In this day and age, fitness is synonymous with fitness trackers, and the fitness tracker market is saturated with devices that all claim to do what you need. Many of these trackers come from Fitbit and Xiaomi, two tech giants that have sold millions of devices over the past five years.
Both companies play a major role in the smartwatch industry but with a different approach. Upcoming most popular models from Xiaomi include the new mi band 7. The newest band coming from Fitbit is the Fitbit charge 5.
When we look for a fitness tracker, many of us look firstly at price in a bid to narrow the options down to what we can actually afford. From there, we look at the brand, battery life, comfort levels, and tracking capabilities on offer. If you are in this situation and feel unsure whether to get a Xiaomi or a Fitbit, then read our guide below.
How Do the Prices Of Fitbit And Xiaomi Trackers Compare?
When it comes to prices, the Xiaomi beats Fitbit by a mile, and you can expect to pay at least double for a Fitbit device in comparison to a Xiaomi. The reason for this huge difference mainly comes down to cheaper parts, and fewer features in the Xiaomi and whilst a low price can be very attractive, the Xiaomi devices are not known to last as long as their Fitbit competition.
Fitbit trackers, whilst more expensive than Xiaomi are still within the budget range for fitness trackers. This means that you can expect to get one for a decent price tag and not need to worry about it getting damaged when you use it.
| Product | Supplier |
| Mi Band 7 | AliExpress |
| Mi Band 7 | eBay |
| Mi Band 7 Pro | Amazon |
| Mi Band 7 | Amazon |
Do Fitbit And Xiaomi Trackers Offer Incident Detection?
Fall detection and incident detection software are quickly becoming two of the most popular smartwatch features available. These detection features can recognize if the user has fallen down and they can quickly notify emergency contacts of the authorities if needed. This popular software gives hikers and senior citizens peace of mind, but it hasn’t been added to either Fitbit or Xiaomi fitness tracker devices yet.
While these two fitness trackers are optimized for health and fitness, they both lack these premium safety features. This is frustrating for many customers that trust these brands, but if you can overlook the incident detection features these two brands are still some of the best smartwatch retailers on the market.
There are some third-party apps you can purchase to add incident detection and emergency contact software to Fitbit devices, but these aren’t compatible with the Xiaomi trackers and they’re only available on the first generations of the Fitbit Versa and Fitbit Ionic.
If this software is a deal-breaker for you, you might have more luck with Apple and Garmin devices instead. It’s rumored that Fitbit might be adding this software in their 2022 launches, but nothing is confirmed by the company yet.
Keep watching the latest smartwatch news to see if these brands launch devices with premium incident detection features!
Which Fitness Tracker Brand Offers the Best Battery Life?
Having a tracker that offers a decent battery life makes life so much easier, plus you can also benefit from sleep trackers if the tracker lasts long enough.
Both brands claim to have devices that can last a week without a charge, but we found that the Xiaomi battery life was far less reliable than the Fitbit. In fact, some of the Fitbits on the market will last longer than a week and charge within an hour, so you don’t need to be without your tracker for long.
If you don’t mind charging more regularly, then the Xiaomi is still a decent brand to get, and their devices are also speedy to charge so it won’t be much hassle when the time comes to recharge.
When It Comes To Comfort Are Xiaomi Trackers Better Than Fitbits?
In short, no. Fitbits come in a range of styles and offer different sizes to fit the wearer. With Fitbit you can also swap your strap to suit your personality or outfit and to do so is incredibly easy. When you put the Fitbit on, you will be impressed by how comfy and lightweight it is, making it a great choice if you are keen to wear it all of the time.
However, even if Xiaomi doesn’t offer the range and sizes like Fitbit, they do make seriously comfy bands, and you can switch them around with a variety of colour options. The Xiaomi devices are also lightweight, and you will forget you are wearing it even after having it on all day.
Who Offers the Best Fitness Tracking. Fitbit or Xiaomi?
When it comes to fitness trackers, we all want to get a tracker that offers a wide range of tracking capabilities as well as data from our workouts that allow us to analyse our performance. Put simply, the Xiaomi is not as advanced as the Fitbit devices on the market, and they are also not as reliable.
Both devices allow you to count steps, but the Fitbit is more generous with their step count than Xiaomi overall. Whilst they both offer a range of sports tracking, the Fitbit has a bigger list of in-built sports, and we found that the Fitbit give greater feedback on your performance.
The Xiaomi is not a poor fitness tracker but is not as sophisticated as the Fitbit range, and this is shown in the price range. If you are a beginner and want a simple tracking system, then the Xiaomi may meet your needs, but if you want greater detail, then it’s best to opt for a Fitbit.
Is the Fitbit App Better Than the Xiaomi App?
When it comes to getting the app that supports your device, you will find that the Xiaomi App is just like their devices; simple to use with limited features. Unfortunately, the app is also slow to use and does not sync to your device easily so you will have to invest a bit of time whenever you want to update your performance.
However, it does allow you to track your progress, offers you winning streaks when you hit your targets and shares your achievements via social media so you can share your progress with friends. The sleep tracking is probably the best part of the app, and these insights will help you to make the most of your shut-eye every night.
The Fitbit app is far more detailed and offers the capability to really delve into your stats and see your performance over time. It’s also a social network of other Fitbit users so that you can complete virtually and monitor the progress of your Fitbit friends.
Latest offerings
Xiaomi’s latest flagship fitness tracker, the Mi Band 6, has lately joined the fray of inexpensive fitness trackers. Fitbit Charge 5 is Mi Band 6’s most powerful opponent.
Xiaomi’s Mi Band 6 now has a few premium features that make it the most competitive fitness tracker on the market. Charge 5, on the other hand, is a big seller because to its actual fitness monitoring features.
What can the Fitbit Charge 5 do that the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 can’t?
- Comes with GPS
- Tracks elevation
- Display is protected by branded damage-resistant glass
- Comes with a temperature sensor
- NFC payments are possible
- Tracks calorie and water intake
- 1.5mm thinner than the Smart Band 6 (11.2mm versus 12.7mm)
Compare prices and choose your favorite merchant in the table below.
| Product | Supplier | |
| Fitbit Charge 5 | Amazon | View Offer |
| Fitbit Charge 5 | eBay | View Offer |
| Fitbit Charge 4 | eBay | View Offer |
| Fitbit Charge 5 | Fitbit | View Offer |
What can the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 do that the Fitbit Charge 5 can’t?
- 7 days long battery life (14 day versus) 7 days
- Can find your phone
- Newer Bluetooth version (5 versus 4)
- 4.1mm narrower (18.6mm versus 22.7mm)
- 1.5x bigger screen size (1.56 versus 1.04)
- Has irregular heart rate warnings
- Considerably cheaper
- Has coaching
Fitbit Sense
The Fitbit Sense is a bold wristwatch that seems tailor-made for these trying times, putting as much focus on mental health as it does on monitoring physical activity. On the software side, there is space for development, but if you’re interested in practising mindfulness and taking modest steps toward a better lifestyle, the Sense might be exactly the tool for you.
Compare prices and choose your favorite supplier from this list:
| Product | Supplier | |||
| Fitbit Sense 2 | Amazon | View offer | ||
| Fitbit Sense 2 | eBay | View offer | ||
| Fitbit Sense 2 | Fitbit | View offer | ||
| Fitbit Sense | Target | View offer |
Fitbit Versa 3
The Fitbit Versa 3 is an amazing wearable with inbuilt GPS and some design improvements. However, like its predecessor, it’s more of a fitness tracker than a wristwatch, with just a few productivity applications. Despite its low price, you get a good display, a long battery life, and a lot of fitness metrics, making it an interesting and inexpensive Apple Watch alternative. Given that this is the third edition of Fitbit’s successful Versa series, it’s a little frustrating that the company is still missing the target in several areas.
Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite
The Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite proves that you don’t have to pay a lot of money to have a decent smartwatch. The clear 1.4-inch LCD display, which seems more expensive than its price tag, is the first thing you’ll notice. It’s big, clear, and attractive right away.
In my hands-on experience with the Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite, it seems a touch less expensive. Its plastic watch band is fashioned in such a manner that it can’t be laid flat on the ground, and it’s far from comfortable. When you interact with the screen, though, it seems to be more refined than you may think.
Which is the best?
Overall, Fitbit’s Charge 5 wins if you’re seeking for a fitness tracker with the best available capabilities for gathering health data, as well as being comfortable, simple to use (no buttons), and easy to read outdoors in the sun — all at a fair price. In fact, CNET’s Editors’ Choice Award was just given to the Charge 5.
The Charge 5 monitors your heart rate with an EKG reading app, your stress level with an electrodermal activity sensor, and your blood oxygen level and skin temperature with a skin temperature sensor. It also keeps track of your sleeping habits, such as respiration rates, sleep phases, and restlessness. The Charge 5 tracks over 20 different physical activities, including swimming, yoga, and cycling (it’s water-resistant). It also has an integrated GPS, which is ideal for runners.
The Charge 5 works with both iPhones and Android phones. iPhone customers, on the other hand, can only view alerts on the Charge 5 screen, although Android users can respond quickly.
The Verdict
In summary, the majority of us will be led by price when it comes to purchasing a luxury item such as a fitness tracker and whilst that is understandable it may be more beneficial in the long run if you take some time to save up and purchase the best on the market rather than a cheaper version that will need replacing sooner.
Xiaomi fitness trackers offer the best-priced trackers, but you will have to suffer through numerous issues in the setup and synching service to get access to a beginner device that won’t offer advanced tracking features.
The Fitbit brand has grown exponentially over the years, and the latest ability to work with Alexa makes it a far more attractive tracker than ever before. We would suggest that if you are keen to get hold of a device sooner rather than later, then you should stick with Fitbit. It’s a well-known brand with a quality support department that make excellent fitness trackers.
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Last Updated on December 11, 2022
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