Super affordable Xiaomi Mi Band to be sold in Singapore from December 16

The Mi Band fitness tracker by rising smartphone brand Xiaomi is single-handedly making wearables much more accessible to consumers. Now, Xiaomi has announced that the Mi Band will be sold in Singapore from December 16, just in time for Christmas. The price? S$19.99 (US$15.13) – almost three times cheaper than the Fitbit Zip.

Previously only available in China, the device will be sold on Xiaomi’s Singapore website. More details will be released on its Facebook page. The Mi Band comes with the following features:

• water and dust resistant
• motion tracking
• sleep monitoring
• incoming call notification
• battery that lasts for 30 days
• phone unlocking when the Mi Band is nearby (certain Mi phones only)

A caveat though: the Mi Band and its companion app are compatible only with Android phones, and only the Mi3 and Redmi Note 4G support all its features (actually the only extra is the auto phone unlocking). However, Tech in Asia understands that a Chinese iOS app is already available, and an English version is in the works. No word is out yet on when it’ll be released.

Here’s how Tech in Asia’s Paul Bischoff characterized the device in his review:

On the whole, I would recommend the Mi Band as a great entry-level wearable for those that don’t want to make a big monetary commitment into their first fitness tracker. It could also be an excellent gift for any Android-wielding friends and family, even the less tech-savvy ones.

In a related development, competitor Fitbit also announced that its new slate of wearables will be available in Singapore. As Lester Chan writes, the Fitbit Charge will arrive on December 19, while the Charge HR and Surge will debut in early 2015.

See more: Xiaomi Mi Band: at just $13, all flaws are forgiven (REVIEW)

Update (December 10): Updated the article to reflect that iOS compatibility is coming soon to international users.