Every other year we get a chance to see the successor of the most successful fitness band from Xiaomi with Mi band series. Last year we got the new Xiaomi Mi Band 3 which arrived with a better display and extra features. Now Xiaomi has finally introduced the successor with Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 or Mi Band 4 which will be using a Colour AMOLED display for the first time ever.
So in this post, we will tell you whether the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is the best fitness band under sub-3K segment. Do note the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 unit is not a review unit and is the retail unit purchased through Amazon. The Xiaomi Mi Band 4 has been tested almost 15 days before writing this review.
Unboxing & Set up:
Let’s begin with what comes inside the box. We have got the Mi Band 4 itself along with strap and USB to proprietary port cable for charging the device. Setting up the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is pretty simple just download the Mi Fit app from Google PlayStore before proceeding and select the option of search devices by turning on the Bluetooth.
Once it pairs than just set up the device as new and syncs the data from the phone to the watch in just a few seconds. Voila, you are ready to go.
Look and Feel:
As expected the new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 comes with an all-plastic body and features a Heart rate sensor on the back of the device. It does have a proprietary pin for charging the device on the bottom of the device. The device just comes with regular Mi strap which we even found on the previous generation of Mi Bands and one can buy a different colour of straps from Mi.com. Overall the new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 looks similar to previous generation in terms of design and weighs lighter at just 22 grams.
Display:
For the first time ever the new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 comes with 0.95 inches AMOLED Colour display when compared with Monochrome display on Mi Band 3. Do note that the new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 will also feature a single button below the display to move back or move to the home screen on a single tap. Similar to Mi Band 3 the new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 also features touch display where one has to swipe right or left. The company has mentioned that the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 comes with 2.5D tempered glass on top of the display along with anti-fingerprint coating but it hardly works as we can find the fingerprint marks on a regular basis.
The new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 also comes built-in brightness option where one can set the brightness level under the settings panel. Sadly, the device doesn’t have an auto-brightness sensor and one has to adjust the brightness manually. Anyway, considering the price of the device we can’t expect such features. Overall the display is bright and at full brightness, it can be clearly visible in direct sunlight thanks to AMOLED display. One can turn on or off the display buy just raising your hand.
Features:
Further, the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4Â also comes bundled with tons of features like 24/7 Heart rate monitoring, App and incoming calls notification, one can now set the alarm directly from the band, DND feature and also tracking the Sleep. Due to the Colour display the new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 gets an extra addition of unlimited Watch Faces which can be downloaded via Mi Fit app and sync it through Bluetooth which can be applied directly from the band.
The new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 also tracks steps and distance but it’s not accurate similar to the previous generation it always shows additional steps which might be major let down and Xiaomi has still not fixed it. So one looking for accurate step and distance count just ignore this band and is not for you. It also has some additional exercise, cycling and swimming mode to track the activity which works as expected but not accurate.
One can even control the music directly from the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 so we have the option to skip, pause and play directly from the band and not just that one can even increase or lower the volume. Apart from this, the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 also comes with IPX4 rating making the device dust and water-resistant up to 5ATM. So one can even take the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 while swimming which is plus point.
Sleep tracking data from the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 are accurate when compared to the predecessor. Alarm & find my phone feature works flawlessly and also comes with additional Idle alerts if one sits for more than 10-15 minutes. The new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 also shows the Weather forecast directly on the Home screen.
The new DND mode makes the new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 work without the need of mobile. The Heart Rate monitor feature works flawlessly and shows up the accurate data every time. So finally we can expect the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 perform better when compared with other fitness bands.
Battery Life:
The new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 packs 135 mAh LiPo battery which last almost 15-18 days on a single charge which is impressive for any band with colour AMOLED display. So one can charge once and foget for 15 days as per usage!!
Verdict:
The new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is for those who need the fitness band just to look at the time and receive a notification with an option to control the music player and is not recommended for hardcore fitness freak as the Step count and distance measurement are not that accurate. Overall the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is best fitness band under the price tag of Rs.2299/- Hope Xiaomi can fix the step detector through a software update if possible then I can even recommend for some fitness freaks. Here is the link to buy the new Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 https://amzn.to/31RrXOy
