We live in an age where many health-conscious people like myself exist who like to keep track of everything related to our health and fitness. A fitness tracker is an incredible means to evaluate the data of our body and health. Likewise, fitness bands also aid in motivating us to achieve our fitness goals. There are various options to choose from in the present market, but I prefer Mi Band 5.
Mi Band 5 from Xiaomi is an affordable and advanced choice with outstanding features and specs. Xiaomi has been able to continue its popularity in the fitness tracker market with the arrival of MI Band 5. Moreover, it has received considerable upgrades and added features in comparison with Mi Band 4.
Comparing on the basis of price and features, the leading products in the fitness tracker market find it hard to compete with Mi Band 5.
What Are The Features of Mi Band 5?
Furthermore, we will discuss in detail the features that you will be getting in Mi Band 5 from Xiaomi. The features are as follows:
Design
Looking at the design, Mi Band 5 is visibly similar to Mi Band 4. It has the same polycarbonate tracker with the simple TPU plastic strap. You can customize your strap as per your liking.
These straps are also available in navy blue, yellow, black, teal, mint green, pink, and orange colors, so be ready to choose. Further, the strap is dependable as it holds the tracker firmly until you separate the two yourself.
Likewise, you can customize your display screen as you like with the available animated watch faces by connecting to the Mi fit app on your cell. The dimension of the device is 155-219mm adjustable length and weight of 11.9 grams.
Moreover, you can find the heart rate monitor on the back as usual. The overall appearance of the design is comparatively less attractive than its competitors like the Fitbit charge 4 or the Huawei Honor Band 5. But, the device looks well-built, classic, and you will feel comfortable when it is on your wrist.
Display
Mi Band 5 comes with a 1.1 inch AMOLED touch screen with 126×129 resolution, which is larger in size and resolution than the previous Mi Band 4. Additionally, it has a larger display area and resolution, meaning more clarity for you to observe.
The glass is 2.5D reinforced glass with AF coating to prevent your accidental scratches. You will find the home button just below the touch screen, whose primary function is to wake up the fitness tracker.
Xiaomi has also increased the size of the icons for your visual convenience in the daylight.
Likewise, the brightness has also been improved as it offers 450 nits from 400 nits of its predecessor Mi Band 4. It means the maximum level of brightness is more than enough for sunny days in the outdoors.
Battery and Charging
Xiaomi includes a bigger battery cell of 125 mAh in Mi Band 5 but offers slightly lower battery life.
I suppose this is the result of having a larger screen display, more added features, and a stronger tracking system.
But, the introduction of the impressive magnetic charger makes up for the lower battery life. Furthermore, you do not have to separate the pill from the strap for charging as the magnetic charger automatically snaps in the charging port of the tracker.
As a result, you can enjoy the battery life of 14 days in normal mode and 20 days of battery life in power saving mode.
Water-Resistant
Mi Band 5 provides you water-resistant capacity up to 50m. This gives you the freedom to engage yourself in the activities that include contact with water, whether it be swimming, surfing, or simply washing dishes while having it on your wrist.
New Sports Mode
The sports mode in the Mi Band 5 helps you to keep track of your fitness activities. Previously, Mi Band 4 consisted of 6 sports modes i.e., treadmilling, outdoor running, outdoor cycling, power walking, and a general tracking exercise mode.
In contrast, Mi Band 5 has an impressive additional 6 new sports modes i.e., pool swimming, elliptical, yoga, freestyle, rowing machine, jump rope.
For more accurate tracking, I advise you to connect your fitness tracker with the Mi Fit application. If you do not use the Mi fit app, then the data from your band can turn out to be wildly inaccurate due to which I highly recommend you to connect the tracker with the app.
Improved Sleep Tracking
The Mi bands were previously unable to support your 24×7 sleep monitoring. Your afternoon naps were not monitored by the fitness tracker. However, Mi band 5 has eliminated the problem as 24×7 sleep monitoring with PPG(Photoplethysmogram) biosensors, which is one of its important upgrades.
Now, your afternoon catnaps, as well as the long night sleeps, will be accurately monitored with the help of the Mi Fit app. You will also be able to get more insight into your sporadic sleep pattern and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep patterns.
Just strap the fitness tracker to your sleep, and have a nice dream, leave the work on your fitness tracker.
Women’s Health Tracking
I come from a family consisting of lots of women. So, I know how important it is for women to keep a good track of their health. Xiaomi has included women’s health tracking function in the Mi Band 5, which in my opinion, is one of its impressive and important new features.
It not only supports monitoring of your monthly cycles and your ovulation phases, but it also provides timely predicted reminders for your convenience.
Remote Camera Shutter
The Mi Band 5 comes with a remote camera shutter button. For this reason, you will be able to snap those beautiful solo selfies and happy group photos with just a touch of the shutter button on your fitness band. If you are a person like me who likes to include everyone while taking a photo, then believe me, you will love this feature.
PAI Scoring
The PAI(Personal Activity Intelligence) feature in Mi Band 5 is for enhanced tracking and overall assessment of your health. This function is not only tracking your health but also gives ratings through scores of 0-100 based on your heart rate, workouts, stress level, and physical activities.
You will not only find it easy to keep accurate track of your health by connecting the Mi Fit app with your fitness tracker, but you will also get many behavior tagging in the app.
Supports NFC And Voice Assistant
The NFC(Near-Field-Communication) feature has been added only in the Chinese version of the Mi Band 5. Similarly, you will get to experience this feature for your convenience to “Tap to Pay” in your transactions.
But, the same feature is absent in the global version. Likewise, the Chinese version supports XiaoAI voice assistant while the global version does not support any voice assistant feature.
Blood Oxygen Tracker
The Mi Band 5 comes with the SpO2 (Saturation of Peripheral Oxygen) sensor for tracking of the oxygen saturation level in your blood. The sensor will read the oxygen saturation level every second in 8 hours i.e., approximately 28,800 readings in 8 hours span. Additionally, the spO2 sensor, along with the sleep tracking feature, works to provide more precise reports on your sleep.
Sensors
High-tech sensors like PPG heart rate sensor, NFC sensor, 6-axis sensors(3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis accelerometer), barometer, and digital MEMS microphone sensors are present in Mi Band 5.
Likewise, partnering with the sensor functioning and its analysis with the Mi Fit app will enhance the accuracy rate of the metric data. What’s more? It is quite amazing that a small capsule of a fitness tracker contains this much-advanced technology.
Specifications Of The Mi Band 5
| Display | 1.1-inch AMOLED color touchscreen Display resolution: 126*29 Display color depth: 16 bit |
| Material Used | Thermoplastic Polyurethane(TPU) strap Polycarbonate plastic case with aluminium band buckle |
| Dimensions | Body dimensions: 46.95 × 18.15 × 12.45 mm Body net weight: 11.9 g Adjustable length: 155219 mm |
| Water resistance | Yes. 5ATM |
| Memory | 512KB of RAM 16MB of flash memory |
| Heart Rate Monitor | Yes |
| SpO2 Sensor | Yes |
| NFC | Yes |
| GPS | Yes |
| Sleep Tracker | Yes |
| Microphone | Yes |
| Battery | 125mAh [Lithium-ion polymer] 14-day battery life |
| Connectivity | No Wifi Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Supported Systems | Android 5.0 or iOS 10.0 and above |
| In the box | Band body x1 Band strap ×1 Dedicated charging cable x1 User manual x1 |
| Other Features | Gyroscope Barometer Proximity sensor Digital MEMS microphone |
Branding Mi “Smart” Band 5
Xiaomi has termed this fitness tracker as Mi “Smart” Band 5 rather than just Mi Band 5. You must be wondering, “Is this fitness band that smart in reality?” Well, we can safely agree with the entitlement of the tracker as a smart band while comparing it with its rivals in the market of the same price line. The presence of features like the Voice assistant, spO2 sensor defends the device’s smart band title.
But, these features are present only in the Chinese version and excluded in the global version. This does not mean that the global version is not deserving of the same status as its Chinese counterpart. Thus, you will find that the features present in both of the versions are enough for the whole brand to be called Smart.
There are many diversified advanced features like heart rate sensor and stress monitoring sensor, the accuracy of the metrics, and the various other common features. In my opinion, looking at the affordability of the device and the services it provides, it is more than enough for me to agree with the statement of Xiaomi.
Is MI Band 5 Worth The Upgrade From MI Band 4?
I am positive up until now, some of you must be in a dilemma whether you should upgrade to Mi Band 5 from Mi Band 4. Then, let me clear your dilemma. Xiaomi has equipped the Mi Brand 5 with impressive new upgrades both in the hardware and software.
Hardware Front
Speaking of the hardware front, the screen of the device is bigger and better. The Charging system is better with the introduction of the magnetic charger. The battery is also larger in size i.e., 125 mAh from its previous 110 mAh battery of Mi Band 4, and the sensors in the device are more precise in monitoring the metrics.
Software Front
In the case of the software front, new attributes like women’s health tracking are commendable. You are sure to love the additional new sports modes like yoga and elliptical. The PAI health scores act as your fitness goal motivation factor. Finally, there are many attractive animated watch faces to choose from as per your wish.
Why should I Buy MI Band 5?
The decision of buying or not buying the Mi Band 5 depends on some few simple factors which are as follows:
Buy Mi Band 5 If You Are Looking For
Generally, we will buy only those products that fulfill our needs and wants. If you are looking for the following factors in a fitness band, then you should buy Mi Band 5.
Affordable Fitness Band
Mi Band 5 is one of the most affordable fitness trackers on the market compared to its rivals like the Fitbit Charge 4 and Honor Band 5. You and your wallet will be happy to save some bucks by buying the device.
Great Screen Quality
The Screen is comparatively bigger and better in quality than most of its competitors. And you will find it very easy to view your data when you are outdoors.
Smart Watch And Fitness Tracker Hybrid
The state of the art technical attributes of the Mi Band 5 will provide good tracking assistance to your activities. You can expect to get more accurate data from this device.
Do Not Buy Mi Band 5 If You Are Looking For
There is no point in buying a product that does not suit your taste or fulfills your expectations. If you are looking for the following factors, then Mi Band 5 is not for you.
Stylish And Attractive Design
The design of Mi Band 5 is simple and plain. Hence, you can certainly find another more attractive fitness tracker like Honor Band 5.
Need Of Accurate Data Without App Support
If you are looking for a fitness tracker that gives precise and accurate metrics without any app support, then Mi Band 5 may not be what you are looking for. It is dependent on the Mi Fit app on your android or iPhone to give more accurate metrics.
NFC Feature
Though the Chinese version of this device consists of the NFC feature for payment, the global version of the device does not consist of this feature. So, it depends on which version you can get your hands on.
What Is The Difference Between Chinese Version Of Mi Band 5 And The Global Version Of Mi Band 5?
Xiaomi’s Mi Band 5 has two versions, one is the Chinese version, and another is the global version. Both of these versions have most of the same impressive upgrades and features. But, the Chinese version has the following extra features than the global version.
- NFC Feature
- SpO2 Monitoring
- Voice Assistant
Final Verdict About Mi Band 5
Generally, Mi Band 5 is an outstanding fitness tracker considering its nature of affordability, its outstanding features, and the accuracy of the data output. The previous owners of the Mi fitness band will adore its new features and upgrades.
Moreover, It is comfortable, customizable, cheap, easily accessible, and user friendly for your convenience. There are only a few minor differences between the Chinese and the global version in terms of features, but both of the versions are easily able to excel what you expect from the device.
