Xiaomi Smart Band 9 hands-on: Small yet worthwhile improvements make it stand out
If by chance you’re in the market for an affordable wearable, you’ve probably come across the Xiaomi Smart Band 9. This is the latest iteration of Xiaomi’s smart band line, succeeding the Smart Band 8 from last year.
Retailing at RM199, the Smart Band 9 boasts minor but worthwhile upgrades over its predecessor, all while sprucing up the range of stylish interchangeable straps it has come to be known for.
We were privileged enough to have a brief week or so with the Smart Band 9, so if it’s on your radar, here’s what to expect.
General specs and performance
Xiaomi has carried over much of the core features of the Smart Band 8 to the Smart Band 9. This means you’ll get all the essential health sensors, including important ones like heart rate monitoring, SpO2 measurements, stress tracking, and sleep monitoring.
In addition to that, there’s also the Vitality Score which gives you an overall overview of your health over a 7-day period. This takes into account your health measurements such as heart rate and exercise sessions, so for this to fully be accurate, you’ll have to slap the Smart Band 9 for a full-week without taking it off.
Your readings, by the way, can be viewed though the smart band itself. However, as with all smart bands, you are limited to a very small display. More specifically, a 1.62″ AMOLED display with 192×490 resolution. The big upgrade here is that the Smart Band 9 now has a peak brightness of 1,200nits which makes it sufficient enough to view under the afternoon sun.
The Smart Band 9 is, of course, compatible with the Mi Fitness app that provides a comprehensive breakdown of your health measurements and workout sessions. On that, the band supports over 150 sports modes, including popular workouts such as HIIT, Pilates, pool swimming, spinning, and running.
The band does not have a built-in GPS though, so you’ll have to haul your phone along for runs if you want to track your routes.
One impressive feat of the Smart Band 9 is its battery life. Xiaomi has packed in a larger 233mAh battery here, claiming that they have extended its typical usage to 21 days. In comparison, the Smart Band 8 had a 190mAh battery with a typical usage of 16 days.
We also managed to get lengthy spells with the Smart Band 9 without batteries dropping to drastic levels, even with some workouts and runs fitted in.
In terms of functionality, the Smart Band 9 hits all the benchmarks it needs to hit at that price segment. The one thing I do wish it had is a button. Most smart bands have a multipurpose button that acts as both an on/off and home button. That’s missing here, which means you’ll need to swipe left from whichever page you’re on until you reach the home page.
Other than that though, everything else is good in my books.
Strap choices
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 comes in either Silver, Black, Pink, or Blue, with matching TPU straps included in the box. However, Xiaomi also offers a variety of straps in different styles. For this year, there’s a choice of a braided orange strap, a magnetic brown strap, a white and orange leather strap, a silver Cuban chain strap, and an asymmetrical metal strap.
You can also convert the smart band into a necklace with the silver pendant chain or clip it to your shoes with a running clip (we’ll get into this in a bit).
We didn’t get the chance to test all the straps, but we were lucky enough to be sent the asymmetrical strap with our smart band. This is the strap you snap on for the formal and classy outings. Build-wise, it has some weight to it, befitting its deep gunmetal grey finish.
It’s solid and stylish, but it’s also very thin and perhaps more suited to a feminine aesthetic.
Running Clip
We were also sent a running clip along with our Smart Band 9. This supposedly offers an alternative way of tracking your runs by clipping the smart band to your shoelaces, almost like a running pod.
In this case, it was a little too bulky for my liking, and no matter how fastened your shoelaces are, the clip still bounces around irritatingly. Also, do keep in mind that since the band is no longer on your wrist, you lose out on crucial tracking stats such as your heart rate and blood oxygen levels.
It’s a good idea to try and emulate running pods, but you’re better off just leaving the smart band on your wrist if you ask me.
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