The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 does very well in the test, but there are catches worth mentioning.
Last April, Xiaomi presented the new Mi Band 8 or Smart Band 8 in China and we imported the device directly for a test. My background: I really wanted to test the new generation because of its new functions, but above all because of the much better display (brighter, now 60 Hz).
I have already written explicitly about the display in another post . It is responsive, offers a much smoother display and is easy to read even in the summer sun. Xiaomi hasn’t promised too much here, the screen is very strong for the price category 50 – 60 euros and definitely the highlight. It’s even worth switching from Mi Band 7 to Band 8.
Smart Band 8 brings together previous strengths and new hardware
Otherwise not much has changed. We get a device that is reminiscent of the last generations in most respects. In a positive sense, because Xiaomi still offers a very good fitness tracker that is sufficiently extensively equipped for tracking sleep, health and sports.
In everyday life, the Smart Band 8 is hardly noticeable, it is small and light, but the screen is larger than previous devices. I like that this tracker is still very subtle and doesn’t bother even while sleeping. Anyone who does a lot of physical activity will love the low weight and small size.
The screen is now good enough to read notifications for e-mails and messenger apps. But of course this is not comparable to a real smartwatch. This is where the paths separate, also when it comes to the range of functions. Because Xiaomi offers to wear the Smart Band 8 as a necklace or on a shoe – if the accessories were available.
There would even be the new possibility of boxing training via a big screen. But here’s the problem, I’ll come back to that later, that the Smart Band 8 is only available in China so far.
As for the battery, it can be said that the values from before may no longer be reached, but one battery charge lasts well over a week. Individually, depending on how exactly you use the Smart Band 8, it can last up to two weeks.
App has many strengths and small weaknesses
There are other snags with the Mi Fitness app, which is still not connected to Google’s Health Connect . In addition, the synchronization of the tracking data kept getting stuck for me, so that sometimes the progress recorded by the smart band was simply lost the following day and was not transferred to the app in the background. A problem that I do not know from any other tracker.
Otherwise, I find the processing of the data really successful and the app also offers me information about regeneration or progress in my training performance, some data on sleep and much more without requiring an additional subscription. It’s a good package, but it needs a bit of tweaking.
Language barrier annoys and global start remains open
It’s really a very good fitness tracker for little money that has received a good display. It can do a little more now, but to be honest, wearing it as a bracelet is enough for me. Because the new Smart Band 8 is still not available globally, I don’t have the accessories to wear it on my shoe, for example. This should enable it to track more or more precise running data.
In addition, the software is only available in Chinese. Unless you switch the language of your phone to English, then this language will also be made possible on the Smart Band 8. Unfortunately, this is a catch that ensures that I only recommend buying it when the device is officially offered globally. But that can take a while.
Xiaomi Smart Band 8
The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 does very well in the test, but there are catches worth mentioning.
