Xiaomi Mi Band 8 (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Official Store: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xiaomi-M2239B1-Band-8/dp/B0C3B42Q29
With Xiaomi considered as one of the tech giants in the world now, where would it be with it not releasing a new fitness tracker!? The Xiaomi Mi Band 8 released in China on April 8th; and it went going global today, September 26th, starting at 40 EUR. In this review I'm going to talk about what's good, what's smart and what to watch out for.
The first thing I asked myself when I open the package was: how do I turn it on since without any physical buttons? The answer, which I shortly figured out is that you need to use the provided charger which turns on the device the second it has charge. Next thing I noticed was the display quality which I was very impressed with; especially considering my last watch was a Casio watch. It might as well be a good display as you need to use it to do everything from the initial set up to starting to track your fitness. The design of the band is very sleek and feels very nice indeed. It also has removable straps, which is a welcome addition. With Xiaomi sending me a white strap, I'm sure will go nice with my white fur coat which I do wear from time to time.
Unlike a regular smartwatch, this smart band doesn't have NFC and is not able to download apps from the Playstore or any other App store; so you are stuck with its preinstalled apps. But for the 40 EUR price point, you shouldn't be complaining. The battery life is amazing in my opinion as I'm used to not charging a device every night before I go to bed. This positive change somewhat feels odd these days.
To use its main purpose of being fit, you need to download its Mi Fitness app on your smartphone, and you are good to go. The app itself is loaded with stuff from tracking your steps to your sleeping patterns among many other features. These work towards your goal of being fit; and I'm sure after a while of using the Mi band with the fitness app, you can improve yourself even more.
The Mi Fitness app has many features which you are able to change for your own goals and fitness level. One of them being the ability to track your steps. It also has the ability to track your sleep, which I thought was very interesting considering I sleep better than 90% of people my age and I wake up in the morning thinking I need 7 more hours of sleep.
The other interesting preinstalled apps included things such as heart rate, blood oxygen, stress levels, and your Kcal (calories) output. It also has many other useful features like the ability to check the weather where the data is pulled from your smartphone and the ability to control the music you are listening to without having to take your phone from your pocket. The Mi Fitness app also has a marketplace for other band displays, with many to choose from. I would have thought they would be at a price, but they seem to free; at least the ones I want to use. Normally, themes or display in this case would cost money.
As I've had this Mi band for less than a week, I want to see if it will help with improving my fitness over time and how the device fares in terms of longevity which I couldn't do in this short time. That said, I will create a thread on to reflect on these aspects in the main forums in another date. But for the 40 EUR price, don't expect too much out of the Xiaomi Mi band 8 but at the same time it is more than enough for its purpose. I was speaking with the other mods about this, and the great p1ngpong said that it's not too much of a smartwatch, so you can have a real watch on the other wrist. Maybe it's time for me to get a Rolex on the other wrist...
Verdict
- Price point
- Weight of the device
- Display
- Customization in general
