Xiaomi Mi Band: Stay fit without slimming your wallet

After taking the smartphone market by storm, Xiaomi has now launched its wearable gadget, the Mi Band at a compelling price of Rs 999. But can it do justice to the concept of the fitness tracker? In a single sentence, my answer would be 'YES'. But you should still continue to read the review of the Mi Band before buying one.

Design: There are fitness bands with display and then there are ones without it. The Mi Band belongs to the latter category. Continuing with the minimalist design, there is a core, hypoallergenic band and the proprietary charger neatly packed into the box. Once charged, the core goes into the rubber band that can be strapped around the wrist.

Compensating for the display, Xiaomi has added three indicator lights that do not illuminate all the time. The built quality of the rubber strap is rather nice and doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. Unlike many other fitness bands, this one is comfortable to wear and only weighs 13 gm. This is IP67 certified rated water resistant, which means it can withstand sweat, shower and even rain.

Functionality: This isn't an expensive piece of hardware and its functionality is somewhat limited in comparison to the high-end expensive fitness bands. The primary function is to keep count of your footsteps, track the walking distance, measure the calories burnt and examine the sleep pattern.

There is some additional functionality to the band as it can also be used to keep count while jumping rope or doing sit-ups. Other than the fitness features, there is an alarm and incoming call notification too. As it doesn't have a display, all the activity can be tracked only using the Mi Fit application, which is available on Android and iOS smartphones. It works on Bluetooth 4.0 and can be paired with Android smartphones running Android KitKat and Apple iPhone 4s onwards that have iOS7 on board.

Performance: To start using the Mi Band, one must have the Mi Fit app installed on the smartphone. Once done, the app will ask you to log in to the Mi account, after which it allows you to set up the band with information such as weight, height, the hand in which the band will be worn, etc.

Once paired over Bluetooth 4.0, the band syncs the data with the app. Neat and simple, the app showcases physical activity not just in steps but also in distance covered and calories burnt, which is easy to read.

Just below this circular representation is the break-up of various sessions displaying the same information along with the time duration for each session. Swiping towards the right takes you to the previous night's data showing the total number of sleep hours.

Even this has been divided into two - deep sleep and light sleep. When the circular sleep pattern is selected, it opens a graphical representation of the last night's sleep activity, showcasing the time during which you were in deep sleep.

When skipping rope or doing push ups, the same needs to be activated from the app.

While everything is accessible through the app, there are three light notifications that do come into action at times. All three lights illuminate once the daily target of step count (as selected in the app) is achieved. As these lights are not turned on all the time, one can instantly check the status by stretching the arm and brining it close to the face. I am yet to master this trick.

The band can also be used as a wake-up alarm - it vibrates lightly to wake you up. There is an option of an early bird alarm too that wakes up 30 minutes before the set alarm time.

Last but not the least, there is an incoming call vibration feature under which the band vibrates for an incoming call. This is an optional feature that can be turned off. When turned on, the band vibrates after a few seconds (as selected in the seconds) for every incoming call, notifying the same. Through this feature I was aware of the incoming calls even when my phone was not next to me.

Battery: The biggest challenge I faced with most of the fitness bands is to charge them on regular basis. Some require to be charged daily while others every two days. But the Mi Band lasts much longer. When I started using the Mi Band, the band was 88 per cent charged. Even after using continuously for over two days, it still had 84 per cent charge. This is a big plus point as it can stay active for weeks on a single charge, eliminating the hassle of charging one more gadget daily.

Bag it or Junk it: Offers limited functionality, yet can keep you updated with your daily physical activity.

Price: Rs 999

Plus: Price, Battery

Minus: No display