Xiaomi confidently holds the lead in the number of sold wearable devices: each version of the Mi Band becomes an absolute hit, capturing countries one after another. This is not a professional sports device, but a mass gadget for everyone.
The company's first fitness tracker was a bombshell. Over the years, they have become more advanced, but still close to the average user.
But time passes, everything changes. Xiaomi smartphones are no longer surprising. It seems that the turn of Mi Band has come. Should I buy the new Mi Band 5 or choose something else?
Minimal changes without feedback support
Which Mi Band is in front of you?
Second, third, fourth, fifth? The design of the Mi Band is canonical and unchanged: after the appearance of the screen, Xiaomi engineers develop the initial ideas without changing the general concept.
It is not surprising that the fifth version is almost exactly the same as the Mi Band 4 in appearance. Small differences in dimensions are invisible to the eye.
The straps are completely indistinguishable from the “four”. But there is no compatibility: the basic bracelet of the fourth version fits “A”, but is loose. Plastic or metal capsule holders are not interchangeable.
Charging is funny. You don't have to remove the capsule
The charger from Mi Band 5 does not stay on Mi Band 4: the new product has a magnetic dock. The Mi Band 5 capsule, in turn, does not fit into the “four” charger.
But the tracker is automatically attracted to the contacts from a distance of 5 centimeters, it has become easier to carry the charger, and it will break or get dirty less often.
If we look at it in detail, there are still much more differences between generations. The dimensions of the tracker capsule have become noticeably larger, and in the version with NFC they will increase slightly.
Autonomy
Mi Band 4 received a redesigned charger. Now the cradle is made in the shape of a boat, the tracker is inserted into it quite easily, but the inconvenience that arises every time you remove the capsule from the bracelet has not gone away.
The autonomy of the gadget declared by the manufacturer is 20 days, and these promises are not far from the truth, since after 9 days of using the bracelet while monitoring my heart rate once every 30 minutes, I had 53% of the battery left. It is worth considering that the operating time on one charge will greatly depend on the settings, especially on the frequency of heart rate measurement. If you enable minute-by-minute monitoring per day, it will take about 10% of the charge. The battery replenishes its resources quickly; a full charging cycle lasts 80 minutes.
Versions of Mi Band 5, their problems and differences
The version is written under the bracelet
At the moment there are at least 3 versions of the tracker:
- Chinese without NFC,
- Chinese with NFC, microphone and improved heart rate monitor,
- international without NFC.
IMPORTANT: version XMSH10HM (touch button - circle) without NFC, code XMSH11HM (inverted U) indicates the presence of a contactless payment module and a microphone for working with a voice assistant.
The application is almost the same. But connoisseurs will notice the updates
The NFC option does not accept regional payment systems (Google Pay and ANY others). This modification has no practical significance in Russia.
It makes sense to buy the international version without NFC only if reading English is an insurmountable problem.
Application and Russian language for Chinese bracelet
As before, the Mi Band connects to the ever-present Mi Fit companion app to work with Xiaomi fitness accessories. The set of its functions is still the same; we will mention minor modifications a little later.
The connection works regardless of the combination of region of use, application, selected language packs and bracelet version. But the settings and system are either in English or Chinese.
There are no modified firmwares and Mi Fit yet. But the Ali tracker displays alerts and track tags in Cyrillic .
Unlike earlier bracelets (Mi Band 3 connected Russian immediately after purchase), a similar language scheme operates regardless of the region of use at the moment.
The international version offers other translation options; over time, unification is possible - then the “Chinese” bracelet will receive support for regional languages.
Don’t forget that the craftsmen taught the “Chinese” Mi Band 4 with NFC to work with Maestro after the official announcement of the analogue in the EU countries and Russia.
The screen has become a little larger and more convenient
There is enough brightness in any lighting.
The diagonal of the Mi Band 5 color AMOLED panel has increased from 0.95 to 1.1 inches compared to its predecessor.
At the same time, the image quality has formally decreased: the display displays 65 thousand shades versus 16 million (it was 24 bit, now it is 16 bit).
In practice this is not noticeable. In fact, you can’t even see the new resolution of 126x294 pixels. Another thing is the current 12 lines of text versus 10 lines of the predecessor. Even though they are just as narrow, they come in very handy when displaying messages.
The image is excellent, no worse than an expensive watch
The screen can automatically turn on when you turn your hand, automatically deactivating the default function, and turn off on its own at night.
Both are set by default, but the response time can be configured in the application. But the brightness is adjustable both there and directly on the screen.
Interface and control
The tracker screen is activated by raising your hand or briefly touching the display. Tapping the touch button performs a “back” action and returns you to the home screen. Swiping left from the main screen opens the weather forecast, swiping right brings up an additional menu. The number of additional menu tabs can be configured in the Mi Fit application, section “Shortcut Settings”. You can display up to 10 tabs of the most used functions at the same time. It is possible to delete unused ones and arrange them in the desired order.
A gesture up or down on the screen brings up the bracelet menu. By default, the menu consists of the following items:
- Status (steps, calories and distance for the current day);
- PAI index (weekly activity assessment);
- Pulse measurement (measurement in real time);
- Notifications;
- Stress level (measured in real time);
- Breathing exercises;
- Event reminders;
- Weather;
- Workout;
- Women's calendar;
- More (turn on, turn off, reboot, device information, etc.)
The application has the ability to change the sequence of tabs and delete unused ones. The maximum allowed number of menu items in the interface is 10. Management of sports modes is implemented in a similar way. You can arrange them in the desired order and disable unused ones.
Independent widgets on an inch screen
The basic watch faces are good. But there are very few convenient ones
One of the most interesting features of Mi Band 5 is a new functional watch face with the ability to edit individual elements on it.
By default, the screen selected in the application or from the 3 loaded screens displays the time, steps taken and current heart rate. These are all separate elements that can be added or removed.
The menu is convenient, there are still few options
You can choose another dial, with a different set of data. There is even an imitation analog clock. However, after a couple of hours the basic one still seems more convenient.
Navigation is carried out by vertical and horizontal swipes - the latter switches the weather, music controls and notifications.
Vertical navigation displays a number of submenus with a set of interesting data: Mi Band 5 has learned to autonomously display activity statistics and many other things.
Rating of Xiaomi smart watches 2022
| Place | Model | main feature |
| 1 | Amazfit GTS 3 | The latest high-precision biometric sensor |
| 2 | Amazfit Bip S | Model with the highest autonomy, charge once every month and a half |
| 3 | Amazfit T-Rex | "Indestructible" body |
| 4 | Amazfit GTS 2e | Everyday versatile option |
| 5 | Amazfit GTS 2 Mini | Good watches for women |
| 6 | Amazfit GTR 2e | Stylish and laconic design |
| 7 | Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite | 5 case colors and more than 1200 dials |
What can Mi Band do without a smartphone?
Hieroglyphs flash in some sections
Status shows the number of steps taken today, distance, calories burned, and inactivity notification counter. Statistics on steps for the last week are also displayed here, separately for each day.
PAI (Personal Activity Index) determines a conditional cumulative activity indicator that increases with increasing training intensity and time with an increased heart rate.
The heart rate monitor is frankly not very accurate
Pulse allows you to measure an instantaneous value or view information accumulated over the day, taking into account various conditions. Same thing, but more details can be found in the appendix.
Notifications are configured in Mi Fit by selecting specific synchronized applications. Only fresh ones arrive - connecting the bracelet and getting everything you missed won’t work.
Messages arrive steadily, there are no problems with Cyrillic
Stress in parrots determines the “stress level” on a 100-point scale; Breathing suggests doing breathing exercises based on this data.
Events - the same as Notifications, but for alerts configured in Mi Fit and system messages.
You can get confused with additional features
Weather can show the forecast for several days ahead with details. But not from the most accurate sources for Russia, and only when synchronized with a smartphone.
Workout is worth considering in detail - this section in Mi Band 5 has seriously changed compared to its predecessors.
Synchronization and configuration
For neophytes, let's look at how to connect Mi Band 4 to a phone. The first synchronization is extremely simple; the main thing is to do it not through the Bluetooth settings, but using the appropriate application. The algorithm is as follows:
- Download the Mi Fit application (links for Android / iOS)
- Launch Mi Fit and select a login method: you can create an account in the application itself, or log in via email, which is easier and faster.
- Next, connect the Mi Band 4: go to the “Profile” tab, click “Add device” and select “Bracelet” - the search for the gadget will begin, on which you will need to confirm the connection request by tapping on the checkbox.
That's all - our smart bracelet is ready for use. To configure Mi Band 4, find it in the “Devices” tab and look at the available options. Everything is intuitive and well-Russianized, so there should be no difficulties even for people using such gadgets for the first time.
Mi Band 4 connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth 5.0 protocol. There are no direct complaints about the quality of synchronization; communication in open space is maintained within 30 meters. The presence of a bracelet allows you to use the convenient Smart Lock function, in which the phone is not locked with a password/fingerprint if the bracelet is connected and is in close proximity to it.
Improved activity tracking
Activity tracking is excellent. But I was just sitting on a chair
There are significantly more types of activity tracking: 11 versus 6 programs look like a serious improvement.
There are separate modes for cycling, elliptical and rowing machines, yoga and jump rope. The swimming mode has not disappeared, as has the moisture protection of the bracelet itself.
In any workout mode, the screen displays data on heart rate during the workout, frequency and number of steps, average pace and number of calories burned. You can also teach Mi Band to vibrate when you reach a goal or exceed your heart rate.
Settings can be very detailed
Some users note that the tracker independently detects the user’s transition to running and offers to include training based on heart rate intensity.
Apparently, this requires long-term wear and the definition of personal modes in the application on the smartphone.
Daily statistics became more detailed
The older version with an improved heart rate sensor (a smaller version of the Amazfit GTS/GTR/Bip S sensor) promises a 50% improvement in heart rate measurements and a 40% improvement in sleep tracking.
It has not yet been possible to measure this. But the accuracy of the basic version is not encouraging: there is no difference with the Mi Band 4, the budget Amazfit smartwatch is a little more accurate.
Measurement error
If you compare the accuracy of pulse measurement between Mi Band 3 and a blood pressure monitor, the difference in readings will not exceed 3-4 units. In some cases the error may be slightly larger.
There are two reasons why a large error may occur:
- Hair on the arms;
- Moisture.
Both problems can be solved by simply turning the watch 180 degrees and tightening it tightly. On the back of the wrist there is almost no hair growing and there are no sebaceous glands. In addition, this method allows you to easily determine your heart rate in the pool, while running, or track your heart rate while sleeping.
What else can Mi Band 5 do?
The player controls are a bit small. But it works
In addition to the already mentioned functions and minor improvements, Mi Band 5 received a number of fundamentally new functions for this series of fitness trackers.
Thus, the “Find Device” function used to work in the opposite direction (and now it works - the bracelet will vibrate after pressing the corresponding key in Mi Fit)
Another useful feature allows you to enable silent mode on your smartphone with the Mi Band, which will be very useful in cases where the latter is not at hand.
World watches with selection in the application also appeared on the screens of Xiaomi fitness accessories for the first time.
Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the gadget can now control music and video players , for which a separate screen is dedicated. You can change tracks, pause and adjust the volume.
How to recognize this as a smartphone camera remote control?
In the depths of the menu you can even find a smartphone camera remote control. So far it only works with Android, and not with all smartphones (it didn’t work for me).
Another function of the bracelet will be useful for girls: tracking the menstrual cycle and determining the time of ovulation, displayed both in the application and on the device screen.
Xiaomi smart watches – which one is better to choose?
According to the Fitnessbit editors, the current lineup of Xiaomi smartwatches currently includes seven models. Their functionality is quite similar: almost all can act as a companion device for a smartphone (“mirroring” incoming notifications, SMS, and also vibrating for incoming calls), track the user’s physical activity and fitness indicators, and also show the time. The differences lie in the specific capabilities.
For example, Amazfit GTS 3 is a universal device for every day; Amazfit T-Rex is an accessory for lovers of outdoor sports, adventure and travel; and Amazfit Bip S offers relatively limited functionality, but it can be charged approximately once every month and a half.
What to look for when choosing a Xiaomi smartwatch in 2022
You need to choose a smart watch based on your style and lifestyle. This is an everyday device that is designed to help with everyday activities. Therefore, business people don’t really need sports watches, but athletes, on the contrary, “business” models will be useless.
The main thing to pay attention to:
- Autonomy. The basic principle is as follows: the more functions a smartwatch has, the more often it will have to be charged. Therefore, models that can last about a month without charging offer much less functionality than those that need to be plugged into an “outlet” every few days.
- Fitness functions. All modern models can measure heart rate, count steps and track workouts in some sports. However, the best models offer broader fitness functionality, such as automatic workout detection or (most importantly now) blood oxygen saturation measurement.
- Companion device functions. All models can “mirror” notifications received on the smartphone and vibrate when someone calls the owner. But often this is not enough. If you need to use the watch as a wireless headset or run third-party applications on it (for example, notes or to-do lists), it is better to pay attention to the models that top the top.
- Case material. This is more important than it seems, especially for people who work with their hands. The plastic is quite fragile and can crack. If you often work with your hands, choose a watch with an aluminum or steel case.
In the Xiaomi assortment you can find smart watches that are ideal for your lifestyle. We will tell you about the best models.
Worst autonomy among Mi Band
Autonomy is the main failure of the Mi Band 5, the battery capacity of which has decreased to 125 mAh compared to 135 mAh of its predecessor.
The reduced quality of the display does not help: now the official maximum operating time is 14 days, which in practice is reduced to completely indecent figures.
With 2-3 half-hour workouts a day and constant sleep and heart rate monitoring, the battery will last about 8-10 days.
Increasing the brightness of the display or long-term training will reduce these figures even more, down to the figures of some large and uneconomical Amazfit Pace or GTR with a full-format AMOLED display.
Comparing the results with 25 days of Mi Band 2 is simply indecent. What can we say about Amazfit Bip, which are also very close in price?
Characteristics
- Capsule materials : magnesium alloy, polycarbonate.
- Bracelet materials : thermoplastic silicone vulcanized.
- Housing protection class : IP67.
- Functions : heart rate measurement, pedometer, calculation of distance and calories burned, sleep monitoring, smart alarm clock, call notifications, tablet/smartphone unlocking (only for MIUI v6 OS).
- Sensors : three-axis accelerometer, optical heart rate monitor.
- Indication : 3 white LEDs, vibration motor.
- Battery : built-in lithium-polymer with a capacity of 45 mAh.
- Autonomous operation : officially - up to 30 days, in fact - 10-15 days.
- Wireless : Bluetooth 4.0/4.1 LE.
- Operating temperature : –20 to +70 °C.
- Dimensions : 37 × 13.6 × 9.9 mm.
- Weight : 5.5 g.
- Compatibility : iOS 7/Android 4.3/BlackBerry OS 10/Windows Phone 8.1 and older.
Why you don't need to buy Mi Band 5
The analogue dial is completely out of place
Unfortunately, despite a lot of new software features, Mi Band 5 turned out to be a minor update: even the promised blood oxygen saturation sensor was postponed for the future.
The promised XiaoAI voice assistant is available only in the Chinese version; AliPay and UnionPay QuickPass payments do not work either in Russia or in the EU.
To a greater extent, the current international and its corresponding Chinese versions should primarily be of interest to owners of Mi Band 3 and earlier modifications.
The capsule is once again huge
Owners of the latest modification should wait for the international Mi Band 5 with an NFC module, an improved heart rate monitor and a microphone for working with a voice assistant.
Without this, Mi Band 5, with its cost of 3,000 rubles in Russia and 2,000 rubles on AliExpress, has a lot of competitors:
- Amazfit Bip Lite with a large screen and the same set of functions - 3,700 rubles,
- Amazfit Pace with a large transflective display, its own player and stylish design - 4,000 rubles,
- Russian Mi Band 4 with NFC without payment problems - 3,500 rubles,
- Chinese version of Mi Band 4 with NFC, which works with MasterCard in Russia - 2,000 rubles,
- Chinese Mi Band 5 with an NFC module, which may never work in Russia - 3,100 rubles.
Isn't the competition too tough?
Functional
Xiaomi Mi Band 5 can perform the following functions:
- Contactless payment for purchases and travel on transport (only in the version with NFC);
- Monitoring 11 sports modes;
- Notifications about calls and messages;
- Step, calorie and distance counter;
- Heart rate measurement 24/7;
- Activity Index (PAI);
- Alarm;
- Controlling your smartphone's music player;
- Smartphone camera control;
- Weather forecast;
- Women's calendar of menstrual cycles;
- Timer and stopwatch;
- Prolonged inactivity reminder;
- Function “Search for smartphone”;
- Voice assistant (only in version with NFC).
Let's look at some functions in more detail.
Notifications
Thanks to the larger screen size, it can accommodate slightly more lines of text in notifications: 9.5 lines versus 8 on the four. The bracelet signals a call or message by vibration. In my opinion, the vibration of the Mi Smart Band 5 is weaker than that of the Four, but only slightly.
When there is an incoming call, the phone number or name of the caller is displayed on the screen. It is possible to reset the call or mute the sound on your smartphone.
Notifications from social networks arrive in the language in which they were sent (Cyrillic is supported). The letters are small, but thanks to the high clarity and brightness of the display, they are perfectly readable. All incoming messages are stored in the tracker’s memory until read from a smartphone or fitness bracelet.
Sleep monitoring
All previous Xiaomi Mi Band models could not boast of detailed sleep tracking and were significantly inferior to Honor fitness bracelets and their TruSleep technology. In the fifth Mi Band, things are much better with sleep assessment. Now the bracelet can assess not only nighttime, but also daytime sleep and even napping, and the accuracy of sleep assessment has increased by 40%.
Mi Band 5 can divide sleep into three phases:
- Slow;
- REM (rapid eye movement period);
- Fast.
As you can see in the screenshots above, Mi Band 5 more accurately determines the time of falling asleep and waking up.
Workout Tracking
Mi Band 4 can only track 6 sports modes. Mi Band 5 has increased the number of exercises to 11:
- Running outside;
- Walking;
- A ride on the bicycle;
- Indoor running;
- Swimming in the pool;
- Exercise bike;
- Physical exercise;
- Elliptical trainer;
- Jump rope;
- Yoga;
- Rowing machine.
The gadget can automatically detect walking and running, notify you about each kilometer traveled and when your heart rate exceeds the set values.
Depending on the type of workout, Mi Band 5 records:
- Training time;
- Distance;
- Cadence;
- Steps;
- Calories;
- Pulse;
- Circles;
- Repetitions.
Compared to the fourth generation, Mi Band 5 counts steps more accurately, but when it comes to calories, the bracelet greatly exaggerates the amount consumed. In this regard, Mi Band 4 is more truthful.
Pulse measurement
The device can measure heart rate in four modes:
- In real time;
- Around the clock with intervals of 1, 5, 10, 30 minutes;
- Automatically when activity is detected;
- Heart rate monitoring during sleep.
Mi Band 5 is equipped with a new optical sensor, which, according to the manufacturer, is 50% more accurate than the previous one. Testing has shown that at rest, both versions measure heart rate approximately the same. But during training, Mi Band 5 actually turned out to be more accurate.
In the application, you can set the maximum heart rate threshold, if you exceed it, the bracelet will notify the owner by vibration. The measurement results in the app are divided by type of load: resting, light load, intense, aerobic, anaerobic and zone of maximum oxygen consumption.
PAI Index
PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence or personal activity index) is an algorithm developed by the Canadian company PAI Health. Recently, the PAI function has been actively used in its smart watches by Huami, which is the manufacturer of all versions of Mi Bands.
The purpose of this function is to motivate the user to play sports and have an active lifestyle. In short, the essence of the algorithm is as follows: the fitness bracelet measures the pulse throughout the day and analyzes the heart’s reaction to various types of loads.
Using the received data, as well as information such as gender, height, age, weight, it calculates a score that displays a personal activity index. Data for the next day is added to the previous one. The total value is data for the last 7 days.
Stress and breathing exercises
Mi Band 5 became the first fitness bracelet in the line that supports the function of determining stress levels. Stress is measured as a percentage and divided into 4 levels. It can be measured in real time or automatically, at the same interval as the heart rate.
If the stress value exceeds the permissible values, the bracelet will offer to stabilize it using breathing exercises. You can set its duration (from 1 to 5 minutes). Gymnastics is accompanied by graphic visualization on the screen and vibration at the peaks of breathing.
Control your smartphone's camera and music
Another new feature of Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is smartphone camera control. To take a photo, just open the photo application on your smartphone and touch the screen of the fitness bracelet.
The music control function was already implemented in the previous version of the tracker, but in the new bracelet it has become a little more convenient due to the increase in screen size. It is possible to pause or resume playback, play the previous or next track, decrease or increase the volume.
Barometer and oxygen sensor
It was expected that the Mi Band 5 will be equipped with a barometer, but in the end there is no such sensor. The presence of a blood oxygen saturation sensor also remains questionable. Even before the announcement, many media outlets “awarded” the tracker with such a sensor. But Xiaomi has neither officially confirmed nor denied its presence. At the moment there are several assumptions:
- There is a sensor, but it is not active. This was the case until the appropriate permissions were received after the release of the global version of the Honor Band 5 fitness bracelet. Later it was activated with one of the software updates.
- Only the international version of Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 will be equipped with a sensor. We think this version is unlikely, since usually everything happens the other way around: it is the international version that is cut down in sensors.
Advantages
The version with NFC has a different sensor. Perhaps accurate, but not all that
However, the Mi Band 5 has a couple of advantages, especially for owners of earlier versions of bracelets or other outdated fitness accessories:
1. Excellent screen with thoughtful dials and well-designed menus.
2. A huge range of functions, many of which will be useful even for those who do not play sports: the camera and player controls will definitely appeal to everyone.
3. Convenient magnetic charging cradle, which has become easier to use.
