Yanko Design

Xiaomi Mi Watch: Not the first time the Chinese company blatantly copied Apple

To this day the MIUI interface looks like Apple’s long removed sibling, and Xiaomi’s Mi 8 was widely considered a carbon copy of the notched iPhone X, and if you ever go to Google and type the words Xiaomi and Copy into the search bar, the third word that promptly shows up in the search suggestions is Apple. Xiaomi has built its brand taking literal lessons from its Cupertino-based cousin, and is often even referred to as the Apple of China. With the release of its new Mi Watch, Xiaomi falls back into its old habit of taking perhaps too much inspiration from Apple.

This is the Mi Watch, Xiaomi’s first stab at a smartwatch after having made multiple iterations of the Mi Band, its own fitness tracker. Slated for a November 5th launch, the Mi Watch looks virtually like the Apple Watch, except for its flat sides (almost like an iPhone 3 to iPhone 4 transition). The watch is fitted with Xiaomi’s watch UI which should come as no surprise, looks like Apple’s interface too. The Mi Watch sports a crown where you’d see one on the Apple Watch, and comes with on-board Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, fitness tracking, and even an e-SIM feature… what’s next Xiaomi, an on-board ECG reader and Apple Care?!

Designer: Xiaomi

Sarang Sheth
Sarang is the co-editor in chief of Yanko Design. He is a former industrial designer at a Bangalore-based multidisciplinary design studio, working in areas including appliances, FMCG, packaging, technology, luxury, etc. Sarang has written about design and technology for over a decade and has been a jury member on international design awards. He occasionally works on tech concepts featured on Forbes, The Verge, Hypebeast, Digital Trends, SlashGear, Tom's Guide, LetsGoDigital, and Unbox Therapy. Sarang graduated from MIT Institute of Design, Pune.
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