Xiaomi’s original Mi Band was a catalyst for affordable fitness trackers. The setup initially didn’t even have a display (it got one in 2016 with the Mi Band 2), or a heart rate sensor – it was as barebones as it gets.
Now in its 9th generation, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 features a 1200-nit display with Always-On functionality, a high-quality heart rate sensor (which Xiaomi claims is 16% more accurate than in version 8), and a new linear vibration motor for better haptics. Compared to series 8, the new band has a larger battery and a brighter display.
What is missing? Built-in GPS. For that you would normally get the Pro model with a larger screen, but Xiaomi is yet to announce the 9th generation version – probably soon.
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 comes in four colors – pink, black, white and blue – and costs €40 for the non-NFC model. It comes with its own magnetic charging cable
You can purchase the additional Smrt Band 9 running clip (€10) and the two-tone leather strap (€25). Please note that if you have a Xiaomi Smart Band 8 with a running clip and upgrade to the Smart Band 9, you will also need the new running clip due to minor size differences between the two trackers.
We tested running with the Smart Band 9 strapped to our shoe and on our wrist and found a deviation of less than 5%. However, having the band on the wrist to periodically check your heart rate and pace wasn’t ideal.
Leather strap and running clip
Xiaomi sells a number of different straps depending on the market: you can choose silicone, leather, metal or even magnetic. Or you can find a third-party option online – you’re actually spoiled for choice.
Design and build quality. display
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is made of metal (although there is also a special ceramic version) and weighs only 15.8 grams strapless. It has a water resistance of 5ATM (50 meters).
The design hasn’t changed at all from the previous version and you get the same 1.62-inch screen diagonal with a 192x490px resolution, although the panel is twice as bright at 1,200 nits.
It’s a welcome improvement: the panel is easy to read in bright sunlight during the day and makes for a much more useful flashlight in the dark.
There is an optical heart rate sensor on the back of the Smart Band 9 that Xiaomi claims is 16% more accurate than its predecessor. It can monitor SpO2 (also called blood oxygen saturation) and stress with breathing exercises. There’s also an accelerometer and gyroscope for motion tracking and an ambient light sensor for the display.
The TPU strap is easy to attach: you just need to press it into place. To remove it, press the release lever on the bottom of the strap.
The strap is not the easiest to attach to your wrist and only fits properly if it is securely fastened. When it’s loose, the band moves around your wrist, which isn’t the most comfortable experience.
The screen is very good. We left it on auto-brightness and it managed to remain consistently readable in all lighting conditions. It lacks any form of anti-reflective coating, but is bright enough to be easily visible outdoors.
There are 11 pre-loaded watch faces to choose from and an endless catalog of third-party watch faces to download. Despite its narrow and long aspect, you can easily find a face that suits your needs. This editor wanted a large clock, date and battery indication and had no shortage of options.
There’s an always-on display mode that’s customized for every watch face we tested. By default this is set to Smart, which turns off the AOD when you are not wearing the band or sleeping.
Features, fitness and sleep tracking
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 uses the Mi Fitness app. The ‘Mi’ is a strange holdover from Xiaomi’s previous life – these days, all of the company’s products drop the Mi name.
Still, the app works well. It includes your health and fitness information, along with your smart wearable menu and settings.
To navigate the user interface, swipe. Swipe left or right to view your different widgets – Alarm, Timer, Heart Rate, Weather, Music – swipe down on the home screen to view notifications and up to open the training menu. You can create custom widgets with the features you want, which is useful.
A big part of smart wearables is notifications. You can choose which apps can send you notifications and set a Do Not Disturb mode, but you can’t respond to notifications on the band.
The Smart Band 9 supports more than 150 fitness modes, although we couldn’t find any ‘Football’ modes. Of course you can use ‘Freestyle’, but it doesn’t specifically show your step count or distance traveled after the race. You must select this independently from the step menu.
Adjusting the SmartBand 9
We used the Xiaomi smart Band 9 for several training sessions during our few weeks of testing the device. The training screen shows your heart rate and heart rate zone during a session. You can’t tell the display to stay on all the time, which is a shame, but it responds quickly when you turn your wrist. Exiting a workout is cleverly done – you need to hold the Limit Switch for a few seconds – so you don’t accidentally end a session in the middle of the workout.
Due to the lack of GPS, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 must connect to your phone to find location data. You can still use the tracker without a phone, but you won’t get location data with your workouts.
Fitness tracking
Sleep tracking on the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 was not particularly well controlled. You can get a detailed overview of your sleep in the Mi Fitness app, but on the Smart Band 9 itself, our sleep stages were displayed in percentages, and not hours or minutes. There is no way to change this and we found it very restrictive.
Then there’s the deep sleep reading, which is overdone. This editor gets about 30 minutes to an hour a night, according to every Huawei smartwatch and Galaxy Watch he uses. Xiaomi’s reading of over 3 hours is unfortunately inaccurate.
Track sleep
Battery life
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 has a 233mAh battery, which Xiaomi claims can last up to 21 days with normal use, and up to 9 days with AOD on a single charge. It will be fully charged again within about 1 hour.
We tested the Smart Band 9 with an always-on display, notifications enabled, all-night sleep tracking, and about three to four 1-hour workouts per week, which is pretty rigorous usage. To our surprise, the Smart Band 9 lasted no less than 7 days after charging. That’s an impressive running time.
Conclusion
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is a no-brainer if you need a smart wearable to track your basic fitness parameters and give you the time and notifications. Version 9 isn’t a bad upgrade over its predecessor, with a much brighter screen and a bigger battery.
The staying power of the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is confidence-inspiring and you’re more likely to forget when you last charged the thing rather than suffer battery drain as a result.
The small form factor is also the best if you’re serious about tracking your sleep: the Smart Band 9 is truly unobtrusive.
Serious runners should probably look elsewhere due to the lack of GPS – Xiaomi will release a Smart Band 9 Pro with GPS, which should be better suited for that.
Positives
- Very affordable
- Well built and solid
- Clear display with always-on mode
- Functional software, lots of customization
- Excellent battery life
- A strong range of fitness and health features
Disadvantages
- No GPS on board
- Overly optimistic reading in deep sleep