Accessories or smartphones, Xiaomi is one of the atypical brands that promises and delivers strong value deals. Their first fitness wearable offering was no exception, their latest fitness bests its predecessor, the Mi Band 3. Dubbed the Mi Band 4 (obviously). The upcoming of this segment of fitness trackers brought a new category of entry-level products that ultimately helped push down prices for other segments as well. The new one is no exception, bringing in very competitive features to the battle of sub 5k fitness trackers. And the specs seem quite attractive:
Spec chart:
| Display | 0.95” AMOLED full-color capacitive screen 128 x 240 px resolution 24-bit color depth 400 Nits max brightness 2.5D tempered glass with oleophobic coating. |
| Weight | 22.1 gram |
| Water-resistance | 5 ATM |
| Buttons | Single Touch Button for waking up and going back |
| RAM/ROM | 512KB / 16MB |
| Battery | 135 mA LiPo, non-removable |
| Sensors | 3-axis accelerometer 3-axis gyroscope PPG heart rate sensor Capacitive proximity sensor |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 (NFC; China only) |
| Band | 18 mm Width 155 mm – 216 mm Adjustable Length Material: Thermoplastic Polyurethane Compatible with Mi Band 3. |
| Price | TBA; Expected below 5K |
Design:
The dimensions remain the same from last-gen however, the biggest and most rewarded upgrade is the key factor that distinguishes the two, the 0.95” colour AMOLED display over the 3’s 0.78” OLED monochrome touchscreen. The increased size allows for more information to be displayed at once and the full-colour feature now allows you to add custom watch faces. The casing is a little thicker on the 4, and the glass is a little flatter near the edges vs. The 3. Additionally, the absence of touch dimple is another noticeable trait. Apart from that, the dimensions are the same, and the bands are inter-compatible.
The same inter-compatibility cannot be true about the charger though, the 4 has a new charger pins design housed in same cup holder design for the charging unit.
Concluding, the design is still understated and discreet, and you always have an option to add some flashy bands if that’s your style.
User Interface:
The 4 comes with custom watch faces through the Mi Fit app (or you can side-load the faces from third party websites). Depending on the watch face, the band home screen can display the time, day, date, steps taken, distance walked, calories burned, and band battery status. More notifications can be added to be displayed thanks to the bigger display. Oh, and did I mention that it comes with music controls too?
Another security upgrade from the 3 is the 4-pin lock code to secure the device when not in use
Swiping down on the home screen brings you pages for Status (Steps, Distance, Calories, Idle Alerts), Heart Rate, Workout (Outdoor Running, Treadmill, Cycling, Walking, Exercise, Pool Swimming), Weather, Notifications, and More (DND, Alarm, Music, Stopwatch, Timer, Find Device, Silent, Band Display, Settings (Brightness, Lock Screen, Reboot, Factory Reset, Regulatory, About)).
Battery Life:
The device comes in with excellent battery life, the now larger 135 mAh battery easily provides 2 weeks of usage while leaving few per cent behind. For light usage, it lasts about 2 and a half weeks and you can extend it further by disabling the vibration.
Bigger Picture:
The coming of Mi Band kick-started an era of inexpensive (relatively) fitness products and forced many premium brands to propose value addition. And the fourth iteration is no exception, the design, features, battery, practicality, build fits into a value package that people would find hard to resist. And you shouldn’t, it is indeed the best product in its class, ticking all the right boxes. For beginners, look nowhere else to begin your fitness tracking journey. The lower price bracket invites more customers than higher specification gadgets for a premium version.
Highly recommended. 8.5/10