Huami Corp, China's largest and the world's third-largest wearable devices maker, has launched what officials are describing as a totally new design concept in fitness bands.

Huang Wang, its founder and CEO, said he considers the company's new Amazfit band as a milestone product for the firm, which is already closely tied to Xiaomi Corp, the Chinese smartphones and electronics maker, on the development of wearable products.

The Amazfit made its first public appearance this week in Beijing, becoming the company's second fitness tracker, after its Mi band.

The device's main module is made out of modern ceramic, zirconium oxide, which its designers said is resistant to pretty much everything, including extreme heat.

Coming in black (the Equator) and white (the Moon Frost) color options, the new fitness tracker offers water resistance and can sync with smartphones and tablets via the company's Mi Fit application. The Amazfit packs in a 15mAh battery which can last up to 10 days, designers said.

That networking ability means the device will be able, for instance, to help customers check on their smart-home appliances, and make payments using Alipay, China's leading third-party online payment service of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

The Mi costs 79 yuan ($13) and is considered the cheapest fitness device on the market. But the Amazfit, being squarely aimed at attracting more high-end buyers, will cost 299 yuan with added accessories available on top of that. "With its varying fashionable ornaments and accessories, the product will give fashion lovers more choice," Huang said at the launching ceremony.

"We have already grasped the market with the low price and basic functionality of the Mi, while this time we will focus on people who care more about design and sense of fashion."

The new Amazfit's designs were created by Huami's research and development center in California's Silicon Valley. Its team there includes those with experience working at top Internet companies including Google Inc, according to Huang.

He also announced that Mi Band sales have so far hit 10 million units since its launch in August 2014, with average monthly sales now running consistently at 1.5 million.

According to the International Data Corp's Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker report dated August, 3.1 million Mi bands were sold in the second quarter of 2015, compared with the 4.4 million by United States rival Fitbit Inc, the world's largest manufacturer of wearables fitness brands, and 3.6 million by Apple Inc.

Zhang Xiaojun, Huami's vice-president, said: "In the next three to five years, we will see explosive development of intelligent wearable devices, across multiple spheres." The Amazfit is designed to serve as a supplement to the Mi band, rather than being simply a substitute, he said.

Many of the participants, including media and industry insiders, at the launch ceremony think the price is lower than their forecast. "We are the very first designer of this kind of fashionable band, and its price will be hard to compete against."

Cao Yuqin, a senior analyst at Forrester Research Inc, said: "It's good to see that the Amazfit has been given several new elements, which will give more people reason to buy it. Sales in the first three months after launch will be vital for Huami, he said.

The IDC report said that price and functionality remain the determining factors on what constitutes a "smart" or "basic" wearable, and the gap between them is expected to widen over time.

"For vendors focused on basic wearables, the challenge will be to compete with the additional features being offered by smart wearables, while still turning a profit," the report said.

With its long list of functions, and being able to run third-party apps, the Amazfit was "absolutely a smart wearable", Huami's Zhang said, and remained confident it will keep catching up the market leader Fitbit in product sales

zhulixin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 09/21/2015 page16)