The Mi Band 7 is a very affordable fitness tracker that can provide accurate fitness and health tracking, with data displayed on a larger, more vibrant screen. Xiaomi fitness trackers have undergone a few minor name changes since they were first introduced, including Mi Band, Mi Smart Band, and Smart Band. Still, their appeal remains the same – a very affordable fitness tracker that can provide accurate fitness and health tracking.
Mi Band 7, as the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is commonly called, has arrived and promises to provide value. So much so that we think it’s more a mid-range watch than a budget one.
It’s easy to see why these bands have been so popular, as they provide similar fitness monitoring capabilities to more expensive models like the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch. The price has increased to $60, but it’s still much cheaper than a Fitbit Charge 5. That’s why we think the Mi Band 7 is a midrange contender rather than a low-end watch.
Smartwatches and large-display fitness trackers may be flashier, but the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 proves that practical products can still find a market when priced correctly. Customers will be satisfied since it does exactly what it says on the box.
Pros
- Display that’s bigger and better lit
- An always-on screen
- Increased capacity
- There are several new sports modes to explore.
- Battery life that’s long enough
Cons
- No NFC
- No GPS
- There isn’t any wireless charging available
- The app’s policies are not clearly defined
- There are still flaws with the Mi Fitness app
Design
Xiaomi has avoided the temptation to make big design changes to its Mi Band formula. Overt changes in the Mi Band 7 compared to the Mi Band 6 are not apparent. The hardware has changed dramatically, though.
The screen stands out as the most obvious example. The resolution of the 1.62-inch AMOLED screen on the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is 490 x 192. That’s a substantial increase in screen size from the Mi Band 6’s 1.56-inch AMOLED with 486 x 152 resolution. New icons, animations, and a reworked visual style have been added to the UI to make it easier to access data.
A bigger screen needs more electricity because of the increased display area. To make up for this, Xiaomi has increased the Mi Band 7’s battery capacity to 180mAh. Compared to the Mi Band 6, this is a 44% increase.
Health tracking
This time around, Xiaomi has focused on strengthening the Mi Band 7’s fitness and health tracking capabilities. Despite the absence of visible changes. There are 120 different sports tracking modes with the new band. Even though that’s a lot for one person to carry, it’s perfect for multisport fans on a budget.
A new emphasis on training metrics joins these new options. You can track how much you workout, how long it takes you to recuperate, and how effective it is.
These aspects provide context for the effects of exercise and provide a fuller view than basic measures like calories burnt. Continuous SpO2 and VO2 max monitoring are novel features for monitoring maximal oxygen intake and blood oxygen saturation levels, respectively. The Mi Band 7 will notify users if this percentage drops below 90%.
It’s not just the new features that make this app stand out. The app tracks your heart rate, steps, distance, calorie intake, and sleep. Women’s health monitoring and stress tracking complete the package.
Monitoring your fitness
You see your current day’s health statistics on the wearable, including steps taken, heart rate, exercises performed, and sleep duration. However, if you’re interested in seeing previous data, you’ll have to open the Mi Fitness app, which presents a very standard dashboard.
In my opinion, it’s just fine, and it doesn’t provide any more or less information than a Fitbit or an Apple Watch. For example, during exercises, you can view a precise heart rate chart.
For those looking for a watch face that’s more visually appealing than Samsung’s or Huawei’s offerings, the Mi Fitness app includes a plethora of alternatives. The community may also create custom watch faces, so there’s a lot of space for experimentation.
Features and software
Xiaomi Band 7’s navigation is performed through swipes and touches since it lacks a physical button. In most cases, this works as expected. However, if it is wet or your finger is slippery, it may take more taps to complete the task. It sometimes takes two or three touches to wake the screen.
A physical button might be helpful in this situation. Furthermore, a feature called “raise to wake” works perfectly. On average, I’ve been able to use the band’s user interface perfectly 98 percent of the time.
As with other wearables, the user experience is rather conventional. To access the watch’s functionalities, slide up from the bottom of the screen and then down to see alerts. Horizontal swipes are used to navigate between all of the app’s functionalities, such as the music player and the activity tracker.
Everything you can do with the band comes pre-installed, so you don’t need to search for other apps to expand your capabilities. However, while this may seem like a drawback when compared to other Android smartwatches, the fact is that all Apple-alternative watches, whether they are based on Google WearOS, Samsung Tizen, or Huawei’s HarmonyOS, are crippled by weak third-party app support.
Mi Band 7 is a great fitness tracker. Still, the Apple Watch has a slew of additional features that the Mi Band 7 lacks, such as access to a digital assistant, Spotify playlists management, and even the ability to open and print an e-ticket (for North American airlines, at least). Comparatively? Isn’t it better than a Huawei Watch GT3 or Fitbit? In terms of functionality, the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is nearly identical to the more expensive smartwatches on the market.
Smart and other features
Xiaomi’s Mi Fitness app, which is available for Android and iOS, connects the band to your smartphone. Like Huawei’s wearables, Xiaomi phones don’t have any exclusive features. Thus you may utilize this function on any Android device.
On the other hand, Fitbit requires five to ten minutes to change watch faces (a problem in Fitbit’s software that hasn’t been resolved for years), but changing watch faces on Android Wear takes about 10-30 seconds.
However, some of these watch faces even include complexities, but they are somewhat limited in scope (you can assign a complication to show your heart rate or steps or weather, for example). This is still better than any Fitbit or Huawei watch face that supports zero complications, but it falls short of the wide range of helpful complexities you receive with an Apple Watch watch face.
A minor problem I have with the band is that it only displays static notifications. So you’re unable to do anything with them. However, this issue can be seen on practically all fitness bands and most Android smartwatches. There are $300 Android smartwatches that also don’t allow me to reply to notifications. So I’m not even sure if this is a fair issue.
In my opinion, this $60 band has a lot going for it compared to the Apple Watch. Aside from that, it frequently matches or even outperforms the performance of other bands on the market. It’s so much more than a budget band.
Battery life
The battery’s capacity has been raised from 125 to 180 mAh. As a result, the battery life is superb. You can get up to 14 days of battery life if you don’t use the always-on display. Although I haven’t used this band for 14 days, it still has 38 percent of its battery, indicating that it will last much longer. Xiaomi claims the battery life declines to around a week if the always-on display is left on. At the very least, you’ve done well.
For the time being, heavy users might use these six days as a guideline. Wireless charging is something I’ve yet to experience. The charging cord, which is still much too short, attaches to the wearable by magnetic contact and charges it entirely in under two hours, as it did with the predecessor.
The deciding factor
Just a little bit better, Xiaomi creates an excellent fitness tracker. Period. It does, however, leave a stale aftertaste in the mouth. It’s great to have more capabilities, a larger AMOLED screen, and a larger capacity on the trusty Mi or Smart Band, but I’d love to see NFC, GPS, and wireless charging as well.
In addition to the early-bird pricing, Xiaomi now charges a whopping 60 dollars for the fitness bracelet, which is, in my opinion, excessive. For those who want to get in shape, the Smart Band 7 is a great option, but it also meets the needs of those who are more demanding.
In addition to more than 120 sports modes, Xiaomi has added persistent SpO2 monitoring and improved the current functionality. In any case, I’m confident Mi Band 6 users won’t have to wait too long for the next iteration. Personally, I think the Mi Band 7 is a midrange contender rather than a low-end watch. What do you think?
Read next: Could The Mi Band 7 Pro Be Here Soon?
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Last Updated on December 30, 2022
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