At the end of meiosis I the two cells are already haploid because each pole holds:

1. Ploidy counts chromosome sets, not chromatids. 2. The cells are haploid because at each pole there is just one of each pair of the homologous chromosomes. 3. Therefore only one full set of the chromosomes is present. 4. Each homolog still consists of two sister chromatids, which is why the cells can look diploid at a glance. _Source: OpenStax Biology for AP(R) Courses (CC BY 4.0), Ch 11 'Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction', sections 11.1-11.2_