The original Mi Band 7 is good in many ways, but Xiaomi have become hostages of their own format, which has become the hallmark of the series. Indeed, the elongated case looks stylish, but it is impossible to fit enough information on a narrow screen. And the overall miniaturization does not allow to increase the battery to provide power to the GPS. The solution was found – the release of an advanced fitness tracker in a rectangular case with a large screen. Meet Xiaomi Band 7 Pro.
Specifications
- Screen: 1.64 inches, OLED, 456×280 pixels, 326 PPI, ambient light sensor, Always-On support.
- Health: Pedometer, heart rate monitor, pulse oximeter, stress level, sleep phase tracking, VO2 max exercise capacity, post-workout excess oxygen consumption (EPOC).
- Sensors: optical heart rate monitor/pulse oximeter, 6-axis motion sensor (accelerometer and gyroscope), navigation (GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo and QZSS).
- Communication: Bluetooth 5.2, NFC.
- Battery: 180 mAh, fast charging.
- Dimensions: 44.7 x 28.8 x 11 mm, 20.5 grams without strap.
- Waterproof: 5 ATM (submersible up to 50 meters).
Design and screen
The difference in the format is fundamental, now there is no capsule that is immersed in the strap. Instead, Xiaomi switched to a more traditional rectangular case with a silicone strap. The dimensions are noticeably larger than any of the fitness bracelets, but still fall short of smartwatches. The bracelet weighs 20.5 grams without a strap versus 13.8 grams for the Band 7 and is not felt on the wrist.
The upper part of the Band 7 Pro is framed in gloss chrome, below is a monolithic matte bath. It’s all plastic and resists wear and tear quite well. There were no marks on the curved 2.5D glass either.
If it seems that the description of ergonomics refers to the Huawei Watch Fit, the feeling is not at all deceptive. They are very similar externally, conceptually and functionally. It is clear where Xiaomi drew inspiration from.
If we compare the screen diagonal with the usual Band 7, the difference is insignificant – 1.64 inches versus 1.62 inches. However, in reality, the increase is significant, because the new screen has become much wider and now accommodates whole words in large print. Another innovation was the light sensor, the brightness is adjusted independently. By the way, compared to the Band 7, the novelty is a little dimmer, but OLED remains readable in any case.
5 watch faces are pre-installed, only 1 of which is digital. There are already enough third-party skins, the variety is chic. However, due to the lack of the Russian language, there may be hieroglyphs on the dial, or the date format may be incorrect. All themes are free and support their Always-On variant.
What is the Band 7 Pro good for?
The increased display area made us reconsider the design, now both the text and all the graphic elements are proportionally large – you don’t have to look closely. There are no architectural changes, the system is still sharpened for swipes, there are no physical buttons on the case. But the speed of work has not improved: the animations slow down, the system is unpleasantly thoughtful. In one of the updates, responsiveness was slightly tightened, but it still cannot be called a reference. Despite this, now the Band 7 Pro is perceived as a much more convenient gadget, and in a couple of weeks I have developed different use cases. First of all, I note that I wear the bracelet 24/7, including at night to monitor sleep. I only take it off to take a shower. Although the case is protected (5 ATM) and can withstand immersion to a depth of 50 meters.
Watch. Oddly enough, it is convenient to watch the time on the Band 7 Pro. If you activate the Always-On display, then a quick glance at the screen will be enough to read the information. Although now under the summer sun, the gray and small Always-On dials can be lost, they lack brightness control by sensor. It looks like Xiaomi is doing its best to conserve battery to stretch battery life.
The device to which all notifications and calls are received. Dozens of notifications come a day and only half of them are important. I transferred the messages that should not be missed to the bracelet (it is possible to select only the necessary applications), and the smartphone switched to silent mode. The enlarged display has benefited, now the messages fit entirely. But they are not grouped in any way, but are collected in a common endless list. Notifications from Telegram are duplicated, there are no such problems with VK, WhatsApp and Viber.
Trouble-free and silent alarm clock. It works on time, experiments with “smart” algorithms are in the past. Ignoring a prolonged vibration on the wrist is impossible even for those who are very sound sleepers. She is also silent to those around her. Although in fact the vibration response could be richer. The bracelet is content with the simplest eccentric motor.
Workouts and activity tracking. It is very nice to see a notification about passing 10 thousand steps at the end of the working day. It is a pity there is no barometer that would count the floors passed. But the long-awaited GPS appeared in Band 7 Pro (as well as GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo and QZSS). Navigation makes the device more autonomous, because now you can track walking, running or cycling without the need for a smartphone. It also became available to create a track while swimming in the open. It takes at least 20 seconds to search for satellites during a cold start, the connection is not lost. But Mi Fitness does not have a map of Russia, so only the path without a background is displayed. There is no solution yet, it is necessary to wait for the appearance of a global version, adapted including for Russia.
Health monitoring functions are completely inherited from the standard Band 7. And a heart rate monitor, and a pulse oximeter (blood oxygen saturation SpO2), and an assessment of the level of stress, and tracking sleep phases. Indicators can be taken regularly at a specified interval or continuously. Athletes will appreciate the VO2 max exercise capacity estimate and post-exercise rest recommendations for Post-Workout Excessive Oxygen Consumption (EPOC).
There are also additional features. Sometimes a timer, a stopwatch and a search for a smartphone come in handy. I also like the flashlight feature that floods the screen with bright white light. Useful in situations where you need to find something in the dark, and the flash LED on your smartphone is too bright.
Operating time and charging
The enlarged body made it possible to increase the battery capacity to 235 mAh against 180 mAh for Mi Band 7. However, this did not increase the real autonomy, quite the contrary. In the round-the-clock wear mode, the bracelet lives for about 12 days. If you activate Always-On on a schedule from 8 am to 10 pm, then only 3 days. Training with GPS consumes additional charge, when using it, you can discharge the bracelet in a couple of days, or even in a day – be prepared for this.
Review after a month of use
The new Band 7 Pro is a big step forward for Xiaomi fitness bands. All improvements compared to the regular Mi Band 7 are positive. The rectangular format has benefited usability: the fonts have become larger, and notifications are easier to read. Yes, and GPS has long been asking for a fitness bracelet from Xiaomi. However, Huawei Watch Fit has been on the market for a long time in exactly the same format and with navigation support. Therefore, it is impossible to consider the novelty a breakthrough relative to competitors, especially given the problems with the slowing down interface.
Especially now there is no global version of Xiaomi Band 7 Pro and firmware with Russian language. Only Chinese bracelets with an English interface, Cyrillic support in notifications and useless NFC for Russia are sold. When setting up such a bracelet, you need to switch the smartphone language to English, and in Mi Fitness you need to select the Chinese region. The menu of such a bracelet will include the Chinese voice assistant Mi AI, as well as Alipay and WeChat payment services. In other words, I advise you to wait for the announcement of the global version of Xiaomi Band 7 Pro and the release of the Russian-language firmware.
Advantages:
- the long-awaited built-in GPS;
- more convenient rectangular format;
- always-on support;
- automatic detection of workouts;
- moisture protection IP68 (5 ATM);
- great autonomy.
Flaws:
- notifications without emoji and feedback;
- annoying interface.
Points of contention:
- lack of Russian language in the interface.
Source: Trash Box
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
