Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 tested: a temptingly affordable fitness tracker
21.8.2019
Translation: machine translated
The fourth edition of Xiaomi's fitness tracker has been given a name extension. However, the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 continues to focus on a low price. The only cheaper way to get a wearable with heart rate measurement is with the previous models.
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 not only measures your heart rate, but also counts your steps and analyses your sleep. You can also track six activities - jogging, treadmill, cycling, walking, training, pool swimming - and then there are the smart functions.
Smart display, bulky shape
The Mi Smart Band 4 is easy to put on. The clasp holds well, but can still be opened without any problems. However, my wrist doesn't seem to have met the designers' expectations. The strap is either too tight or too loose for me. But maybe that's just my personal bad luck.
What I don't like is the elongated shape of the tracker. It doesn't fit snugly on the wrist, but sticks out stiffly and firmly. It lacks a little rounding for a comfortable fit. The Mi Smart Band 4 is also surprisingly thick and protrudes high from the arm. I notice this when putting on a jumper. The fitness tracker sticks more in the cuff than the larger-looking Fitbit Ionic.
Compared to its predecessor, Xiaomi claims to have enlarged the display of the Mi Smart Band 4 by 39.9 per cent. Nevertheless, it still feels like it only takes up half of the top of the fitness tracker. The rest is just black and houses the "Back" button below the display. The AMOLED display can be set bright enough to be easily recognisable in sunshine. The colours are vibrant. However, the font is quite small. This isn't a problem when you're looking at it in peace and quiet, but I wasn't able to check the current data with a quick glance while doing sports.
The Mi Smart Band 4 is operated via its touchscreen. You swipe through the user interface and tap when you want to select an item. Overall, I found the structure clear and easy to understand. You can always go back by tapping the button below the display. You can also use it to switch the screen on - if you have not activated automatic switch-on when you move your arm.
The automatic activity detection of the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 is not as advanced as some of its competitors. It only recognises different walking paces and no other activities such as cycling or swimming. Fitbit and Garmin are better in this respect. But they also charge more for their wearables.
Long battery life makes up for the lack of smart functions
To charge the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4, you have to take it out of its wristband and place it in the charger provided. I'm still waiting for USB-C or at least micro-USB to become the norm for wearables. Until that happens, the Mi Band is no worse or better than the competition. And since the battery of the Mi Smart Band 4 lasts an extremely long time, you only need the charger every few weeks - and therefore less often than the competition. In my case, the fitness tracker used almost exactly 33 per cent of the battery charge in a week.
The Mi Band 4 does not have integrated GPS. This means that you have to have your smartphone with you when jogging or cycling so that the wearable can get the location data from it. However, when tested, this only worked if I started tracking in the app. If I took the practical route and started activity monitoring on the smart band, the app only received fragments of GPS data if I was lucky.
The Mi Band 4 has earned the "smart" moniker by displaying notifications from your smartphone and allowing you to control the music on your mobile. However, the notifications do not save you from having to reach for your smartphone. You only receive information about which app is vibrating in your pocket. For the music control to work, you have to activate the app notifications for the Smart Band in the Mi Fit app. This is not self-explanatory, but then works without any problems with streaming services such as Spotify or apps such as DoubleTwist.
Conclusion: First cheap, then good
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 is not perfect, but it is still very attractive due to its low price. You can easily spend twice as much on wearables from other manufacturers that can measure your heart rate.
The biggest plus point of the Mi Smart Band 4 is its long battery life. However, it is only worth buying if you are satisfied with counted steps, heart rate measurement and sleep monitoring. The fitness tracker has comparatively few functions and not all of them work perfectly.
If you need a fitness tracker that you can wear not only for walking but also for training, I recommend taking a look at the wearables from Fitbit and Garmin. Namely the Fitbit Inspire HR or the Garmin Vivosmart 3.
When I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.
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