We have analyzed the new Xiaomi smart bracelet, the most expensive to date, which comes with the challenge of continuing to be an enjoyable quality-price alternative. After spending a few days with it on our wrist, we are clear about how it behaves, so we are going to detail everything you need to know about this
Screen: more extensive, brighter
The panel is one of the main improvements in this Xiaomi Smart Band 7. We went from 1.56 to 1.62 inches, with a slight jump in resolution that takes this OLED panel up to 192 x 490 pixels (compared to 152). x 486 pixels in the previous generation). The brightness goes from 450 to 500 nits, a practically invisible jump but one that is always appreciated.
One of the novelties in this generation is that the screen Always has an On Display. This is activated after a few seconds and works quite well; move the bracelet slightly to start the sphere again. We must consider that energy consumption will skyrocket with this active mode. During our test, we had it deactivated.
As in the last generation, the screen is excellent. It’s razor-sharp, looks great in harsh sunlight, and is everything you could ask for in an intelligent wristband display in this price range.
We miss that Xiaomi incorporates automatic brightness in its Mi Band. Otherwise, the panel is excellent in maximum brightness, contrast, and sharpness.
The only drawback that drags is that it does not have automatic brightness, so we have chosen to leave it as it comes by default: about half the maximum brightness. Indoors it dazzles a bit, and it will be necessary to manually lower the brightness, a somewhat tedious procedure (you have to open the settings, go to the screen, illumination, and drop it).
Design: an old acquaintance with a larger size
At the design level, there are not too many changes in this Smart Band 7. We still have a bracelet made up of a strap and a pill, the latter being the device itself. Compared to the previous generation, we are facing a device that weighs just 0.5 grams more and does not feel much more significant. The material is still a rubbery plastic that feels quite good on the wrist.
As in the Mi Band 6, the tablet can be removed to change the strap. As models with slight differences in size, the Band 6 straps are incompatible with the Mi Band 7. With this design practically identical to last year’s, removing the tablet from the belt is unnecessary to charge the device since It has a magnetic coupling at the bottom for this purpose.
Despite being a little larger, the Mi Band 7 is still a light bracelet, very comfortable in hand, and designed not to bother daily.
It is not a premium bracelet, nor does it claim to be. Carrying it in your hand is very comfortable, after a few minutes we forget that we are wearing it, and the closing system (the same as the previous generation) is simple and effective. We can adjust it for any wrist, and we recommend that it be quite tight if we want to maximize the accuracy in measuring health values.
Looking at the tablet from behind, we find the device’s sensors and magnetic pins. It isn’t much else. The Mi Band 7 does not have a speaker, buttons, or microphones. It’s still a simple device on the inside and simple on the outside.
Performance and experience: remarkable, although without a leap forward.
Xiaomi wristbands continue to grow in size, but the experience remains virtually identical. First of all, note that there is an essential consideration with the app to link it. The Xiaomi manual leads us to download Mi Fitness; this is the official app to connect and use our Xiaomi bracelet.
However, if you want to take the Mi Band to its fullest, we recommend going through the pairing process with Zepp Life, an app used on Amazfit/Zepp devices. This is the true evolution of the classic ‘Mi Fit’; it offers much more complete metrics and works better. For this analysis, we have stuck to Mi Fitness, as it is the app recommended by the manufacturer, but with Zepp Life, we will have a much better experience.
Mi Band 7 Sports Measurement
When opening Xiaomi Fitness, we find the main screen that summarizes practically all the points the app monitors: sleep, heart rate, steps, calories burned, time lifted… We can configure these main screen elements to leave only those that interest us.
We can choose, from the same model, how often you will perform the measurements. In our case, we have left everything either permanently or automatically (if it detects that we are doing sports, it will measure the heart rate more frequently). We can give it some respite with the measurements if we want to prioritize autonomy.
Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Review: My Fitness
Regarding the analytics of the app, they are pretty complete. Training shows the calories burned, training time, average heart rate, and a graph of respiratory behavior.
Sleep measurement is also not lacking in information, giving us the total time, distribution of sleep by phases, and even a score on our breathing. There is no lack of measurements such as blood oxygen or stress, so we can activate notifications when the values are abnormal. We don’t have to worry about having to consult these data manually.
The summary of how well (or poorly) we are at the health level is summarized in what Xiaomi calls PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence). In a value from 0 to 100, the Band tells us if we have a high or low PAI. The objective is to have the PAI as high as possible, a small challenge to stay close to 100 each week, although it is not very relevant.
