We like gadgets here at the Ausdroid team, while Android Wear is popular, not everyone out there has been convinced to make the jump, preferring to check out other options. One of those options came in the form of the super cheap, yet apparently highly functional Mi Band from Chinese phone maker Xiaomi – at the price it was hard to pass up the opportunity, so I thought I’d try it out.
The Mi Band is a really simple, light weight and comfortable design which covers the basics really well. Unlike some of the other competitor devices it doesn’t do any sort of time telling, gps tracking or heart rate monitoring; it monitors your movement and (if you choose to leave it on overnight, your sleep.
To use the band and the above features, you’ll of course need the Mi Fit app which is available to download from Google Play. Once installed, you’ll need to setup the app with a few basic functions to ensure you’ve got goals set as well as an alarm if you choose to do so, from there its as simple as link the Mi Band to the app on your phone and wear the Mi Band.
As you progress through the day, there are three led lights on the top of the device that progressively light up as you reach
- 1/3 of your goal steps for the day
- 2/3 of your goal steps for the day
- Completion of your goal for the day
the LEDs also display in red when the battery on your Mi Band is critically low, although with a claimed battery life of 30 days + you’re not going to have to recharge your device often. I can say that after 2 weeks with the device, still reporting at over 60% battery, I’d say pretty confidently that the claim is probably conservative.
Out of interest, over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been using Google Fit on my phone/Moto 360 as well as wearing the Mi Band to see how accurate the Mi Band is. Working on the knowledge that they monitor movement only, there’s no other sensors available to the Mi Band the difference of up to 7% on any given day (Mi Band showing more activity/steps than Google Fit) I’d say that is something of an impressive result.
The Xiaomi Mi Band isn’t intended to compete with the top end FitBit style of devices, but if you’re looking to get an activity monitoring device and don’t want the complete set of features that you get from a more expensive device; the Mi Band might just be for you.
You can pick one up from the Ausdroid Shop for $34.95
Have you invested in an activity tracker, have you opted out or are you waiting for the right device at the right price?
Hey Phil,
I may have a use for these (and their new scale if available) does the app support sharing of all data, eg If I was friends with you could I see your steps ans weight?
Hey Phill, the Ausdroid store link isn’t a proper hyperlink?
Fixed, sorry about that.
These articles make me very sleepy.
My girlfriend and I both have them and they do pretty much everything I need. 30 day battery life, step and sleep tracking, vibrating alarm and it works as a trusted device. There may be more features with the other bands but I don’t think there is anything in those features that I’d actually pay for.
Here is a free tip: if getting the bands for both of you was your “idea”, go into the jewelry store ASAP and get her a nice piece of gold or platinum to make her forget all about it. If it was her idea… wow… now you are in a really hard place, you will need a new girlfriend.
My wife and I both have one of these, this is our first fitness trackers and so far I’m pretty impressed. No fancy bells and whistles, yet does a solid job.