software include the lack of emoji support and the inability to use the band for anything else after you start a timer. For some odd reason Xiaomi is still using the US date format (mm/dd) which is not particularly useful for users in other regions. Connectivity was great during our review period with the Band 10 paired to an iPhone 15 Pro. We did not experience missed notifications or connection interruptions. Health and activity tracking With the Band 10, Xiaomi is also offering its most up-to-date optical heart rate sensor alongside blood oxygen saturation, sleep, stress metrics. In our testing, we found heart rate readings from the Band 10 to be much more accurate than previous Smart Band models in both resting mode and during workouts. We compared results with a Huawei Watch Fit 3, and both devices showed similar values. Previous Xiaomi Smart Bands had a tendency to overreport heart rate data, especially early on in workouts but that seems to be fixed with the Band 10. SpO2 readings were generally accurate with a minor deviation from what we measured with a dedicated pulse oximeter. Sleep tracking is still not as accurate as offerings from other brands. Band 10 consistently reported inaccurate sleep times, randomized rapid eye movement (REM) sleep readings and deep sleep readings which were not true. Sleep tracking: Xiaomi Band 10 (left) vs Huawei Watch Fit 3 (right) On the activity tracking side, Band 10 performed just as well as our reference Huawei Watch Fit 3. The two showed nearly identical heart rate readings during our sample workouts, which included a combination of treadmill running and weightlifting. This is a great improvement over past Xiaomi Smart Bands, which had a tendency to overreport heart rate data. Fitness tracking: Xiaomi Band 10 (left) vs Huawei Watch Fit 3 (right) Band 10 also gets on-device guided running courses with basic and advanced options with interval breakdowns. These are also adapted for walking, jogging and sprint running with beginner and advanced options. These training sessions can help you reach specific goals like improving running endurance, sprint times and lung capacity. Battery Life Band 10 features a 233mAh battery – just like the Band 9 and Xiaomi claims can deliver up to 21 days in typical usage, or 9 days with AOD. In our testing, we found the Band 10 to last for 10 days on a single charge with all of the health tracking features turned on alongside AOD mode and notifications. Truly impressive endurance from such a small activity tracker. When you do need to recharge, it takes around 50 minutes to get back to 100%. Verdict Smart Band 10 is Xiaomi's best entry in the series. The updated AMOLED touchscreen gets noticeably brighter than its predecessors, and text is easier on the eyes thanks to its larger display diagonal. The improved vibration motor is another nice addition, and we're finally seeing accurate heart rate readings, which deserves praise. The build quality is top-notch, and the new Ceramic Edition is absolutely stunning. Battery life comfortably lasts for over a week and the endless options of watch faces coupled with the large pool of fitness tracking options should be enough for most users. Sleep tracking accuracy leaves a lot to be desired and we'd like to see better management of notifications with the ability to reply to incoming messages. Xiaomi Smart Band 10 €49.99 at Amazon DE £39.99 at Amazon UK There are several great smartband alternatives from Huawei and Honor that offer nearly identical specs and the ability to take calls for around the same price as the Band 10. But if you're looking for a more compact device that gives you accurate heart rate readings, a bright AMOLED display and a week's plus battery life, then the Band 10 should be on your shortlist. Pros Bright AMOLED display with excellent outdoor legibility Great build, especially on the Ceramic Edition Improved heart rate accuracy Stellar battery life Cons Lacks GPS receiver Inaccurate REM and deep sleep readings Doesn't do voice calls No physical buttons We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
The Star
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Xiaomi outshines Apple in electric vehicle market
Lei Jun, founder and chairman of Xiaomi Corp, the only tech company to have successfully diversified into carmaking, couldn't resist. Speaking at a triumphant launch event in Beijing late last month for Xiaomi's second electric vehicle, a long-anticipated SUV, Lei pointedly mentioned Apple Inc, which spent a decade and US$10bil (RM42.36bil) trying to make a car before giving up last year. "Since Apple stopped developing its car, we've given special care to Apple users,' he said, noting that owners of the American giant's iPhones would be able to seamlessly sync their devices to Xiaomi's vehicles. The not-so-subtle dig was followed by a flex: Xiaomi then said it had received more than 289,000 orders for its new sport utility vehicle within an hour of its announcement, more than its first EV, a sedan launched in March 2024. Xiaomi succeeding where Apple failed has burnished Lei's reputation, made his company one of the most valuable in China and shaken up both the tech and automobile industries. The collapse of Apple's moonshot car program has only underscored the effectiveness of Xiaomi's grounded approach, which took inspiration from proven designs from Tesla Inc and Porsche Automobil Holding SE while staying true to the affordable ethos that's made it a cult brand for Gen Z consumers. Crucially, it also launched into the most fertile EV ecosystem in the world – China. With state subsidies, existing charging infrastructure and a ready made supply chain, Xiaomi had a structural tailwind Apple lacked. Xiaomi declined to comment for this story. Lei and Xiaomi's "charisma, brand recognition and ecosystem cannot be underestimated', Yale Zhang, the managing director of Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight, said. "It's a big influence on young consumers who have filled their homes with Xiaomi products. When it comes time to buy an EV, they naturally think of Xiaomi.' But building cars is a far more complex, capital intensive challenge than making phones or rice cookers. It requires mastering safety regulations, global logistics and production at scale, all while competing against legacy automakers with long histories and large model lineups. Any international expansion will also require navigating complex geopolitical landscapes. As one of the first tech giants to actually manufacture a car, Xiaomi is in uncharted territory. Apple's failings Apple's car project, internally dubbed Project Titan, failed in large part because it wasn't just an EV – it was at one point an attempt to leapfrog the auto industry with a fully autonomous, Level 5 self-driving machine. Its goals were lofty and the direction constantly shifting, the result being over a decade of effort with nothing to show. Lei, 55, was comparatively stingy with time and resources and staked his personal reputation on the endeavor, claiming that making cars would be his "last entrepreneurial project.' Xiaomi's public narrative is that Lei and his team learned by visiting multiple Chinese automakers, including Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co and Great Wall Motor Co, and talked to more than 200 industry experts in some 80 meetings. The reality is also that he used Xiaomi's reputation as an innovative consumer behemoth to get close to China's large carmakers and pick off their top talent. Geely and its billionaire founder Li Shufu welcomed Lei to the automaker's research institute in Ningbo in the months leading up to Xiaomi's announcement that it would enter the car business to discuss topics, including potential collaboration. It's Geely lore that Lei added the WeChat contacts of many staff at the institute, including then-director Hu Zhengnan. Hu later joined Shunwei Capital Partners, the investment firm co-founded by Lei. Recruitment tactics Xiaomi headhunters also courted Geely staff intensely, according to people familiar with the matter. While it's common for talent to move between companies in the same industry, it was unusual to see this level of aggressiveness around recruitment, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing information that's private. Geely didn't respond to a request for comment. Hu, known for his love of the German luxury marque Porsche, was one of the team members credited as being instrumental to developing Xiaomi's EV business, Lei said at the SU7 launch in 2024. Lei added that Hu left his previous employer after his contract ended. Other executives who joined Xiaomi came from companies including BAIC Motor Corp, BMW AG, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co – the General Motors Co joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp and Wuling Motors Holdings Ltd – and auto supplier Magna Steyr LLC. Besides assembling top Chinese automaking talent, Lei made a prescient bet on investing in a self-controlled supply chain – insulating Xiaomi's operation from manufacturing vagaries. This came from painful lessons learned in Xiaomi's early smartphone-producing days, when external suppliers would cut off components unpredictably. In 2016, some members of Xiaomi's supply chain team displeased Samsung Electronics Co representatives and the South Korean firm threatened to halt supply of its industry-leading AMOLED screens. To mend the fractured relationship, Lei flew to Shenzhen to meet with Samsung's China head at the time. The pair drank five bottles of red wine during their dinner meeting, according to a Xiaomi company biography, and Lei also made multiple trips to Samsung's headquarters in South Korea to apologise and negotiate the resumption of supply. Representatives from Samsung declined to comment. After Xiaomi went into the carmaking business, it invested into almost all parts of the EV supply chain, from batteries and chips to air suspension and sensors. It pumped more than US$1.6bil (RM6.78bil) via Shunwei or other Xiaomi-led funds into over 100 supply chain companies between 2021 and 2024, according to data compiled by Chinese analytics firm Zhangtongshe and Bloomberg. The components from some of the companies that Xiaomi invested in have ended up in its cars, such as lidars from Hesai Technology Co and onboard chargers and voltage converters from Zhejiang EV-Tech Co. With the 10bil yuan (RM 5.90 bil) it committed to the first phase of its EV venture, Xiaomi also built its own factory, rather than going down the contract manufacturing route that some Chinese makers, including Nio Inc and Xpeng Inc, did when they started out. "Among tech companies that now build electric vehicles, those who previously had hardware products seem to be more successful than those who only had software products or information services,' said Paul Gong, UBS Group AG's head of China autos research. Copycat allegations Despite its early success, there are many who argue Xiaomi's one hit car is copied from elsewhere – and that a sole successful vehicle does not a successful auto producer make. Lei's aggressive approach has also raised hackles in China's car industry. Yu Jingmin, vice president of SAIC's passenger car division, reportedly described Xiaomi's approach as "shameless' in a critique of the SU7 resembling Porsche. The SU7 has been colloquially dubbed "Porsche Mi' by netizens. SAIC didn't respond to questions about Yu's remarks. Xiaomi's design team, led by former BMW designer Li Tianyuan, has defended the SU7's aesthetics, emphasising that the choices were driven by aerodynamic efficiency and performance benchmarks. In late March, there was another setback after a fatal accident involving the SU7. The car had its advanced driver assistance technology turned on before the crash, which afterward led to authorities reining in the promotion and deployment of the technology. The usually vocal Lei kept a low profile on social media for more than a month post the March accident. He returned to more active engagement in May with a missive that said this period of time was the most difficult in his career. Fortunately for Xiaomi, its consumer base is sticky. Known as "Mi Fans', the loyal customers have played a pivotal role in the company's rise. Xiaomi cultivated this fandom early on by prioritising user feedback and the grassroots allegiance has helped it build strong brand equity, especially in China. The SU7 has remained a top selling model even after the accident in March. Indeed, dealers have reported that nearly 50% of customers plump for the SU7 without comparing it to other brands. "A significant number of older consumers are buying the SU7 for their children, indicating that the model has built trust among more conservative buyers thanks to its safety and quality,' said Rosalie Chen, a senior analyst from investment research firm Third Bridge. Small scale Xiaomi has set a delivery target of 350,000 units in 2025, up from its previous goal of 300,000, buoyed by demand for the newly launched YU7 and a ramp up in production. The starting prices for the SU7 sedan, at 215,900 yuan (RM 127,559 ), and its SUV, at 253,500 yuan (RM 149,774) , make them competitive alternatives to models like Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y. The EVs are also showing financial promise. Xiaomi posted record revenue for the first quarter this year, driven by car and smartphone sales. Its EV division is expected to turn profitable in the second half of 2025, Lei said in an investor meeting in June. But even if the popularity of Xiaomi's EVs can spring beyond the company's devoted base, production is still on a much more boutique scale. China's top car brand, BYD Co, sold around 4.3 million EVs and hybrids last year, many overseas, while Tesla moved about 1.78 million vehicles globally. Toyota Motor Corp, the world's No. 1 automaker, sold some 10.8 million vehicles and boasts a lineup of approximately 70 different models. Lei doesn't seem to be prioritising the mass market of below US$20,000 (RM 84,730) yet, which drives significant volume and is where BYD dominates, Automotive Foresight's Zhang said. Without a lineup in that segment, Xiaomi cars will remain niche purchases for middle to higher-income consumers and Xiaomi may face the same risks as Tesla, which is seeing its sales slump exacerbated by a narrow consumer base and limited models. Nonetheless, Lei seems buoyed by Xiaomi's early wins and is now looking at global expansion. Xiaomi will consider selling cars outside China from 2027, he said last week. Success or otherwise, the European Union, the US and Turkey have all slapped tariffs on Chinese EVs, but Xiaomi wants to set up a R&D center in Munich and may test sales starting in European markets such as Germany, Spain and France when the time is right, Chinese media 36Kr reported in April. "Xiaomi is a latecomer to the auto industry,' Lei admitted on Weibo in June. But, he said, in a market driven by technology and innovation and the rising global influence of China's EV culture, "there are always opportunities for latecomers.' – Bloomberg
Bloomberg
06-07-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
Xiaomi Founder's Bold EV Bet Is Paying Off Where Apple's Failed
Lei Jun, founder and chairman of Xiaomi Corp., the only tech company to have successfully diversified into carmaking, couldn't resist. Speaking at a triumphant launch event in Beijing late last month for Xiaomi's second electric vehicle, a long-anticipated SUV, Lei pointedly mentioned Apple Inc., which spent a decade and $10 billion trying to make a car before giving up last year.
Bloomberg
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
Xiaomi Made a Cheap Ferrari EV. Who Needs Porsche?
Watching the launch last week of Xiaomi Corp.'s luxury electric sport utility vehicle, the YU7, stirred up two strong emotions: wonder at its impressive technology, and deep foreboding for the future of Western automakers. The YU7 is the complete package — a stylish and tech-laden SUV with up to 835 kilometers (519 miles) of driving range, all for an affordable price. The entry-level version costs just RMB 253,500 ($35,400).
