Review of Xiaomi Mi Band 5 - a new version of the most popular fitness bracelet

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The manufacturer corrected some of the shortcomings of the previous model, but left the groundwork for future improvements.

One of the most successful Xiaomi products is the Mi Band fitness tracker: in 2019, the Mi Band 4 sold in a million copies in just eight days. It is not surprising that the company decided to make a new version of the bracelet, because there was still room for improvement. Here's what the Mi Band 5 has to offer for sports and outdoor enthusiasts.

Table of contents

• Specifications
• Design and ergonomics
• Display and control
• Application and features
• Autonomy
• Outcomes

Specifications

Bracelet width	18, 15 mm
Adjustable bracelet length	155-216 mm
The weight	11.9 g
Display	1, 1-inch, AMOLED, 126 × 294 dots, 65 thousand colors, 2, 5D-glass with oleophobic coating
Memory	512 KB RAM, 16 MB ROM
Communications	Bluetooth 5.0
Battery	125 mAh
Supported operating systems	Android 4.4, iOS 9.0 and above
Sensors and gauges	Three-axis accelerometer, three-axis gyroscope, heart rate sensor (FPG)

Design and ergonomics

The bracelet has a traditional capsule shape on a silicone strap. The body is made of matte plastic, the front side is protected by glass with curved edges. At first glance, the design is unremarkable, but those who like to stand out can use a third-party strap. There are even metal bracelets, however, the convenience of such a solution is questionable. But accessories from previous generations of Mi Band will not fit here.

The bracelet is protected from water according to the IP68 standard - it can be taken into the shower and even into the pool. You should not, except that swim with him in the sea and jump from towers: salt water and pressure drops can damage electronics.

On the back there are biometric sensors and magnetic charging contacts. Comes with a USB charging clip. It is noteworthy that now you do not need to remove the strap to replenish the battery.

Due to its low weight, the bracelet is hardly felt on the wrist. It is also pleasing that there is a sufficient supply of adjustment at the strap, but in the heat, the hand under it begins to sweat.

Display and control

The most noticeable improvement over the Mi Band 4 is the 20% larger screen. Now its diagonal is 1.1 inches, and the resolution has increased to 126 × 294 pixels. The matrix is still made using AMOLED technology, which guarantees high contrast and energy efficiency.

Thanks to its high brightness and high-quality anti-reflective coating, the image remains readable even in direct sunlight. Nevertheless, the display of the novelty is inferior to its predecessor in terms of color: the number of displayed shades has decreased from 16 million to 65 thousand. However, given the primitiveness of the objects displayed on the screen, it will be very difficult to notice the difference.

The display supports touch control, and the Home button located underneath is the only accessory element. By clicking on it, you can return to the previous section of the system, as well as to the main screen.

Application and features

Thanks to the enlarged display on the Mi Band 5, it has become more convenient to view notifications from a smartphone: up to 11 lines of text are displayed. However, there is no way to reply to a message directly from the bracelet.

In addition, the novelty has learned to work as a remote control for shooting on a camera. Previously, you had to download an additional app to add this feature, but now it is available directly from Mi Fit.

The proprietary program provides access to all the capabilities of the device. Without it, Mi Band 5 becomes practically useless, it will not even be possible to connect it to a smartphone. In Mi Fit, you can choose from a variety of watch faces, set up notifications, turn on night mode with adjusting the brightness and activate the screen, as well as search for the device and unlock the smartphone using the bracelet.

The program collects training statistics and accompanies it with visual infographics. A total of 11 training modes are supported: running, power walking, cycling, treadmill, swimming in the pool, free activity, exercise bike, orbitrek, jump rope, yoga, rowing machine.

During the activities, the pulse, calories burned, distance, number of steps and the route taken are measured. Also, the bracelet can determine the exercise itself using the gyroscope and accelerometer and will automatically record the indicators.

The sensors on the back measure the heart rate, as well as monitor the quality of sleep and its phases. There is an alarm clock that goes off at the right time during the REM sleep phase: so it will be easier for the owner to wake up. The tracker wakes up with vibration, which has become much more pleasant compared to the Mi Band 4.

New innovations include tracking the menstrual cycle, controlling stress and breathing. But the new product does not have a contactless payment function, at least in Europe. In the Chinese market, a version of the Mi Band 5 with NFC, an oxygen sensor and a microphone for the voice assistant is being sold.

Autonomy

A 125 mAh battery is installed inside the tracker. This is 10 mAh less than its predecessor. The claimed battery life has decreased from 20 to 14 days in a sparing use scenario. If you turn on constant monitoring of heart rate and sleep, the bracelet consumes about 10% of the charge daily. It takes 2 hours to fully recharge the battery from USB.

Outcomes

The Mi Band 5 has enlarged the screen, made convenient charging, added functions and modes. However, there is no revolutionary difference from the previous model, as well as a number of useful functions in the global version: Mi Pay, an oxygen sensor and a voice assistant are available only to Chinese users.

So there is still room for improvement in the world's most popular fitness tracker. If you already own Mi Band 4, you can safely skip the new product and wait for a really serious update. For those who are just looking at such devices, Mi Band 5 will be the best choice at a very affordable price of 3,290 rubles.