Welcome to our Xiaomi Mi Band 4 Review. In this article, we will be reviewing one of Xiaomi’s newest wearables that’s been taking the global markets by storm. So let’s not waste time and let’s jump straight to our Xiaomi Mi Band 4 Review.
There are quite a few times when Xiaomi has impressed us with its value for money devices and especially with its wearables. Indicative of the good work it’s been doing, is the huge increase in the market share of wearables. A market that is characterized by fierce competition and big players.
Xiaomi Mi Band 4 Review
Value for Money
Once again we could not resist the amazing price of Xiaomi’s Mi Band 4. We use it as a basic fitness tracker and replaced our Mi Band 3.
Please note that we are talking about fitness trackers and we do not expect to see functions that we see on smartwatches, such as answering calls, messages, etc.
Mi Band 3 was one of the best fitness trackers of 2018 and the Mi Band 4 aims to improve the successful product line with some key changes. The Mi Band 4 is still significantly cheaper than other fitness trackers with similar sets of features.
The question is, do you really get something worth it or is it better to spend 50 dollars more on a competitive product? Read through our Xiaomi Mi Band 4 Review and you will find out.
Specifications
| Weight | 22.1g |
| Water Resistance Rating | 5 ATM |
| Display Type | AMOLED |
| Screen Size | 0.95″ |
| Resolution | 120 x 240 RGB |
| Screen Brightness | Up to 400 nits (max brightness), brightness adjustable |
| Colour Depth | 24bit |
| Touchscreen type | On-cell capacitive touchscreen |
| Screen protection | 2.5D tempered glass with anti-fingerprint coating |
| Button | Single touch button (wake up, go back) |
| Wrist strap type | Removable wrist strap |
| Wristband width | 18mm |
| Wrist strap material | Thermoplastic polyurethane |
| Adjustable wrist strap length | 155-216mm |
| RAM | 512KB |
| ROM | 16MB |
| Sensors | 3-axis accelerometer + 3-axis gyroscope PPG heart rate sensor; Capacitive proximity sensor |
| Wireless connectivity | BT5.0 BLE |
| Battery | LiPo, 135mAh |
| Charging Type | 2Pin Pogo Pin |
| Charging time | ≤ 2 hours |
| Standby time | Up to 20 days |
| Motor Type | Rotor |
| Body material | Polycarbonate |
| App | Mi Fit |
| System requirements | Android 4.4, iOS 9.0 or above |
Features
| Sport Functions | 6 workout modes: Treadmill, exercise, outdoor running, cycling, walking, pool swimming; Count steps, distance, and calories burned |
| Health monitoring | Workout completion notifications, goal setting, sleep monitoring, heart rate monitoring, all-day heart rate checking, resting heart rate, heart rate chart, idle alerts |
| Other features | Alarm, proximity sensor, pre-set watch face, customizable watch face, lock screen, timer, stopwatch, phone alarm, and notifications, incoming calls, message notifications, calendar notifications, app notifications, weather forecast, Find my phone, phone unlock, event notification, Night mode, Do not disturb mode (works even without phone), music controls on band, Bluetooth broadcasting, battery level display, different ways to wear, OTA updates |
Design
At a quick glance, one can say that not much has changed in the design. Xiaomi has made small and smart design changes, except for the screen where things have changed completely. The device is slightly thicker and the screen is “flat” compared to that of the Mi Band 3 which had a slight curvature.
Straps
The good news for those who had the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 and had bought straps for it, is that the straps can be used for the Mi Band 4 as well.
Charging Cable
The charging cable has also been changed. It is now located in a small case that snaps inside the band. And this year the charging cable remains quite short which we really don’t like since it doesn’t serve well when you want to charge it from your pc for example.
Screen
We are dedicating a separate chapter to the screen because this is the biggest change that has been made to the device since its existence. This time Xiaomi installed a 0.95-inch AMOLED color display.
The density of 240 pixels and the brightness of 400 nits means it’s easy to see the screen in direct light.
There are also 5 brightness levels. The ideal brightness level is 4/5. This is better for battery economy and to have a fairly bright screen.
Navigation
You can swipe up or down to select different modes or settings, swipe left or right from the clock surface to access the music controls, or swipe right to return from a different screen. You can also press the home button under the screen to return to the home screen.
Navigation is much easier and the display has a much better response than Mi Band 3 which makes the band’s biggest change more than successful.
Daily Use
Xiaomi Mi Band 4 can notify you of calls, messages, email, and almost any other notification you receive on your smartphone.
Notifications come directly to the Mi Band 4. You can’t answer any of them and because of the small screen some messages can be difficult to read, but it’s still a nice feature.
Mi Fit App
We were surprised at how many customization options Xiaomi has in the Mi Fit app. Each type of notification can be programmed with a custom vibration pattern, so you can ”feel” the difference without looking at the screen.
You can set the Mi Band 4 screen to turn on when you lift your wrist at certain times of the day. This means that the device will not accidentally turn on when you try to sleep.
After sunset (or at your preferred time), the brightness of the Mi Band 4 screen will decrease. Many fitness trackers have built-in DND functions, but the Mi Band 4 can be activated even without your phone nearby.
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Fitness Tracking
Mi Band 4 tracks all the basics: the steps you take, the distance you travel, the calories burned, your heart rate, and sleep. It doesn’t have a built-in GPS, so the distance measurements won’t be very accurate if you’re only going to run with your band. However, it comes with a feature to track your workouts with your phone’s GPS.
Sleep Tracking
The Mi Band 4 Sleep Tracking feature allows you to record your status of sleep, pretty accurately. We tested it and we can say with confidence that it accurately records sleep information every night and it has date analysis that shows data such as deep sleep and low heart rate etc. These data are going to help you adjust and improve your sleep habits.
Heart Rate Accuracy
Another great featured that we really liked it is Mi Band 4 heart rate accuracy. One of our staff members had it on for like some time and he told us that in periods of high-stress Mi Band 4 alerted with a small vibration. You can of course switch this setting off if you don’t like it.
Training Modes
Another area where Mi Band 4 stands out is the number of training modes it has. You can attend the following exercises: treadmill, outdoor running, cycling, walking, swimming in the pool, and general workout.
This may not seem much, but its predecessor was not able to be used for swimming in the pool or for general exercises.
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Swimming
Speaking of swimming in the pool, the Mi Band 4 can recognize five different swimming styles and record 12 different data sets, such as the swimming rate. It also has waterproof certification up to 5ATM (50 meters).
Battery
Xiaomi Mi Band 4 battery power is at 135mAh and according to Xiaomi is enough to power your band for 20 days and the device takes less than 2 hours to fully charge.
Impressive considering that we now have a color screen with higher requirements. We noticed that with intense use and training monitoring, the Mi Band 4 lost from 3% to 5% in one day.
So the 20 days Xiaomi says is an achievable goal. Of course, as with all devices, the usage that people does plays a role, so if you choose to measure your heart rate every 10 minutes and make intense use in general, you will have a shorter duration than someone who measures heart rate every 30 minutes or has a little lower the brightness of the screen.
READ ALSO: Top 100 BEST Things To Buy With 100 Dollars (2020)
Conclusion
The main competitors of the Mi Band 4 are considerably more expensive and in many cases, they have – at least – twice the price. We managed to find the Mi Band 4 at 27 dollars from AliExpress or for 35 dollars from Amazon.
This is an incredible price for what you get and we have no problem recommending the Mi Band 4 to those of you looking for a basic fitness tracker.
Every year, Xiaomi adds more features to the composition of the Mi Band series and keeps price increases to a minimum. With an improved look, more exercise profiles, and a low price, the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is one of the best cheap fitness trackers you can get your hands on.
If you need a cheap fitness tracker or just want to upgrade from a previous Mi Band device, you should seriously consider Xiaomi Mi Band 4.
This is the end of our Xiaomi Mi Band 4 Review. Please share this review to your social media buddies – if you feel that this review helped you make an informed decision.
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