Xiaomi Mi Band 3 review

It’s been 2 years since Xiaomi launched its Mi Band line on the Market. Today we bring you our review of the new Xiaomi Mi Band 3 (Check on Amazon.com).

Package

There is nothing new in the package. Just the Rubber Bracelet and the Mi Band Charging Accessories.

Design and fit

On the whole, the design doesn’t change much from the old one, and this makes this tracker recognizable as a Mi Band at first glance. There are, however, several details that show Xiaomi’s improvements on the device. The bracelet seems stronger, sturdier, and the Mi Band is better anchored to the bracelet. The main body is also bigger, both to accommodate a larger display, but also due to the existence of a protruding heart rate sensor. Needless to say, for a product that has to stay on the wrist, the increase in size is not necessarily a good thing.

What is certainly good is the increased durability that allows the Mi Band 3 to survive and operate for up to 50 meters underwater, although at the moment there is no possibility to track swimming.

It still misses Wi-Fi and GPS connectivity. Not that this is a big flaw, considering the size and price of the product. Mics, speakers, and NFC support are also absent, while the Heart Rate Sensor received an update for better readings.

Display

The Mi Band 3 has now a bigger POLED display. We’re talking about 0.78 inches and a 128×80 pixel resolution. It is also touching and so we can now easily shift through the menus. It is bigger than the one on the previous model, but what hasn’t changed is outdoor visibility. It’s pretty insane that the display becomes unusable when outside.

Software

Although there is no major change, we still find some exciting new features in the app. It is now possible to start the timer directly from your wrist, but it is not yet possible to start a workout session. It can automatically detect physical activity (even a mere walk), but it is still a function that we have felt the absence of. You can also search for your phone, not just the Mi Band.

The app is the standard Mi Fit one. Here you will be able to control many of your smart bands features, such as which apps can notify you through the band and whether to enable the various other notifications you can set and receive. You can then program the Do Not Disturb for certain time periods. When it comes to activity tracking the information we get is quite specific and the various readings are very precise especially for a product of this price. If you want to seriously track your activities this is not the product to buy, but for the rest of us, the results are more than satisfactory.

As for the notifications, they are quite on time, only the last 5 are shown but they are not in sync with the smartphone. If you read one on the phone, it will still show up on the band. The screen is bigger but the text remains very small and reading text may not be easy. But if you just want to know which apps have notified you and maybe if someone has called you or sent you a message, it can be more than handy (unless you’re outside, of course).

Autonomy

The 110mAh battery has a variable autonomy depending on the use of the only real energy-consuming component of this product: the heart rate sensor. It varies from a whooping 20 day if you don’t use the sensor to just 5 days with the sensor always on. It’s still a good result if you think about it.

Price

The Xiaomi Mi band 3 is sold for (Check on Amazon.com). A price in line with the company’s other products and set to go down in the coming months and still a bargain.

Final verdict

The Xiaomi Mi band 3 is a small update of the original model but the display’s outdoor visibility is a big flaw. If you want a Mi Band is still a good product at an extremely low price, but it’s nothing to write home about.