Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 7

Great. Can't argue at this price – I held out for a LONG time on smartwatches and fitness bands, mainly because there's simply not a lot out there that lasts more than a few days on a charge without being far too basic. Until now, I've forgone smart functionality in favour of quality mechanical automatics and Ecodrives. However, given the purported battery life of the Mi Band 7,… Read more

I couldn't help but give it a shot.

I've seen a lot of positive press about the Mi Band 7, and I haven't been disappointed so far. The display is suitably high-resolution and bright, even if it doesn't adjust for ambient light. The supplied strap is excellent, and the band is nice and light on the wrist. O2 and pulse readings are quick and consistent. Sleep monitoring is decent as well, although I haven't tried the "advanced" sleep monitoring feature yet. It's a nice option to have though, unlike so many smartwatches which chew their battery in a couple of days and really defeat the purpose of having any sleep monitoring chops at all... since the thing is forever on the charger!

I've tried both the Mi Fitness and Zepp Life apps. Mi Fitness is pretty at the expense of data detail, whereas Zepp Life is a bit more restrained in its interface (kinda like Google Fit) but offers a lot more easily accessible data. So, it's Zepp Life for me. Both apps tether the band and sync quickly, no worries there.

Any negative reviews I've seen have targeted lack of GPS, WiFi, messaging and the like... but you have to remember this is a fitness band, not a smartwatch, and it's priced accordingly. What's more, letting your phone do the heavy lifting with power-hungry features is the main reason why the Mi Band 7 kicks Samsung and Apple watches in the pants so hard in terms of battery life, and therefore everyday use. These things aren't like phones which go on charge every night or two... they're USELESS without at least week or so of battery, which instantly tosses 95% of the segment directly in the bin as far as I'm concerned.

The Mi Band 7 makes all the right compromises, leaving phones to do what phones do, with their more capable components. A Bluetooth connection is more than ample for configuration and customisation. At the fraction of the cost of a decent smartwatch, it's a real winner. Recommended wholeheartedly.