Smartwatches are getting, well…smarter. Apple adds great new features to the Apple Watch every year, and the Apple Watch Series 8 is a compelling option for iPhone users. Google has finally launched the Pixel Watch, which is quite an entrance into the market. And Samsung has the Galaxy Watch 5, which many consider to be the best smartwatch for Android users. So, the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro has an uphill battle ahead of it.
The Smart Band 7 Pro is built to be the Apple Watch for Xiaomi users, and has some compelling fitness-tracking features. It also seems to bridge the gap between the fitness trackers in Xiaomi’s past, and the smartwatches of today. Oh, and it costs a whole lot less than that competition.
How close does the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro come to really competing with the Apple Watch Series 8 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5?
Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Good battery life
- Good basic fitness features
- Decent design
Cons
- Not super accurate
- Software isn’t great
- A little slow at times
Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro design and display
The first thing to notice about the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro is its design. The device doesn’t quite look as fashionable as the Apple Watch or the Pixel Watch. Instead, it looks like a middle-ground between traditional fitness trackers, with a longer display that’s closer to the width of the band than other devices. Of course, given the price, it’s hard to complain about wanting a premium design though.
That’s not to say that it looks bad, though. I actually don’t mind the design at all. I do prefer the look of full-on smartwatches, but I still find the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro to be relatively good-looking. Sporty, but good looking.
The device has removable bands, and by default, comes with bands that fit the color of the body. Speaking of the body, there’s a metallic-looking top half, and a plastic bottom half, with the fitness-tracking sensors on the bottom.
The display on the device is 1.64 inches, and it looks pretty good. It gets bright enough for most situations, and and looks relatively detailed. You can enable an always-on display, which will basically just show a clock when you’re not actively using it, but this will impact battery life.
Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro specs and sensors
Under the hood, the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro offers a number of health and fitness sensors, including a heart rate monitor and a blood oxygen sensor. There’s also an accelerometer and gyroscope for activity tracking.
It’s a solid selection of sensors, but not as great as some other options. Many devices these days offer an EKG sensor and temperature sensor, and I’m hoping to see these features on more and more devices in the near future.
For basic fitness-tracking, the Smart Band 7 Pro does the job perfectly fine, but not incredibly accurately. The device did the job for basic heart rate monitoring, but didn’t seem to track sleep very well. For example, it said I slept 8 hours and 21 minutes a night when my Apple Watch only detected 7 hours and 39 minutes. That’s a full 40 minutes different, and I trust the Apple Watch much more than the Xiaomi device.
Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro performance
The performance of the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro is…not great. The device stuttered a lot from the moment I first set it up, and it made for a relatively frustrating experience overall.
Now, for the most part, smartwatches do things in the background — and you’ll simply look at your watch and have it track activity without intervention. But if you want to do things like initiate workouts, you may find yourself needing a little more patience than you would on other smartwatches.
Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro battery and charging
The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro comes with a battery that Xiaomi says can last 6 days of heavy use and up to 12 days of typical use. Indeed, I was able to use the device for much longer than an Apple Watch or Pixel Watch without having to charge — which is a pretty big deal.
Of course, there are things that will impact the battery life of the phone. Notably, if you turn on the always-on display and tweak some of the fitness-tracking settings, you’ll notice a lowered battery life. But even then, you should be able to get at least a few days of use out of the Smart Band 7 Pro, which is super helpful.
The charger is a little annoying to use, though. Unlike the puck-shaped chargers of the Apple Watch or Pixel Watch, you’ll get a pin-based charger that you have to line up to use properly. Considering the fact that you only have to charge every few days, it’s not as big of an issue — but still something I hope Xiaomi improves on.
Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro software
The Smart Band 7 Pro comes with a custom-built Xiaomi operating system, and it’s…not great. It’s hard to navigate, forces you to scroll through random menus, and often doesn’t properly register touch. It also looks a little dated.
Once you get used to it, the software still mostly does what you would want it to do, and you’ll learn how to get to the features that you use regularly.
The Smart Band 7 Pro also comes with Alexa, which is a nice addition. That allows you to control smart home devices and access information from the web with your voice. The device is a solid choice for those in Amazon’s ecosystem.
Conclusions
The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro isn’t quite as premium as some other smartwatches out there. The design is a little bland, the software experience isn’t great, and the fitness-tracking isn’t very accurate. But then you take the price into consideration. In most regions, the device comes at around $100, and it seriously takes out the competition at that price.
The competition
There really isn’t all that much good competition at the sub-$100 price range. If you’re in the market for a smartwatch and want to spend as little as possible, then this is an excellent option.
Should I buy the Xiaomi Smart Band?
Yes, but only if you don’t want to spend more on something more premium.
Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Good battery life
- Good basic fitness features
- Decent design
Cons
- Not super accurate
- Software isn’t great
- A little slow at times
More coverage: Check out our Xiaomi 12T review
