The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 was released on May 31st as the next generation of its fitness tracker. Just this week, though, a new Xiaomi Mi Band 3 with a translucent wristband emerged on social media.
The new Xiaomi Mi Band 3 Explorer Edition
The new wristband is all that sets the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 Explorer Edition (the company’s given name to the fitness tracker) from the original Band 3. The clear wristband, though, is not a new color offering for buyers and will not sell in stores; rather, Xiaomi states that the new Explorer Edition is for lucky fans in a drawing contest. In other words, the Mi Band 3 Explorer Edition is a special prize for winning drawing recipients.
Xiaomi, like all Android OEMs, wants to reward its devout customers. Chinese rival OnePlus does the same with its contests for a free OnePlus 6 (for example). Xiaomi does this as well, offering up a free Redmi Note 5 Pro to its loyal devotees. Last year, the Android OEM had a free smartphone giveaway due to its #1 status in India. Xiaomi has also held contests for a free Mi 5/Mi 5 Pro, Mi MIX and others. A Mi 8 photo challenge is a new contest that will award a lucky winner with a free Redmi 5A and Mi sunglasses. The Mi Football Carnival 2018 is another recent example.
The new Mi Band 3 Explorer Edition draws inspiration from the Mi 8 Explorer Edition
The new Band 3 Explorer Edition borrows its name and design from the new Mi 8 Explorer Edition Xiaomi just announced a few weeks ago. If you remember, the Mi 8 Explorer Edition has a translucent back. The translucent back of the Mi 8 matches the translucent wristband of the Band 3 Explorer Edition.
The Mi 8 Explorer Edition also has an in-display fingerprint sensor, placing the phone in a very exclusive circle alongside the Vivo X21, the world’s first in-display fingerprint sensor phone.
Mi Band 3 and its developments
The Mi Band 3 was updated this month to add a new phone mute feature in the tracker’s very first update. As for the tracker hardware itself, Xiaomi’s new band has double the display size and screen real estate (0.48 inches for the Mi 2 to 0.78 inches for the Band 3) of the second-generation Mi Band. The battery is larger as well, going up from the 70mAh of the Band 2 to a 110mAh battery in the Band 3. There is also the addition of Near Field Communication (NFC), which allows the Band 3 to communicate better with smartphones. The Band 2 didn’t have NFC, so this is something to cheer about in the Band 3.
The Band 3 Explorer Edition stands out from the original Band 3 because of its clear wristband, but that is all.
Just This Month
Just this month, Xiaomi launched an HDR10-supported Mijia Projector. The Miji Projector has a contrast ratio of 500:1 and supports both DTS-HD and Dolby Audio. A 32GB variant of the Mi A2 (Mi 6X) was launched in China to encourage more budget-conscious buyers. For audiophiles, Mi has launched its own Mi Bluetooth headset with Bluetooth v.4.1, aptX for lossless transmission, dual mics for noise reduction, and 10-hour battery life. The Mi Gaming Mouse, launched this month, flaunts a 7200dpi optical sensor with five adjustable speeds for hardcore gamers. Xiaomi launched its Tymphany-collaborated Mi Pocket Speaker 2 in India with Bluetooth 4.1 and seven-hour battery life.
Other interesting items launched by the company include the Xiaomi PetBit, a tracking device for the health and location of pets, Rollerball Pen, Mi Band 2 charging cable, and a 3-axis gimbal for smartphones. The new Mi Pad 4 provides an 8-inch display, Full HD+ resolution (1920 x 1200p), Snapdragon 660 SoC, and 6,000mAh battery for 16 hours of continuous playback.
