The Mi Band grows up

Whereas not fairly worthy of insta-buy standing just like the common Mi Band 7, the snazzier Sensible Band 7 Professional nonetheless earns its barely larger asking worth with worth additions like built-in GPS and a bigger, smartwatch-style show.

Xiaomi’s beloved line of Mi Band health trackers is synonymous with reasonably priced pricing. What actually makes them particular, although, isn’t the low barrier of entry, it’s the worth you get in return. The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 nudged the sequence’ worth up by round ~$10, however tweaks to the formulation like a brighter, bigger, always-on show and improved well being monitoring metrics ensured it was nonetheless a steal. However for the primary time, it wasn’t the one choice from the Beijing juggernaut. Xiaomi had a mannequin with additional upgrades and a smartwatch-styled look ready within the wings.

Does the larger, higher, and bolder Mi Band 7 Professional — a.ok.a. the Sensible Band 7 Professional on the worldwide stage — stretch that worth proposition too far? Discover out in Android Authority’s Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional review.

About this Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional review: I examined the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional over a interval of 10 days. The unit was offered by Xiaomi for this review.

What you could know in regards to the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional

Oliver Cragg / Android Authority

• Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional: £84.99 / €99.99 / ~$80-120

The vanilla Sensible Band 7/Mi Band 7 launched in Europe in late June 2022, however mere days later Xiaomi unveiled its second health tracker of the yr — the then China-exclusive Xiaomi Mi Band 7 Professional. It took one other 4 months for the newly-monikered Sensible Band 7 Professional to make its option to the West.

As the primary within the sequence to hold the Professional affix, the Sensible Band 7 Professional expectedly brings just a little extra to the desk than Xiaomi’s fundamental tracker because it appears to blur the strains between health band and funds smartwatch. Gone is the pill-shape design and wrap-around silicon band, changed by an oblong face with a 1.64-inch 2.5D show, a shiny metal-coated body, and quick-release bands. The bands are additionally joined with a standard jewellery clasp versus the Band 7’s pin-in-hole buckle.

The Sensible Band 7 Professional sees Xiaomi seeking to blur the strains between health band and funds smartwatch.

Whereas a number of the adjustments to the wearable’s function set are extra delicate than you would possibly count on for a “Professional” mannequin, the Sensible Band 7 Professional does carry some notable additions resembling built-in GPS assist and an ambient mild sensor. It additionally homes a bigger battery (235mAh, up from 180mAh on the Band 7) in an try and offset the bigger show.

Xiaomi’s well being and health suite is carried over virtually wholesale from the Band 7, together with steady blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring, 24-hour coronary heart price monitoring and alerts, sleep, stress, and fundamental menstrual cycle monitoring. That is complemented by a ridiculously expansive 110+ completely different actions to trace. On-board apps may also be acquainted, although the worldwide mannequin does assist Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant out of the field when enabled through the Mi Health companion app, although there are stories that this received’t work within the US.

Oliver Cragg / Android Authority

The Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional is available in both Mild Gold (pictured) or Graphite Grey, both of which may be mixed with quite a lot of strap colours. Fake-leather straps in Pine Inexperienced or Moon Grey are additionally seemingly accessible, although I couldn’t discover these on sale anyplace.

As with different Xiaomi health trackers, you possibly can’t formally purchase the Sensible Band 7 Professional in North America, nonetheless, you possibly can seize one through Amazon sellers or via import websites with out a lot bother.

What’s good?

Oliver Cragg / Android Authority

The Mi Band sequence has at all times managed to put on extra hats than you’d count on for such an affordable vary of health trackers, however its precise wardrobe has at all times been a bit missing. After seven generations of boring black tablets, the Sensible Band 7 Professional throws off its health band shackles and appears like a bonafide smartwatch; one which’s simply as suited to a brisk morning jog as it’s for informal or good put on at any time of the day.

Whereas the polycarbonate rear does threaten to undermine its premium really feel, the pronounced, curved case and metal-coated chassis are sufficient of a visible distraction for something lower than a very shut inspection. The latter will certainly scratch simpler than a real steel body, however based mostly on my expertise it’ll take a number of bumps and bruises earlier than exhibiting any apparent put on. The tempered glass additionally held up regardless of a number of mild knocks, and the anti-fingerprint coating saved any sweaty smudges to a minimal.

The Sensible Band 7 Professional’s bigger show is extra sensible and does not sacrifice on high quality.

Regardless of its elevated dimension and weight, the Sensible Band 7 Professional doesn’t really feel any heavier on the wrist. As a long-time Mi Band 6 consumer (and Mi Band 3 earlier than it), I can safely say that the extra bulk doesn’t register in any respect. Whereas it might need been good to see the addition of a crown or button — particularly now that there’s ample room — for an additional enter choice and to enrich the extra subtle aesthetic, Xiaomi’s swipes and gestures do the job simply positive at this worth tier.

Oliver Cragg / Android Authority

The stretched show provides a nice improve in display actual property with out necessitating a a lot bigger kind issue. The standard continues to be nice too; the two.5D glass falls elegantly into the body, disguising bezels that, whereas not precisely skinny, are simply ignored. Credit score to Xiaomi for additionally growing the display decision to match the pixels per inch complete of the common Band 7. Consequently, it’s simply as crisp and brilliant (with a peak 500 nits), whereas benefitting from the Professional-exclusive ambient mild sensor that can dynamically regulate the brightness to match your environment.

Xiaomi claims that the Band 7 Professional is 50% bigger than the vanilla Band 7. Huge numbers are one factor, however there’s a direct sensible benefit in that the additional area permits for 2 vertical rows of apps as a substitute of 1. The app title textual content is gone, so you’ll need to recollect what all of the icons imply within the drawer. Nonetheless, that’s a small worth to pay for not needing to scroll as fervidly to get to the right exercise kind whenever you’re warmed up and able to go. The remainder of the UI has additionally been tweaked for the bigger scale, and although the end result appears much more like a watchOS wannabe now, I can consider worse selections than mimicking the preferred smartwatch platform. The watch faces are additionally much more enjoyable, with some properly scaled repeats and a few which can be unique to the bigger Band 7 machine.

There’s a lot to love on the well being and health entrance — hardly a shock when it lifts the Band 7’s profitable formulation virtually wholesale. Resting and lively coronary heart price monitoring proved correct sufficient when examined in opposition to management units. In addition to coronary heart price alerts, the Band 7 Professional’s SpO2 monitoring may warn you in case your blood oxygen drops under 90%. It’s definitely not a medical-grade machine, however having steady SpO2 monitoring within the first place isn’t a given at this worth tier. There are tons of various exercise modes too. Maybe too many, frankly, however I’m certain somebody out there may be particularly seeking to dig deep into their checks notes snowmobile exercise statistics. It’s additionally useful to have computerized exercise detection for frequent actions — specifically working, strolling, treadmill, rowing, and elliptical coaching.

The most important improve to the health suite for the Sensible Band 7 Professional is built-in GPS. Not do Mi Band customers have to lug round their telephones to get a full image of their route and associated distance stats. It performs effectively, too. It takes a number of seconds to get a location lock, however after that, I didn’t encounter any points with connection dropouts outside all through my testing. As for accuracy, the graph above exhibits a comparability strolling route with my Galaxy Watch 4. Whereas neither machine is totally on level — each veer into folks’s homes every so often — the Band 7 Professional caught much more carefully to the precise path I took. Notably, it additionally picked up on my location far faster than Samsung’s premium wearable, as you possibly can see from the delayed blue begin line.

It is a battery hog, however built-in GPS is a giant improve for Xiaomi’s Professional health tracker.

Battery life is greatest checked out as a glass-half-full scenario. It’s definitely worse than the Band 7, which managed round every week in our testing with superior monitoring options turned on. By comparability, the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional managed round three days with the always-on show (AOD) lively, steady coronary heart price, sleep, and SpO2 monitoring turned on, and monitoring a day by day exercise utilizing the built-in GPS. The latter is the most important drain, with a lack of round 10% battery after an hour-long stroll.

Xiaomi claims that the Sensible Band 7 professional can go upwards of 12 days at a push. That is perhaps true in the event you flip off the entire monitoring and the AOD, however I’m unsure that’s essential. Switching off the AOD alone and falling again on the dependable raise-to-wake gesture instantly boosted endurance by a few days, and even two or three days on a single cost is way from the worst we’ve seen from smartwatch-type trackers.

What’s not so good?

Oliver Cragg / Android Authority

For a wearable that has “Sensible” and “Professional” within the title (no less than within the West), the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional is type of, effectively… dumb… and fundamental. It’d look fancier than the common Xiaomi Mi Band 7, however when stripped to its necessities, the performance is similar, and with no app retailer current, there’s no manner of including new apps in any respect. This creeping sense of familiarity sadly extends to the underbaked sleep monitoring, which is extremely finicky about when it truly kicks in. It additionally provides little or no in the best way of recommendation or suggestions about your sleep patterns.

Furthering the non-Professional really feel is the shortcoming to make cell funds as a result of lack of NFC outdoors of China. There’s nonetheless no speaker, both, so no calls, verbal exercise teaching, or message alerts past vibrations. And people vibrations are fearsome, and never in a great way. If the Sensible Band 7 Professional is resting on a desk and it will get a ping it appears like a pneumatic drill has gone off; it’s one of many few areas the place the Sensible Band 7 Professional feels low cost.

The Sensible Band 7 Professional is technically appropriate with two completely different apps, however neither provide the total package deal you’d hope for.

Nonetheless, the true complications come whenever you boot up the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional’s companion app. The machine pushes you in direction of the Mi Health app (previously Xiaomi Put on) through a QR code on startup, and that’s for a superb motive as a result of in contrast to older Mi Bands, the Sensible Band 7 Professional is, on the time of this writing, seemingly not appropriate with Zepp Life, f.ok.a. Mi Match — the unique Mi Band telephone app. This can be a bit complicated when you think about that the common Mi Band 7 can sync up with Zepp Life simply positive, nevertheless it turns into much more so whenever you understand that there isn’t function parity between the 2. For instance, Mi Health is locked to the metric system and can’t sync with Google Match — two issues that every one different Mi Bands can do through Zepp Life, must you want.

It needs to be mentioned that the Mi Health app provides a extra nice visible expertise as a result of Apple-like UI and homes the entire watch face customization choices. Nonetheless, I’ve at all times discovered the ever-faithful Zepp Life to be a lot clearer and fewer fussy with its presentation of health knowledge and exercises. When you may by no means use each on the identical time anyway, the lacking options in Mi Health stick out much more whenever you don’t have every other choice.

Lastly, whereas efficiency across the UI is usually slick when swiping between apps and exercise modes, the notifications tray is a complete different story. Generally it simply froze momentarily in my testing, however virtually the entire time it lagged and stuttered when trying to scroll between messages.

Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional specs

Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional review: The decision

Oliver Cragg / Android Authority

The Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional is a super-sized model of an already implausible funds health tracker. Whether or not or not it’s value it over the common Mi Band 7 comes all the way down to a easy query: is the additional expenditure value it for a health tracker that appears extra like a smartwatch and doesn’t require you to hold your telephone round on a run?

In case your reply to that query is sure, then the Sensible Band 7 Professional will likely be an incredible purchase. It’s arduous to discover a tracker with this many options at this worth. That is very true of built-in GPS assist, as well-liked choices within the worth vary just like the Fitbit Encourage 3, Amazon Halo View, Garmin Vivosmart 5, and Garmin Vivomove Sport all depend on related GPS as a substitute. Except you desperately desire a spherical face, it’s additionally a greater pseudo smartwatch than Xiaomi’s personal Watch S1 Energetic whenever you issue within the worth distinction and that they each share the identical tough software program edges (severely, Xiaomi, repair your app parity).

The Sensible Band 7 Professional takes Xiaomi’s health trackers to the subsequent stage with built-in GPS and a bigger show.

For those who do desire a extra well-rounded, dependable expertise, the closest you’ll get at this worth level is the Fitbit Versa 3 ($154.5 at Amazon) or Fitbit Cost 5 ($148.95 at Amazon) on sale. The latter is particularly engaging within the US, as whilst you can import the Sensible Band 7 Professional, it may well push as excessive as $120, which isn’t far off the Cost 5’s typical ~$130-$150 discounted worth on Amazon. The Cost 5 is undoubtedly a greater health tracker, although if yow will discover the Band 7 Professional for beneath $100 (otherwise you’re in Europe the place the retail worth is already low), you’ll doubtless discover the entire pesky quirks just a little extra tolerable whenever you bear in mind the money you’re saving.

Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional

5 ATM waterproof • Lengthy battery-life • All the time-on show

Mi Band 7 Professional turns into just a little extra smartwatch than health tracker

The Mi Band 7 Professional has a bigger AMOLED show than its predecessors. It contains 117 sport-tracking modes, all-day cardiac monitoring, and an onboard coach with pre-planned applications.

Prime Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional questions and solutions

Will Mi Band 6 or 7 straps match the Sensible Band 7 Professional

No, the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional has clip-in straps which can be fully completely different from ones which can be appropriate with different Mi Bands.

Is the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional accessible in North America?

Not formally, however you should purchase the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional through import websites and sellers, resembling Amazon.

Is the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional waterproof?Can I take advantage of the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional with no telephone?

You will want a appropriate smartphone to arrange your Sensible Band 7 Professional and sync your health and well being knowledge through an app, however you don’t want a telephone with you throughout exercises to trace all of the essential metrics as a result of built-in GPS.

Does the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional have NFC?

The NFC variant of the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional is unique to China.

Can you are taking calls on the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional?

No, the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional doesn’t have a speaker so you possibly can’t take calls on it.

Does the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional work with an iPhone?

Sure, the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional is compatibile with iPhones working iOS 10 and above.

How lengthy does the Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional take to cost?

The Xiaomi Sensible Band 7 Professional recharged as much as ~61% in half-hour in our testing.

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