On 29th September, Mi announced the arrival of the much anticipated MI Band 5. Previously, in early September, Mi launched the Redmi Smart Band but this is the upgraded version of the highly-rated Mi Band 4.
The new Mi Band 5 went up for sale on 1st October for just Rs 2,499. I ordered it on the very first day and thanks to Amazon’s quick delivery, I got it on the very next day, i.e. 2nd October.
I have been using it for the past 4 days and now I will like to share my experience with you and hope this review will help you to decide whether to but the Mi Band 5 or not.
In the box
The box contains 1 fitness band, 1 charging cable and 1 user manual.
Specifications
- 1.1” Full touch AMOLED colour display
- The battery runs up to 14 days on a single charge
- Magnetic charging – Hassle-free charging
- PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence) – Single matrix to track your all fitness-related activities
- Tracks 11 professional sports mode (including Yoga and Rope skipping)
- 5ATM Water Resistant and up to 50 meters
- Run on the go with Automatic activity detection (Running and Walking)
- Stress monitoring with Guided breathing exercise to lower the stress level
- 24X7 Sleep monitoring along with REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep monitoring
- Women health monitoring, Unlimited Watch faces
- Smart Features: App notifications, control music, manage your calls, check weather, alarm, idle alert, locate your phone etc.
Connectivity
The first thing you need to do is to download the ‘Mi Fit‘ app from the Google Play Store and then sign in with your Mi account. After downloading you need to open the app and add a device and select the Mi Band 5. You will get a pairing request on the band, which you need to accept and then you’re good to go.
The Mi Fit app is required to customise everything on your Mi Band 5. You can also check all the fitness activities and health measurements in the app.
You will also get hundreds of watch faces in the store which you can sync with your band according to your mood. Along with this, you will get all the options to customise your band and use it as you desire.
Design and build quality
The design is pretty similar to its previous edition, Mi Band 4. The display is slightly bigger and the curves of the screen are visible but the straps are the same. The design and loop-and-clip mechanism of the strap are exactly like its predecessor.
The Mi Band 5 fits almost perfectly on the wrist. On the downside, it houses a heart rate sensor and a charging port. The build quality also feels premium. The two rubber straps don’t feel to be of cheap quality and you won’t run any risk of having skin allergies by wearing this band for prolonged hours. The band is also water-resistant up to 50 metres.
Display
The most notable change of the Mi Band 5 from its predecessor is its display. The band features a 1.1″ AMOLED colour touchscreen. The screen on the Mi Smart Band 5 supports 100% of the P3 colour gamut.
The display is also bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight. But there is no ambient light sensor, so you will have to adjust the brightness manually.
The touchscreen is pretty accurate. It won’t miss a single touch and is also sensitive. So overall, the display is quite satisfactory.
Charging and battery backup
There has been an upgrade in the charging of the Mi Band 5 from its previous editions. Mi has now introduced magnetic charging, so you don’t need to remove the strap to charge the band. Just don’t lose the magnetic charger or else you’ll be in trouble.
Mi claims the battery will run for two weeks which is less than the 20 days battery backup of the Mi Band 4. Although, they also claim that you can surpass the 20-day mark if you use the band in power saving mode.
From my personal experience, the band took around 1 hour to go from 0-100 per cent charge, which is pretty quick. And once you’re done charging it to full, you won’t need the charger at least for the next 10 days. I have been using the band for the last 4 days and it is still on 87% charge (I’ve put it through average use). So you can definitely get 10-14 days of battery backup.
Functions
Mi has put in a lot of new features in the Mi Band 5 and has improved the earlier features. You just have to swipe up the screen to get the menus.
You’ll get the following options:
- Status – It shows the steps, distance covered, calories burnt and idle alerts. It is near about perfect in measuring the steps.
- Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI) – It is a measure of real fitness based on age, gender and existing fitness levels.
- Heart rate – It will help you in monitoring your heart rate. The accuracy of the heart rate sensor has also been increased.
- Notifications – If you have enabled receiving notifications from the MI Fit app then it will show the latest notifications from your phone.
- Stress – It will give you the measure of your stress.
- Breathing – It will help you with a breathing guide to ease out your stress.
- Events – It will display all the reminders and events which you have set in the MI Fit app.
- Weather – It will give you the current weather as well as the weather forecast of the upcoming days.
- Workout – MI has introduced 11 workout modes: Outdoor running, Treadmill, Cycling, Indoor cycling, Walking, Elliptical, Rowing machine, Yoga, Jump rope, Pool swimming and Freestyle.
- More – Here you will find the options of the setting an alarm, turning on DND mood, controlling your phone’s camera, music, stopwatch and change your band display and brightness. There are lots of options and features for the Band.
- Cycles – The band also has a very useful women’s health tracking feature. It records the menstrual cycles and ovulation phases and gives timely reminders.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Great display | Less battery life than Mi Band 4 |
| Magnetic charging | No NFC |
| PAI and 11 workout modes | No SpO2 sensor |
| Women’s health tracking | |
| Improved sensor |
Verdict
From a personal viewpoint, Mi has done a very good job in upgrading the Mi Band 4. The new Mi Band 5 is the best fitness tracker you can get for Rs 2,499. If your budget is less than Rs 3,000, then this is the perfect buy for you.
If you’re impressed with the Mi Band 5 after reading this review, hurry up and order it right now from Amazon. Buy from here:
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