The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 vs Fitbit Charge 5 – two of the greatest fitness trackers currently available. Both provide impressive monitoring abilities.
Is there really that much of a distinction in the features these trackers provide?
We’ve put both the most popular Xiaomi and the most advanced Fitbit through their paces.
Find out how the Fitbit Charge 5 differs from the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 in these crucial areas.
Price and alternatives between the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 and the Fitbit Charge 5.
The Mi Band 7 is a low-priced fitness tracker. Whereas the Charge 5 is one of Fitbit’s most sophisticated trackers and is, therefore, more expensive.
The price of the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is set at about £54.
The cost of a Fitbit Charge 5 is $149/£169.
The Mi Band 7 is not yet listed on Xiaomi’s US website, but it may be purchased via Amazon. There have been price fluctuations, but at the time of this writing, it was listed at $55.
Even after making the adjustment, the Mi Band 7 is still much less expensive. The Mi Band 7 is even cheaper than the Fitbit Inspire 2, Fitbit’s lowest tracker, by both dollars and pounds.
Design and display
Despite the similarities in their band-style looks, these two trackers take different techniques.
The module and display on the Charge 5 are secured in place by a strap that can be removed, but on the Mi Band 7, you must push the module and display out of the way to replace the strap.
Both have a variety of strap colors to choose from. Still, the Charge 5 goes the extra mile by also providing a wide selection of strap designs and materials, allowing you to dress up your appearance or go casual.
The Charge 5 has an aluminum body, whereas the Xiaomi uses plastic.
What are the differences between the Mi Band 7 vs Fitbit Charge 5?
Both have touchscreen AMOLED screens and feature an always-on mode, but none have tactile buttons.
While the Charge 5’s screen is somewhat larger than the Mi Band 7’s, both have high-quality AMOLED displays with dark blacks, strong hues, and enough peak brightness.
If you’re looking for a recommendation, we’d say that Xiaomi’s raise-to-wake feature is more responsive than Fitbit’s, but either way, you’re getting a fantastic screen in this price range.
When it comes to water resistance, both trackers can withstand immersion in water up to 50 meters. So they can both be used for a pool swim.
As far as aesthetics go, the Charge 5 wins out, but it comes at a higher price.
Fitness tracking
That’s why you’d want one of these trackers—to keep tabs on your activity levels, heart rate, and sleep, among other things.
For starters, there’s the Mi Band 7, which does more than track your activity. It also tells you how far you’ve traveled, how many calories you’ve burnt, and when you’ve been sitting still for too long. The lack of an altimeter is offset by the inclusion of Xiaomi’s exclusive PAI ratings, which serve as motivation to consistently increase your heart rate throughout the week.
The Charge 5 includes the same sensors as its predecessors. It can keep tabs on your steps, distance, and heart rate at all times, thanks to Fitbit’s PurePulse technology. It lacks both an altimeter and a compass.
The Charge 5 does somewhat better than the Charge 4 in terms of tracking accuracy, and both the on-band and off-band data displays are more pleasant to use.
Sleep tracking
The Mi Band 7 has excellent sleep tracking capabilities, recording all stages of sleep (including rapid eye movement sleep), calculating sleep ratings, and allowing users to compare their results to those of other Mi Band wearers. You may monitor your heart rate, respiration, and oxygen saturation at night if you want.
One of Fitbit’s strongest points is its ability to track sleep in great detail. It provides comparable information and, in addition, can measure your heart rate and blood oxygen levels as you sleep. In general, we’ve found the Charge 5 to be more dependable, although the Mi Band 7’s sleep monitoring has been excellent.
Health monitoring
Now we’ll talk about the Mi Band 7’s health-tracking capabilities, which include constantly monitoring your heart rate, stress levels, and oxygen saturation. High and low warnings for SpO2 levels may be set up, and real-time readings can be taken, both of which are features missing from the Charge 5. The Xiaomi tracker also has a feature that allows users to follow along with guided breathing exercises, and it can be used to monitor women’s health.
The SpO2 sensor in the Charge 5 is dedicated to tracking changes in blood oxygen levels during sleep, which can indicate sleep apnea. The optical heart rate monitor in the Charge 5 provides continuous monitoring. Unfortunately, a Fitbit Premium membership is needed to use this function.
Then, Fitbit takes it to the next level by adding an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor. This gives more precise heart rate readings and evaluation of atrial fibrillation. While it is not FDA-approved, the temperature sensor can be used to track your temperature while you sleep.
Fitbit also considers mental health by calculating stress levels based on your activity level, resting heart rate, and HRV. An electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor is also available to monitor physiological reactions to stress. The Fitbit app that syncs with the tracker also has several hidden mindfulness functions.
The Charge 5 is the best fitness and health tracker on the market. However, the Mi Band 7 is an excellent choice if you’re interested in accurate activity, sleep, and resting heart rate data.
Sports tracking
These trackers have the brains and sensors to monitor your workouts, but that’s probably not why you’d buy one.
In contrast to the linked GPS included in the Mi Band 7, the Charge 5’s GPS is built-in.
There are twenty distinct workout modes available on the Fitbit. In fact, the device is capable of automatically recognizing common exercises like running, walking, and swimming.
Within the program, you’ll find tools like exercise intensity maps, Active Zone Minutes, and a Cardio Fitness score. (The latter is essentially a rebranded version of VO2 Max).
New Fitbit Daily Readiness ratings are also included (if you pay for Fitbit Premium). These are based on data collected from monitoring your activities, your heart rate variability, and your recent sleep.
So, what’s the big deal with these trackers?
Because it relies on a linked GPS, using a Xiaomi device to monitor outside activity necessitates running a dedicated app.
It has 120 training modes, including indoor rowing and skipping, for which it provides more detailed tracking than Fitbit. It’s comprehensive, as it includes common exercises like running, cycling, and swimming, with Xiaomi providing more detailed swim measurements.
Unlike the Charge 5, the Mi Band 7 provides detailed insights into your workouts, something only available on more expensive sports watches. So, we’re discussing stuff like training load and training impact insights and advice on optimal recuperation time.
Both of these trackers have their advantages and disadvantages as sports watches.
The Charge 5 has built-in GPS, although it’s not the most precise system we’ve ever tested. If correctly monitoring outside fitness is a top concern for you, you’ll be disappointed with the Mi Band 7’s linked GPS support.
Based on our tests, the Charge 5 is the superior option for keeping track of your heart rate while exercising. When compared to an external heart rate monitor chest strap, the Mi Band 7’s average and maximum readings were consistently inaccurate. In contrast, Fitbit’s tracker performed admirably.
We recommend the Charge 5 if you want a fitness tracker with comparable sports tracking capabilities.
Smartwatch features
Both trackers double as smartwatches, each with unique capabilities that might sway your decision.
To begin, let’s look at the Charge 5, which, like other smartwatches, can show off alerts and allow Android users to reply to some of them with predefined or personalized answers. In addition to the ability to swap out watch faces, Fitbit also offers the contactless payment system Fitbit Pay.
Unlike the Charge 5, the Mi Band 7 allows you to manage the music playing on your phone and receives notifications, weather forecasts, alarms, and reminders.
Given the larger display of the Charge 5, several functions perform better. The space for alerts, for instance, has been expanded. Both provide you access to a wide variety of watch faces that look great on the bright AMOLED displays.
If you’re looking for a fitness tracker, we’d recommend the Fitbit over the Xiaomi, although the Mi Band has certain advantages over the Charge 5.
Battery life
Although the Charge 5 and Mi Band 7 both provide seven days of monitoring time, Xiaomi’s device can keep going for much longer.
The Charge 5 claims to provide battery life for up to 7 days. This decreases to 3-4 days if the screen is continuously on. We averaged about 5-6 days in our tests.
Two weeks of use is possible with the Mi Band 7. Still, battery life may decrease quickly if you heavily use the device’s continuous heart rate, stress, and sputum oxygen saturation monitoring capabilities. The situation is the same when changing to continuous operation.
However, our research shows that even with constant use of features like GPS, these trackers may last for at least a week without needing to be recharged. Fitbit shares this problem.
Mi Band 7 vs Fitbit Charge 5 – Which one is best?
Which Should You Buy? The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 or the Fitbit Charge 5?
We now know that these trackers can provide valuable alternatives for monitoring your fitness and health despite the price difference; however, we still don’t know where the most significant improvements and losses will be seen. Our Opinion Is As Follows:
If you’re looking for a fitness and health tracker with superior sleep monitoring, advanced health sensors, and a form factor more amenable to smartwatch integration, go no further than the Fitbit Charge 5. It’s a superior gadget, and the Fitbit app is light years ahead of the competition. However, a paid membership is necessary to access better features.
Check out our Fitbit Charge buying guide for more information
Those primarily interested in 24/7 step, sleep, and heart rate tracking might consider purchasing the Xiaomi Mi Band 7. Aside from a casual interest in your daily stats and sleep, this is a fantastic method to save cash.
Read next: What we know so far about the Fitbit Charge 6.
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Last Updated on December 30, 2022
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