Xiaomi Smart Band 9 review: Is this the best cheap fitness tracker?

Xiaomi Smart Band 9 review: Is this the best cheap fitness tracker?

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Live Science Verdict

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 quickly sticks out to name a few economical physical fitness trackers. This cool little watch is comfy to use, enjoyable to take a look at and remarkably long lasting– however more significantly, it has remarkably robust tracking functions. Its heart rate measurements require more accuracy to please the requirements of veteran exercisers.

Pros

  • +

    A lot of fitness-tracking functions

  • +

    Approximately 3 weeks of battery life

  • +

    Feather-light and discreet-looking

  • +

    Ultra-affordable

Cons

  • Inaccurate heart rate measurements

  • No GPS tracking

  • Lightweight silicone straps

  • Irregular app connection

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Xiaomi understands a thing or 2 about economical physical fitness trackers, as we can easily testify. We formerly examined the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 7 and were completely impressed by the large quantity of worth loaded into this little watch. Priced at simply $49.99, it provided stacks of sophisticated tracking functions, a two-week battery life and a brilliant, easy-to-read display screen. We liked it a lot that we even included it in our guide to the best physical fitness trackersNot surprising that, then, that when Xiaomi revealed the brand-new design, we aspired to check it out.

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 appears, on impressions, even much better than its predecessor. It boasts as much as 21 days of battery life, a brighter 1.62-inch AMOLED screen and a more precise heart rate sensing unit. It includes more extensive sleep tracking functions and a tremendous 150 sports modes. The cherry on top? It costs just $63.


Xiaomi Smart Band 9 evaluationXiaomi Smart Band 9: Design

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is incredibly light and inconspicuous. (Image credit: Anna Gora)

  • Ultra-light and discreet-looking
  • Silicone straps might slip off the wrist throughout sleep
  • Can be connected to a running clip(offered independently)

Secret specifications

Show: 1.62 in, AMOLED

Always-On: Yes

Measurements (in): 1.8 x 0.85 x 0.43 (HxWxD)

Measurements (mm): 46.5 x 21.6 x 10.9( HxWxD )

Weight: 0.56 oz(15.8 g)

Colors: Arctic blue, Glacier silver, Midnight black, Mystic increased

End up: Aluminum

GPS: No

Compass: No

Altimeter: No

Water resistance: 5ATM (approximately a depth of 50 meters)

NFC Payments: No

Compatibility: Android 6.0 or iOS 12.0 and above

Design-wise, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 does not roaming far from its predecessors. Weighing simply half an ounce (15.8 grams) and determining just 0.85 inches (21.6 millimeters) in width, it is just a little larger than its more youthful brother or sisters. We liked this remarkably light and compact style. The Smart Band 9 never ever obstructed of our clothing or workout devices, and it seemed like a much-needed modification after all the large smartwatches we evaluated in advance.

Following the attempted and evaluated formula, this Xiaomi design likewise includes straps that can be removed with a quick-release system. This was a huge plus point for us. The default silicone straps ended up being rather undependable in our tests: they felt lightweight and unpleasant to use for the many part, and on a minimum of 2 different celebrations they slipped off our wrist throughout sleep. We were not keen on the band’s dull pinkish color, either, and its silicone finish appeared to quickly draw in dirt.

We are not fans of the default silicone band: It was too lightweight and basic-looking. (Image credit: Anna Gora)

Surprisingly, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 can likewise be placed into a running clipThis little gizmo permits you to connect the watch to your running shoe so you can track a variety of efficiency metrics, from running cadence and stride length to ground contact time ratio– and it costs less than $12. For runners on a tight budget plan, this is a magnificent option.

Xiaomi Smart Band 9: Display

  • Intense, easy-to-read AMOLED screen
  • Fairly durable to scuffs and scratches
  • A lot of watch deals with to select from

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 functions a crisp, vibrant screen. (Image credit: Anna Gora)

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 has a fairly little 1.62-inch screen, however we did not discover it especially tough to browse. Offered our underwhelming experience with the screen on the Smart Band 7we were happily amazed by how responsive and easy-to-read this one was, even when we attempted to run it with damp hands or under direct sunshine.

We likewise liked how it looked. The display screen in the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is crisp and vibrant and can be personalized with over 200 various watch deals with. And if that is insufficient, you can even utilize images from your gallery to place on your screen.

The screen appeared remarkably long lasting, too. The AMOLED glass did not scratch or scuff throughout our substantial screening, although we need to have unintentionally bumped our watch a minimum of a lots times. It is revitalizing to see such strength in a physical fitness tracker costing less than $70.

Xiaomi Smart Band 9: Features

  • Advanced health-tracking functions
  • Over 150 sports modes
  • No integrated GPS tracking (it runs the phone signal)

The Xiaomi Band 9 tracks a large range of health statistics. (Image credit: Anna Gora)

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 amazed us with its robust health-tracking functions. This humble-looking watch can track your actions, heart rate, oxygen saturationsleep quality, tension levels, menstruation and more, making it a remarkably detailed tool for monitoring your energy levels and post-exercise healing.[ 19659064]

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 does an excellent task as a healing tracker. ( Image credit: Anna Gora)

Mentioning workout, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 can track over 150 activities, from outside hiking and biking to dance and weight-lifting. We would not advise itfor competitive swimming or diving, however– it has just a 5ATM water resistance ranking.

All of your statistics can be seen in the Mi Fitness app. (Image credit: Anna Gora)

On the other hand, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 does not have any significant smartwatch functions or integrated navigation tools like GPS. Sure, it can upgrade you on the weather report or get phone notices, and it can utilize the phone’s mobile signal to track your place, however that is basically it. The Smart Band 9 is absolutely nothing like the high-end Garmin designs, however then its ultra-affordable cost completely shows that.

Xiaomi Smart Band 9: Performance

  • 3 weeks of battery life
  • Irregular app connection
  • Inaccurate heart rate measurements throughout extreme workout

The humble-looking Xiaomi Smart Band 9 boasts exceptional battery life. (Image credit: Anna Gora)

Efficiency is where the low cost point of this watch reveals. Real, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 quickly lasts 3 weeks on a single charge– in truth, we handled to get almost a month of battery life in our tests– however its app connection and tracking accuracy leave much to be preferred.

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 was sluggish to establish, and it took us numerous efforts to match our watch with the Mi Fitness app. As soon as we handled to get whatever up and running, we kept experiencing some small yet irritating connection concerns. On numerous events, the app did not tape-record our exercises or sleep correctly, and it typically took substantial time to sync our gadgets.

We were likewise underwhelmed by the precision of the Smart Band 9’s heart rate sensing unit. Throughout one exercise, we used our watch along with a Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate screen, and discovered substantial disparities in between the readings: throughout extreme workout, the heart rate worths varied by as much as 20 beats per minute. In all fairness, these distinctions were far less noticable at rest. We would not suggest the Xiaomi Smart band 9 for tracking lung-busting activities, however it might still do a fairly excellent task throughout sleep and low- to moderate-intensity exercises.

We discovered the heart rate measurements to be inaccurate throughout extreme workout. (Image credit: Anna Gora)

Xiaomi Smart Band 9: User evaluations

Amazon‘s consumer evaluations provided the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 a 4.3 out of 5 stars score, with almost two-thirds of users providing it a complete 5 star. Favorable evaluations applauded this physical fitness tracker for its long battery life, ease of usage and great worth for cash. As one user stated, “It’s just as accurate (if not more so) than the Fitbit and colorful. The settings are easy to get to, and I’m pretty satisfied with the results and tracking for sleep.”

Unfavorable evaluations typically focused on restricted performance and bad tracking precision. As one user commented, “Features for this product are very basic, minimal. There’s no GPS use during your workouts, so you can’t track where you have been and your pace. This product has a lot of potential if developed properly. Fitness enthusiasts may not like this product as much as Fitbit or Garmin.”

Should you purchase the Xiaomi Smart Band 9?

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 offsets a fantastic entry-level physical fitness tracker. (Image credit: Anna Gora )

✅ Buy it if: You are a physical fitness novice searching for an entry-level tracker, or a skilled gym-goer on a tight spending plan. The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 provides an ultra-light and compact style, loads of sophisticated health-tracking functions and a remarkably long battery life– all for less than $70.

❌ Don’t purchase it if: You desire a physical fitness tracker that provides exact heart rate measurements and GPS readings. Experienced exercisers and outside lovers might be dissatisfied by the minimal performance of the Xiaomi Smart Band 9.

If Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is not for you

If you desire great worth for cash, you can’t fail with the Fitbit Inspire 3For less than $100, this vibrant physical fitness tracker uses exceptional health tracking functions, as much as 10 days of battery life and a light-weight style. It does not include GPS.

The Garmin Vivosmart 5 is another terrific alternative to the Xiaomi Smart Band 9. It is resilient, loaded with tracking functions and comfy to use. It costs almost $150.

If you would rather buy a smartwatch, take a look at the Amazfit Bip 3 ProThis well-crafted physical fitness tracker enables you to manage a few of the functions of your phone from your wrist, and features integrated Alexa voice control. At $69.99, it likewise price-matches the Xiaomi Smart Band 9.

Xiaomi Smart Band 9: How we checked

We evaluated this Xiaomi expect 2 months. (Image credit: Anna Gora)

We invested over 2 months attempting and checking the Xiaomi Smart Band 9, taking a look at its style, functions, battery life, connection with third-party gadgets and ease of usage. We used it throughout the day, while sleeping and when doing a series of gym-based exercises, from high-intensity circuit classes to weight-lifting. We evaluated the precision of our Xiaomi Smart Band 9 by comparing its heart rate measurements with the information we got utilizing a Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate display.

Anna Gora is a health author at Live Science, having actually formerly worked throughout Coach, Fit & Well, T3, TechRadar and Tom’s Guide. She is a licensed individual fitness instructor, nutritional expert and health coach with almost 10 years of expert experience. Anna holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, a Master’s degree in Nutrition, Physical Activity & Public Health from the University of Bristol, in addition to different health training certificates. She is enthusiastic about empowering individuals to live a healthy way of life and promoting the advantages of a plant-based diet plan.

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