14 DAY TRIAL // Popular, low-cost smartphone maker Xiaomi seems to be increasingly interested in the health tech ecosystem. The company already rolled out a dirt-cheap $13 / €10 fitness tracker several months ago, but that’s not all the company has up its sleeve in terms of keeping you healthy.
Xiaomi has partnered up with a company called iHealth Labs in order to launch a blood pressure monitor that has been created to work in concert with a smartphone.
Xiaomi's new gizmo will keep tabs on your blood pressure and more
The setup is quite simple, just connect your phone (if you have a Xiaomi one even better) to the special dock and then hook up the blood pressure senso, and voila, you get your vital sign displayed on your phone.
The smartphone dock will be marketed as the iHealth monitor in China and will sell for just $32 / €25. The device won’t just check your blood pressure levels, but will keep tabs on your heart rate as well.
After you’ve been checking your vitals with the monitor for a while, the mobile application will be able to display a chart so you can see if there have been some abnormal changes over time.
An iHealth blood monitor compatible with Android and iPhone devices (which Xiaomi hasn’t contributed to) is already up for grabs internationally for $100 / €77, which is a lot more expensive than what Xaomi is offering in China.
On the other hand, it turns out Xiaomi will be offering the same blood pressure monitor in the US, as well. The difference is that customers in the country will have to take $80 / €62 out of their pockets to get it.
Theoretically, the new monitor should be compatible with Xiaomi’s smartphones, but it appears it will play nice with other Android devices.
Xiaomi's Mi Band offers fitness tracking on a budget
In related news, Xiaomi launched the Mi Band a few months ago, which is the company’s first fitness tracker.
The wearable is pretty basic and is devoid of a screen. On the positive side of things, the band can go on working for up 30 days without having to pop in for recharge. It’s also waterproof so it shouldn’t be a problem if you wash your hands while having it on, or take it to the beach.
The MiBand incorporates a vibrating alarm feature and can track how many steps you have taken while running or walking. Moreover, it can also monitor your sleep pattern. All this for just 13 bucks.
