Wearable device utilises energy efficient Bluetooth Smart IC

12th August 2014

Staff Reporter

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A Chinese electronics company, Xiaomi, has included Dialog Semiconductor's Bluetooth SmartBond SoC in its Mi Band fitness tracking wrist band. The DA14580 enables the wearable device to deliver up to 30 days of battery power from a single charge, which the company claims is more than double the battery life of its closest competitor.

The Mi Band is developed and manufactured by HHTech, an affiliate of Xiaomi. The company claims that the Mi Band wearable is a highly competitive alternative to more expensive - but less powerful and less energy-efficient - fitness tracking bands from global rivals.

Shipments of wearable devices are forecast to rise from 19m units in 2014 to almost 112 million units in 2018, according to research from IDC. The appeal of wearables such as the Xiaomi Mi Band is likely to increase significantly as the industry continues to leverage very energy efficient solutions such as Dialog’s DA14580.

Dialog’s SmartBond is an integrated SoC which is recognised for its cost savings and ease of use. The DA14580 requires fewer external components than any other Bluetooth Smart solution available today, while enabling fully hosted applications without an external MCU. The SoC is available with a software development kit and support for the latest Bluetooth 4.1 specification, enabling designers to develop pioneering applications targeting an accelerating range of markets including HID, Wellness & Fitness Wearables, Medical, Proximity and Smart Home.

“Xiaomi’s decision to incorporate the DA14580 SmartBond solution at the heart of the new Mi Band wearable product is a significant breakthrough for us in the vitally important China market,” said Sean McGrath, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Connectivity, Automobile & Industrial Business Group for Dialog Semiconductor. “The DA14580 provides a real competitive advantage for Xiaomi’s products because engineers using Dialog’s Bluetooth SoC no longer need to compromise on product design due to limited battery capacity: they can build slimmer and more appealing devices equipped with industry-leading energy efficiency that can still meet users’ performance expectations. As a result, consumers can rely on the Xiaomi Mi Band to monitor their physical activity, calorie intake and sleep patterns, without the hassle of frequent charging.”