The Mi Band series of fitness trackers has been around for years now having debuted in 2014. Since then, this line has grown to define its segment in the market and while the competition is heating up, the mi Bands remain an endeared line of product.
Recently, we have seen the launch of the Mi Band 7 and Mi Band 7 Pro and while global shipments slowly begin to pick up pace, we thought we’d look at the top 5 features of this fitness tracker.
Related:
- The difference between Xiaomi Mi Band 7 and Mi Band 7 Pro
- Mi Band 6 vs Mi Band 7: What’s new with the Xiaomi Mi Band 7
Bigger Display and Always-on Display
So, Fitness trackers have always had a small footprint on your wrist, unlike smartwatches. This has often come at the disadvantage of not having enough screen real estate to offer any meaningful interaction between the user and the fitness tracker.
Over the past few iterations we have seen Xiaomi pushing the bezels to offer a smaller footprint and a bigger display and on the Mi Band 7, Xiaomi pushes this even further. The Mi Band 7 features a 1.62” AMOLED Display.
Xiaomi also enables the Always-on Display feature meaning you don’t have to wake the fitness tracker every time you want to have a glance at your vitals or the time. This is a long overdue feature that we’re glad is now available.
Bigger Battery
With a bigger display, and an Always-on Display function, we need a bigger battery to keep things running. The Mi Band 7 now comes with a 180mAh battery vs 125mAh on the Mi Band 6. This is a massive 44% increase from the previous generation.
This also means an increase in the weight of the device from 13.5g from 12.8g on the Mi Band 6.
More Sports Tracking features
Xiaomi says that the mi Band 7 now supports 110+ Sports Modes. Can you name 20 sporting activities? I can’t. These include a wide varity of sports modes to help you keep a track of the burned calories, heart rate changes, and workout durations, regardless of what activity this is.
With this, the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 becomes a more appealing option for even more people as chances are that their specific workout is now supported. Granted, for many of these activities, the metrics that the band tracks are a little limited but that’s to be expected. Still, a welcome addition. The more the merrier.
Continous SpO2 tracking
Previous Mi Bands and even Xiaomi watches, have had the ability to track your blood oxygen saturation for a while now. However, in the interest of battery life and accuracy, this has only been tracked when you’re asleep, or on demand.
The Mi band 7 now adds support for continuous tracking so you get measurements and alerts throughout the day. This should offer users a more detailed insight into their wellness.
GPS
Older models have had to piggy-back on your smartphone’s GPS lock to track your runs, cycling routes and walks. This often puts strain on your phone’s battery as it has to maintain a GPS lock and relay the same to your watch via Bluetooth.
Not to mention the fact that you have to have your phone with you for these runs and workouts. Not anymore with the Mi Band 7. The device now has GPS so tracking these runs and walks should be a lot more seamless. Of course, your band’s battery will take a hit but that’s a small price to pay.
Color Options
Technically not a feature but adds to the device’s versatility. This time, Xiaomi offers the Mi Band in many other color options aside from the traditional black we’ve come to know and love.
- Ivory
- Orange
- Green
- Blue
- Black
- Pink
- Fluorescence Green
- Fluorescence Orange
- Camouflage Green,
- Camouflage Blue.
Conclusion
As mentioned, the Mi Band 7 is a gentle, evolutionary upgrade over the Mi Band 6. As such, the Mi Band 7 doesn’t offer many drastic new features over its predecessor. It, therefore, does not make sense for users of the Mi Band 6 to upgrade to this version. however, users of the Mi Band 5 or older models might be happy with this one.
The Band 7 is listed on various e-commerce sites at prices ranging from $40 wit discounts and promos to around $65.00 on Amazon.
Also note that the Mi Band 7 Pro is available, although only in China at the moment with no reports on whether it’ll make it to the global market. Mi Band 6 users itching for an upgrade might want to pick one of those instead.
Related:
- The difference between Xiaomi Mi Band 7 and Mi Band 7 Pro
- Best Fitness Trackers and Bands You Can Purchase in 2022
The fitness tracker market has no shortage of options and we’ve talked about some viable options in 2022 so you might want to check out the post linked above. For a list of other Xiaomi smartwatches and how they compare, check out this post.
Do you have any favorite features that come with the Mi Band 7? Do you have a preferred fitness tracker aside from the Mi Band? Tell us in the comments section below.
