Xiaomi is bringing the Mi Band 5 and wireless headphones like AirPods to Europe

Xiaomi’s new international gadget line-up includes the rumoured Mi TV Stick, electric scooters, a curved gaming monitor and AirPods-like earphones
Half of the company’s first quarter revenue came from overseas, the company said

Xiaomi

Masha Borak

Published: 11:23pm, 16 Jul, 2020

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One of China’s biggest smartphone makers is bringing more gadgets to consumers outside the country. In a live stream on Tuesday, the company showed off international versions of the Mi Band 5, the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick and the AirPods-like Mi True Wireless Earphones 2.

Xiaomi’s wearables, including its Mi Band line of affordable fitness trackers, have proven especially popular. In the first quarter of the year, the brand was behind only Apple in shipments of wristbands and watches, according to IDC.

The Mi Band 5 is already out in China, but it’s being tweaked for an international release. Xiaomi has introduced several improvements, including a slightly larger 1.1-inch AMOLED display.

But some features of the Chinese version are conspicuously missing from the one launched in Europe. In China, people can pick up a Mi Band 5 either with or without NFC. But European buyers aren’t getting NFC at all. The international version also doesn’t have a voice assistant or blood oxygen tracker. It will go on sale for around US$46.

The international version of Xiaomi's Mi Band 5 is missing features included in the Chinese version. (Picture: Xiaomi)

The TV dongle is a new product for Xiaomi. Similar to Amazon’s Fire TV Stick, the US$46 Mi TV Stick plugs directly into a TV HDMI port, giving users access to various apps and streaming platforms. But unlike the Fire TV Stick, which runs on Amazon’s custom version of Android, the Mi TV Stick runs on Google’s own Android TV.

The TV stick also supports Chromecast and Google Assistant voice commands, but it doesn’t support 4K content. So anything you watch on it will be stuck at at a maximum resolution of 1080p.

Xiaomi also updated its Bluetooth earphones. The Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 offer 5 hours of playback and support Google Assistant. Like the Mi Band 5 and TV Stick, these also cost US$46.

The Mi 10 Pro is Xiaomi’s most powerful flagship yet

While the Beijing-based company is best known for its smartphones, Xiaomi has been investing more in its internet of things products and ecosystem in recent years. It’s released everything from connected suitcases to a computer mouse with an AI voice assistant. This month, the company also introduced its first OLED TV, which may have drawn more attention over its US$1,800 price than the actual specs.

That range was on show at this event. Alongside the fitness band, earphones and TV dongle, Xiaomi also showed off three low-cost Redmi smartphones, a 34-inch curved monitor for gaming and two electric scooters.

Shou Zi Chew, president of Xiaomi’s international business, said during the event that half of the company’s revenue came from overseas in the first quarter – a first for Xiaomi. He added that the company now has more than 252 million connected devices worldwide.

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