Xiaomi mi bluetooth earphones, dual-unit semi-in-ear headphones launched
Xiaomi on Monday unveiled new Mi Bluetooth Earphones and Mi Dual-Unit Semi-in-Ear Headphones. The company also expanded its Mi Ecosystem by launching an Electronic Thermometer. While the Mi Bluetooth Earphones with Gray, Gold, and Black colour options come at CNY 299 (approximately Rs. 3,096), the Mi Dual-Unit Semi-in-Ear Headphones with Black and White colour options at CNY 69 (roughly Rs. 714). The Electronic Thermometer, on the other hand, is available in White colour option at CNY 19.9 (approximately Rs. 206).
In the bouquet of new offerings, the new Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth Earphones sport a collar design and come with two dynamic coils that support tri-band equalisation. The drivers of the new earphones have a frequency range between 20Hz and 20kHz alongside featuring sensitivity of 100dB and an impedance of 32 ohms. Further, Xiaomi has provided a built-in battery pack that is rated to deliver up to 200 hours of standby time and eight hours of music playback on a single charge. The headphones also come with up to two hours of charging time with a 5V-1A charger.
The latest Mi Bluetooth Earphones have CSR 8645 Bluetooth chip that supports AAC advanced audio coding technology and offer apt-X lossless output over a Bluetooth connection. Also, there is Bluetooth v4.1 connectivity. The earphones have a magnet that connects the earbuds when not in use. Moreover, they come with 40 grams of build that feature a matte metal texture.
The Xiaomi Mi Dual-Unit Semi-in-Ear Headphones, on the other side, has a half in-ear design and come with a 1.25-metre cable that has a three-button, in-line remote with a built-in microphone and music controls. The headphones have a dynamic coil and are Hi-Res Audio certified. Also, they have a frequency range between 20Hz and 40,000Hz, sensitivity of 105dB, and an impedance of 32 ohms. The headphones additionally come with multi-layer ceramic speakers and have a glossy build with a ceramic texture that overall weighs 14 grams.
Alongside the Mi Bluetooth Earphones, the Xiaomi Electronic Thermometer has been launched by the company. The thermometer doesn't have mercury and uses an electronic circuit that helps measure oral and underarm temperature. It is touted to sense body temperature changes of as low as 0.1-degree Celsius, with a measurement range of 32- to 42-degrees Celsius and ambient temperature of 5- to 40-degree Celsius. There is an LCD screen to display temperature and an automatic turn off feature. Similarly, there is a buzzer that helps notify users when the temperature is recorded. The thermometer uses a CR1220 Lithium battery.
The Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth Earphones and Electronic Thermometer will go on sale in China on April 3. The Mi Dual-Unit Semi-in-Ear Headphones contrarily already available for purchase in the country. Details about the price and availability of the new Mi devices in markets outside of China are yet to reveal.
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Texas halts H-1B visas at state universities, agencies; to affect Indians
Houston (US) (PTI): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies and public universities to immediately halt new H-1B visa petitions, tightening hiring rules at taxpayer-funded institutions, a step likely to impact Indian professionals.
The freeze will remain in effect through May 2027.
The directive issued on Tuesday said that the state agencies and public universities must stop filing new petitions unless they receive written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The governor's order, in a red state that is home to thousands of H-1B visa holders, comes as the Trump administration has initiated steps to reshape the visa programme.
“In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa programme, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that programme to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions as outlined in this letter,” Abbot said.
Institutions must also report on H-1B usage, including numbers, job roles, countries of origin, and visa expiry dates, the letter said.
US President Donald Trump on September 19 last year signed a proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers’ that restricted the entry into the US of those workers whose H-1B petitions are not accompanied or supplemented by a payment of USD 1,00,000.
The H1-B visa fee of USD 1,00,000 would be applicable only to new applicants, i.e. all new H-1B visa petitions submitted after September 21, including those for the FY2026 lottery.
Indians make up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with China in the second spot. The major fields include technology, engineering, medicine, and research.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the second-highest beneficiary with 5,505 approved H-1B visas in 2025, after Amazon (10,044 workers on H-1B visas), according to the USCIS. Other top beneficiaries include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
Texas public universities employ hundreds of foreign faculty and researchers, many from India, across engineering, healthcare, and technology fields.
Date from Open Doors -- a comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the US -- for 2022-2023 showed 2,70,000 students from India embarked on graduate and undergraduate degrees in US universities, accounting for 25 per cent of the international student population in the US and 1.5 per cent of the total student population.
Indian students infuse roughly USD 10 billion annually into universities and related businesses across the country through tuition and other expenses – while also creating around 93,000 jobs, according to the Open Doors data.
Analysts warn the freeze could slow recruitment of highly skilled professionals, affecting academic research and innovation.
Supporters say the directive protects local jobs, while critics caution it could weaken Texas’ competitiveness in higher education and research.
The order comes amid broader debate in the US over skilled immigration and state-level interventions in federal programmes.
H-1B visas allow US companies to hire technically-skilled professionals that are not easily available in America. Initially granted for three years, these can be extended for another three years.
In September 2025, Trump had also signed an executive order ‘The Gold Card’, aimed at setting up a new visa pathway for those committed to supporting the United States; with individuals who can pay USD 1 million to the US Treasury, or USD 2 million if a corporation is sponsoring them, to get access to expedited visa treatment and a path to a Green Card.
