The Apple Watch is by some significant distance the best smartwatch/fitness band on the market, and with Apple’s vast resources, largest developer community, and mature ecosystem, I don’t expect an alternative smartwatch/fitness band to be able to top it anytime soon.
And so when it comes to reviewing alternative fitness bands, I only have these expectations: it should be cheaper than the relatively expensive Apple Watch; it can receive and display incoming chat messages; it tracks steps and heart rate with accuracy; and be comfortable to wear.
Xiaomi’s Mi Band 5 more than delivers on all fronts and then some. Priced around $45, it is clearly in the budget fitness band range, but packs more features than competing bands that cost twice as much. It has a 1.1-inch OLED display that’s large enough to show entire WhatsApp chat messages in full; it tracks steps, heart rate, sleep with surprisingly strong accuracy; it has jaw-dropping 14-day battery life on a single charge; and it’s rated 5ATM, meaning it can be worn while showering or swimming.
The fit is comfortable, with the thin and light (11.9g) band barely noticeable when worn.
Software
The Mi Band 5 can be used as a standalone device, but it’s best used when synced with Xiaomi’s fitness app, which provide detailed analysis of fitness stats. The band can track sleep automatically, using the same algorithms that Fitbit does—by measuring your heart rate, and motion detection to identify if you’re asleep. From my testing, the sleep tracking seem highly accurate (although it is impossible to be 100% sure unless someone else is monitoring my sleep).
Xiaomi’s app also offers a lot of customization options for the band, including over 100 different themes and watch faces. Users can also use their own photo as a watch face if they like. The below image is taken with permission from YouTube video reviewer
The Band 5 can also, as mentioned earlier, receive notifications in timely fashion. However, you cannot interact with them, meaning you can only read, but not respond. This is still a lot better than many fitness bands I’ve tested which fails to show WhatsApp messages in full.
Xiaomi’s hardware ecosystem
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This is the reason that allows Xiaomi’s products to punch way above its weight class. Fitness bands under $50 usually do not offer OLED screens, nor an in-depth fitness tracking, but the Mi Band 5 does it.
I can’t say I’ve tested every fitness band, but I have tested the big named ones, and the Mi Band 5 is easily the best in the under $50, or even under $100, price range. The
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