Wearable

Xiaomi officially released the Mi Band 5 for sale today, and the popular activity tracker has already apparently sold out. While the official Xiaomi store is reporting refreshed stocks will be available by June 30, those who cannot wait that long can find the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 on AliExpress for around US$32 to US$34.

Samsung has finally enabled blood pressure monitoring on the Galaxy Watch Active 2 via a firmware update. The functionality, which requires initial calibration via a blood pressure cuff, is available to download or sideload now. It turns out that Samsung may well have teased that the Galaxy Watch 3 will support blood pressure monitoring, too.

The Mi Watch app has seemingly confirmed Xiaomi's plans to release the Mi Watch Color and Redmi Smart Band 4C for global audiences. Rebranded as the Mi Watch Revolve and Mi Smart Band 4C, the two devices would join Xiaomi's burgeoning wearables line.

Xiaomi has introduced REM sleep tracking on its Mi Fit app, enabling the feature for the newly released Mi Band 5. The global model, called the Mi Smart Band 5, is expected to launch next month with NFC and non-NFC variants.

Hands-on images and key specifications of the Galaxy Watch 3 have been revealed ahead of the series expected Galaxy UNPACKED launch event on August 5. The 41 mm and 45 mm models sport subtly different designs, with the smaller of the two resembling the original Galaxy Watch.

HTC Vive has announced a new suite of XR applications to help those whose work or pursuits have moved into a remote format. An example of these is Vive Sync, which may take on other similar platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom. The new suite also features various software and hardware partners that operate in areas relevant to these apps.

The Zeblaze VIBE 3 GPS is, as its name suggests, a smartwatch that supports GPS. The cheap smartwatch also supports GLONASS and has a heart-rate monitor along with IP67 certification. The Zeblaze VIBE 3 GPS is affordably-priced too.

Code found in the Mi Wear application has seeming revealed future potential Xiaomi Mi Band 5 variants. The words “Kongming L”, “Kongming Pro”, and “Kongming Lite” were discovered, prompting speculation that more Mi Band 5 models could be in development. The latest activity tracker from the Chinese OEM has only just been revealed and will soon officially go on sale.

The Chinese company Fobase has currently discounted its Fobase Air Smartwatch and Fobase Air Pro Smartwatch to US$29.99 and US$39.99, respectively. The obvious Apple Watch clones are packed with features such as heart-rate monitoring, pedometer, sleep tracker, camera remote control, sport modes, and Apple iPhone compatibility.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 will have an IR sensor for pausing and resuming playback, The Walkman Blog has confirmed. Due to be released on June 23, Sony's new premium over-ear headphones will feature a MediaTek Bluetooth chip too, eliminating the possibility that the WH-1000XM series would continue to support Qualcomm's aptX and aptX HD codecs.

Makibes has announced the T20. The elegant-looking wearable has a 1.5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth 5.0, and costs less than US$80. The budget smartwatch features heart rate and blood pressure monitoring.

The Lynwo H50 is a very budget-friendly smartwatch that features heart rate and blood pressure monitoring as well as IP certification. The smartwatch is available with a choice of five watch straps with different colours.

A user over on the XDA forums spotted a mention of the TWS OnePlus Buds in code for the Android 11 Settings APK, lending credence to rumors that OnePlus will soon be releasing its own pair of TWS earphones.

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 has finally arrived and has brought a wealth of new features and upgrades over its predecessor, the Mi Band 4. There will be plenty of shoppers considering the Mi Band 5 vs Mi Band 4 conundrum, but fortunately, Xiaomi executive Lu Weibing has shared a handy graphic to help users make a purchase decision.

Huami recently launched the sports-oriented Amazfit T-Rex smartwatch in India for INR 9,999 (US$132). The MIL-STD-810 compliant watch supports both Android and iOS devices, has a 20-day battery, and offers 14 different sports tracking modes.

The Stratos 3 is a round-faced smartwatch packed with sports modes and also with a dual chipset/OS system that may help it conserve battery life. It also has a display optimized for visibility in sunlight. This wearable is also now to be sold in India, having just appeared on the retail platform Flipkart ahead of its (as-yet unknown) release date.

Xiaomi has revealed the official name for the global variant of the just-launched Mi Band 5: Mi Smart Band 5. According to the Chinese OEM, the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 will start arriving in foreign markets next month. Unboxing and hands-on videos of the Chinese Mi Band 5 variant have started appearing on YouTube.

Xiaomi has launched the Mi Band 5. The new fitness tracker not only features a larger display than its predecessor, but also supports other new features like magnetic charging and contactless payments. The Mi Band 5 starts at CNY 189 (~US$26.77) and comes with a choice of eight bands.

A Sony Authorized Dealer has confirmed that the WH-1000XM4 will retail for US$349.99, whenever Sony gets around to announcing its next-generation headphones. The WH-1000XM4 will be sold in black and silver too, just like the WH-1000XM3.

An alleged Xiaomi Mi Band 5 price for the domestic market has found its way online. According to a post on Weibo, which includes a screenshot of the source, the much-anticipated wearable will cost just 189 yuan (US$27) for customers in China. The Mi Band 5 will be officially revealed on June 11 and will go on sale on June 18.

The Lemfo NY12 is a budget smartwatch that features not only IP certification, but also heart rate and blood pressure monitoring. The Lemfo NY12 is available in two colours and with a choice of four watch straps.

Dell Canada has launched the WH-1000XM4, confirming a June 23 release date. The retailer has confirmed that Sony's next-generation headphones will not support the aptX or aptX HD Bluetooth codecs. Additionally, Sony has made no battery life improvements from the WH-1000XM3 and continues to use its last-generation QN1 noise-cancelling processor.

Gearbest has confirmed that the global edition of the Mi Band 5 will cost US$42.99, with the Chinese model costing a few dollars less at US$39.99. Both models will support multiple upgrades from the Mi Band 4, including NFC support. Xiaomi will unveil the Mi Band 5 on June 11.

The Honor Magic Earbuds are a good set of TWS earbuds, but ones that are let down by short battery life and limited controls. If you can look past these faults, then the Magic Earbuds offer good value for money at under €100/£100.

A leak has confirmed that Samsung is planning to release its next smartwatch as the Galaxy Watch 3. The smartwatch will come in two sizes and will be joined by the Galaxy Buds X, which may be called the Galaxy Buds Live.

Xiaomi continues to tease the Mi Band 5 ahead of the release of the fitness tracker on June 11. The company has promised that the Mi Band 5 will feature at least seven major upgrades over the Mi Band 4, including magnetic charging and the ability to use the device to take pictures remotely.

Xiaomi has confirmed the design of the Mi Band 5 ahead of the release of its next fitness tracker on June 11. Available in up to seven colours, the Mi Band 5 will feature a larger display than its predecessor, along with a Spo2 sensor. Even the global model will support NFC for making contactless payments, too.

Realme has been celebrating some impressive sales figures over the last few days. First the Chinese OEM announced it had sold 15,000 smart televisions in barely 10 minutes and then shortly after 15,000 units of the Realme Watch were sold in just two minutes. Realme could be picking up where Xiaomi has seemingly left off.

Huami, the OEM behind the Amazfit brand of wearables, found its way into the top 5 names in the smartwatch market during the first quarter of this year (1Q2020). It was also in the US top 5 in the same terms, and was #1 in some countries, including Spain, Indonesia and India.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 name has been revealed in a new round of technical certification. It was previously unknown if the smartwatch would be called the Galaxy Watch 2 or Galaxy Watch Active 3, so it looks like Samsung has plumped for an understandable compromise with the moniker Galaxy Watch 3.

Aipower may be best known for its innovative Wearbuds product. However, it has also released a pair of standalone TWS earbuds with premium features such as active noise cancellation (ANC). The brand has put these T18NCs up for a flash sale, which ends on June 8, 2020.

The TTGo T-watch K210 could be the basis for a smartwatch project, with Lilygo incorporating a display, a camera and Wi-Fi. The K210 supports Bluetooth 4.2 and has a USB Type-C port, too.

The Mobvoi TicPods have offered a compelling alternative to Apple's AirPods for a while now. However, Mobvoi has now added active noise cancellation (ANC), a feature that is rarely available on TWS earbuds at under US$100.

OPPO is taking on the smartband market thanks to the introduction of the OPPO Band, OPPO Band Fashion, and OPPO Band EVA. The cheapest of the three, the OPPO Band, is priced at 199 yuan (US$28) and was launched today. The OPPO Band series will be taking on competitors like the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 and the Redmi Band.

A new leak has confirmed that Xiaomi will be bringing NFC to all versions of the Mi Band 5. The fitness tracker, which is expected to be launched on June 11, will also feature a larger display than its predecessor among other changes.

House of Marley wants to help consumers celebrate Father's Day with a 30% sale off everything in its US online store. They include the brand's Exodus active noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones. This discount is in effect from today (June 5) until June 13, 2020.

Tipster @evleaks unveiled leaked renders for Samsung's Galaxy Buds+ BTS edition. The purple TWS earphones are, alongside the Samsung Galaxy S20 BTS edition, targeted squarely at fans of the Korean K-pop group.

Hublot is looking to make a colorful, and expensive, splash with its new Big Bang e smartwatches. Encased in a choice of two premium materials, the devices are set to put a dent in your wallet to the tune of at least US$5,200.

Reportedly launching as four variants in August, Samsung is also said to be bringing back the physical rotating bezel back for the Galaxy Watch 2. Rumoured to be available in two sizes too, the Galaxy Watch 2 may also come in LTE and Wi-Fi only variants.

Timex and Xiaomi subsidiary Huami have seemingly teamed up to create the Timex Metropolitan R and Timex Metropolitan S smartwatches. The Timex Metropolitan smartwatches, which are clearly inspired by Huami Amazfit devices, are priced at US$179 each and are expected to be released around mid-June.

Xiaomi has started offering the Mi Band 4 NFC version outside of its domestic market. The wearable is currently listed on the Mi store for Russia and is priced at 3,990 Russian rubles (US$58). The Chinese company is expected to roll-out the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 NFC in other parts of Europe soon.

Mobvoi is a wearable and smart-thing OEM that makes the WearOS-powered TicWatch series. It has announced that customers who order from its own web-store using PayPal will get a 10% discount. This, for example, would bring the price of its latest Pro 2020 model down by nearly US$26.

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is definitely coming soon thanks to details revealed by Xiaomi on the Chinese social media site Weibo. The company will be officially announcing the Mi Band 5 on June 11, and it will later be released for sale on June 18. New renders of the wearable show the device without any sign of a punch hole.

The latest IDC report on the wearables market (for the first quarter of 2020 (1Q2020)) shows that its watch sector declined. However, this shortfall was addressed by gains made by the audio and band categories. Apple remained the #1 brand in terms of shipments, although Samsung posted the greatest year-on-year (YoY) growth.

A new Samsung Galaxy Watch has been discovered in recent FCC files, with a total of four different model numbers being spotted. It is believed that there will be two variants with LTE connectivity, while two other Samsung Galaxy Watch models will be Wi-Fi only versions. This potential Galaxy Watch Active 3 could be announced very soon.

According to a new report, the mobile device OEM OPPO is making progress with its dream of constructing a team to rival Huawei's HiSilicon division. This would enable it to build its own in-house chipsets, as this company and Samsung do. The move may enhance OPPO's efficacy as a global electronics player.

Most modern phones are made of materials on which pathogens, Covid-19 included, can survive on for up to 120 hours. Accordingly, bodies such as the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that they be cleaned once a day. New research suggests that up to 44% of users do so now, compared to about half this number prior to the pandemic.

Qualcomm has announced a range of XR viewers, a novel product category possible due to 5G speeds and bandwidth. They are intended to deliver high-quality content to be supported by the smartphones they connect to via USB type C, and will be made by companies such as Panasonic and OPPO.

The new Mali-G78 mobile GPU is more efficient and provides performance improvements of up to 25 percent compared to its predecessor — Mali-G77, which launched last year as the first Valhall-based mobile GPU. Its companion, the Mali-G68, inherits features such as the new FMA unit, but only supports up to 6 cores (24 for the G78).