For less than half the price of the most affordable Fitbit, the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 offers long battery life, good activity tracking and a reliable heart rate and sleep monitor. After an entire week of testing the Mi Band 4 in Paris, it is time to write down a review. Though the name implies otherwise, this is the fifth generation of the Xiaomi Mi Band.
Xiaomi is known for its budget-friendly devices and the Mi Band 4 is more affordable than its competitors while offering similar features. With a retail price of less than 50 euros, the Xiaomi Mi Band is one of the best options when it comes to the price-performance ratio.
A basic design
The Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is nearly indistinguishable from its predecessor, the Mi Band 3, and that is a good thing. The display of the Mi Band 4 is 39,9 percent larger compared to the previous generation, but the silicone straps remain the same as the previous generation.
The bands of the Mi Band 3 are compatible with the Mi Band 4, so no issues regarding cross-generation compatibility. Some users may prefer leather bands, but these silicone straps are comfortable enough to wear, even for multiple days.
A larger full colour display
For the first time, the Xiaomi Mi Band series features a full colour display. Seen the price of the device, this is a step forward compared to the previous generation. The resolution of 240 by 140 pixels is high enough for the small screen and results in a crystal clear image.
The touchscreen is responsive and offers better visibility outdoors without blinding users in the middle of the night. If necessary, you can further increase or decrease the brightness of the screen. Xiaomi has also added an anti-fingerprint layer to prevent fingerprints on the screen.
Due to the lower price of the Xiaomi Mi Band 4, the screen is made of tempered glass. This makes the screen less strong than the more expensive Fitbit Charge 3.
User experience
The user interface of the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is rather straightforward. When you point the front of the activity tracker towards you, the screen will automatically turn on to reveal the time and the number of steps taken. By pressing the home button on the front of the activity tracker, you can also turn on the screen.
For more detailed information, you check the menu of the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 to see the distance travelled, the amount of calories burned and your heart rate. In the menu of the activity tracker, you also find a weather report and a shortcut to start your workout session.
Connected to your phone
After taking the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 out of the box, you download the Mi Fit app to pair the activity tracker with your phone. In this app you can view all your activity stats, heart rate and sleep data. If you already use Google Fit, you can synchronise your Mi Fit data with Google Fit in the Mi Fit settings menu.
The Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is an activity tracker and not a smartwatch, but you can read notifications of emails, messages or phone calls on the display. One of the best integrations are the music controls and these allow you to increase or lower the volume, play the next or previous song in your library or pause the current song.
Long battery life
One of the best features of the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is its reliable battery life. Xiaomi promises up to twenty days of battery life depending on your personal usage of the features. In reality, the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 lasts two weeks on a single charge. That remains impressive.
Even with a larger and full colour screen, the Mi Band 4 delivers longer battery life than some of the more expensive competitors. Recharging the fitness trackers requires less than two hours.
The charger is not interchangeable between the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 and the Xiaomi Mi Band 4, as the Mi Band 4 comes with a reworked charger design. Despite this change, you still have to take the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 out of the silicon band to recharge it.
Water resistant and lack of location
The Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is also water resistant up to 50 meters. This means that you can take the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 into the shower or to the swimming pool and track your workouts in the water. Other water activities such as snorkeling or diving are not possible due to the limited water resistance.
The activity tracker does not have a built-in global positioning system. This means that the device is unable to track the parcours of your outdoor activities if you left your mobile phone at home.
Heart rate and sleep monitor
For an activity tracker, the heart rate monitor of the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is very accurate. The number of steps taken is correct and almost identical to the number registered by your mobile phone.
The sleep monitor is even more impressive. In the Mi Fit app, you find an overview of the total hours of deep sleep, light sleep and time awake. It may be a surprise for some, but these were accurate and I did wake up a few times in the middle of the night in the hotel room in Paris.
Verdict
The Xiaomi Mi Band 4 retails for 40 euros and while that is 10 euros more than its predecessor, the addition of a larger and full colour display more than makes up for the added cost. At this price, the reliable activity tracker is unbeatable and competes with other devices twice its price.
Product information
Xiaomi Mi Band 4
The best activity tracker under 50 euros with good and reliable activity tracking and a decent heart rate and sleep monitor.
Retail price: 40,00 euros
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Disclaimer. This post contains copyrighted images from the Xiaomi Mi Band 4, an activity tracker developed and produced by Xiaomi. The fair use of copyrighted works for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting or research is not considered as an infringement of copyright.
I actually got this band last year and it is very accurate.
It sounds like a great fitness tracker but I have too many things that I have to charge already so I am getting the garmin vivofit 4.
I use activity tracker band and my last is just getting old and unreliable, will check Xiaomi, the image looks great and the price acceptable.
Can you get this in the USA? If so what’s the price?
You find it on Amazon for around 40 dollars. Hope this answers your question.
Wow, 2 weeks on one charge is quite impressive. My Garmin only lasts a week.
Awesome product review!