Wrist-worn devices including smartwatches and wristbands continue to lead the wearables market. According to the latest IDC Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker report for the last quarter of 2019, Huami, the Chinese wearable company that makes the Mi Band for industry giant Xiaomi, also sells its own Amazfit wrist-worn device lines.
Huami recently launched an IndieGoGo crowd-funding campaign for its latest smartwatch, the Amazfit X. There are loads of smartwatches on the market with many new models introduced each year. There’s no way we could cover them all, nor would we wish to do so. The Amazfit X grabbed our attention, however, because it incorporates appealing new design features and has a full slate of health, fitness, and personal productivity features.
Amazfit X’s scroll-stopping design starts with curves. The smartwatch has 92-degree curvature achieved with a 6-step bending process that heats the display glass to more than 700 degrees C. The super arc structure encompasses a three-piece motherboard and a curved lithium battery. Huami states the battery can run seven days on a charge. There are no buttons on the watch; instead, the wearer accesses, selects, and sets features via the touchscreen display. Swipe to send the Amazfit X’s features and apps spinning and then make your choices with a finger press.
The Amazfit X has a 326 pixel per inch HD resolution 2.07-inch diagonal AMOLED display with up to a 400 NIT high-brightness level. The relatively large, high-resolution display can show 250% more data than a 40mm Apple Watch Series 4 smartwatch, according to Huami.
The AmazFit X feature set is impressive. The watch includes a BioWatch PPG Sensor, blood oxygen measurement, and sleep tracking. (The company is careful to note that the device “is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition.”) The default settings include 24/7 continuous heart rate monitoring. Equipped with both GPS and GLONASS geo-tracking, it may be hard to get lost, and the dual technologies promise extremely accurate course, speed, and distance tracking. And you’re covered if your activities include water immersion; the watch is rated at 50-meter water resistance as you swim, paddle, float, or splash. (Steam in a shower or sauna could damage the case seal and compromise this water resistance.) The AmazFit X also has multiple sports modes, communication features, schedule alerts, and notifications.
As of the date of this reporting the AmazFit X Indiegogo campaign had accumulated more than $700,000 in pledges from more than 4,500 backers, totally blowing past its $20,000 flexible goal. With 28 days left in the campaign, Haumi still has Super Early Bird perks available for $149 per watch, a 54% discount from the eventual $329 list price. The company plans to ship the first batch of 6,000 watches in August 2020.
Crowdfunding campaigns always come with caveats, especially from new, unproven companies. Established technology companies such as Huami, however, often pre-launch new devices via Indiegogo and Kickstarter as an early marketing strategy to gauge interest levels, probably to get an indication of how many hundreds of thousands — or millions — of units they should prepare to produce after the product launch.
