Xiaomi’s Apple Watch lookalike starts at $186

Xiaomi launched its first proper smartwatch in China. Called the Mi Watch, it’s a dead ringer for Apple Watch, albeit considerably less elegant. However, at 1,299 yuan ($186), it’s also a lot cheaper than Apple’s smartwatch

Just like the Apple Watch, the Mi Watch has a single crown on a square body with rounded corners. At 1.78 inches in diagonal, the Mi Watch’s AMOLED display is exactly the same size as the larger 44mm Apple Watch. (Xiaomi’s watch only comes in one size.) But take a look from the side, and you’ll find the Apple Watch quite a bit thinner and curvier than the Mi Watch. 

Inside, you’ll find a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, a 570mAh battery that should last for 36 hours, and a host of connectivity options, including eSIM-powered 4G, WiFi, and Bluetooth. GPS and NFC are also on board, and there’s both a microphone and a speaker so you can make and receive calls. 

On the software side, the Mi Watch has a Wear OS variant called MIUI For Watch, complete with its own app store. 

Xiaomi already has a few wearables in its lineup, and having tried both the Mi Smart Band 3 and 4, I can say that they’re pretty good for their price. Just like the Smart Band, the Mi Watch will track fitness activities and sleep and heart rate, but with a wider screen and support for far more apps (TechCrunch says 40 apps will be available on day one). It’s definitely the first true smartwatch from Xiaomi and an interesting competitor to Apple Watch.

Buyers that prefer something a bit fancier can go for a more premium variant of the Mi Watch, which has sapphire glass and a stainless steal body (the basic version has an aluminum body) and costs 1,999 yuan ($285).

So far, the Mi Watch has been announced for China, where it goes on sale next week. But Xiaomi has an event in Madrid on Nov. 6, and we might hear more about global availability of the Mi Watch then.