Xiaomi Mi Band 7 buyer's guide: Everything you need to know

The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is the latest device in the company’s long but reliable line of affordable fitness trackers. Like the devices before it, the latest Mi Band builds on the improvements of its predecessor without asking consumers to break the bank. While other products now challenge the budget fitness tracker segment, the Mi Band 7 is in a great position to retain the best affordable tracker crown for another year. Here’s everything you need to know about the Xiaomi Mi Band 7.

Xiaomi Mi Band 7: At a glance

The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is the seventh major revision of the company’s affordable fitness tracker series. It first launched in China and was officially made available on May 31. Xiaomi announced its global rollout plans a month later. Xiaomi’s also referring to the Mi Band 7 as the Mi Smart Band 7 in international markets.

As usual, Xiaomi doesn’t just sell one Mi Band model in all countries but has different options for its home market and the rest of the world. Kicking off the offering is the standard version, priced at 249 Chinese yuan (~$37). The NFC version follows at 299 yuan (~$44). In Europe, the Mi Band 7 starts at €59.99 ($63). Those in the US can purchase one for ~$50.

The Mi Band 7 upsizes several Mi Band 6 features. It packs a larger battery, a bigger screen, and more sport tracking modes. There are also new features for serious physical trainers, continuous SpO2 monitoring with alerts, and several new colors. The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is available in Ivory, Orange, Green, Blue, Black, Pink, Fluorescence Green, Fluorescence Orange, Camouflage Green, and Camouflage Blue.

Xiaomi also announced the Mi Band 7 Pro in early July, deviating from the usual Mi Band design and aesthetics. The wearable is available in Europe and the US as the Smart Band 7 Pro for €99 and $119, respectively.

Is the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 worth buying?

The Xiaomi Mi Band series has long set the pace for other budget wearables to follow. In that sense, it’s a no-brainer to purchase the Mi Band 7 if you are shopping for an affordable fitness companion for your wrist. However, you should think twice if you already own a Xiaomi Mi Band 6.

On paper, the Mi Band 7 excels in several areas, but the Mi Band 6 will likely still serve its users well for months if not years to come. So, should you upgrade if you already own a Mi Band 6? Not immediately, anyway.

We’ve yet to fully review the Mi Band 7, so we can’t quite comment on its real-world pros and cons, however, it’ll likely suffer from inherent Xiaomi problems, like the confusing multiple app situation.

That said, you’ll need to remember that the Mi Band 7 is an entry-level fitness tracker, so expect it to lack several higher-end features you’ll find on premium smartwatches and fitness trackers. This includes sensors like an ECG, smarts like onboard music storage or music streaming, and message replies. If you don’t need these features and are simply seeking a basic fitness tracker, the Mi Band 7 is a solid bet.

What reviewers are saying about the Xiaomi Mi Band 7

The Mi Band 7 received a generally favorable review from Android Authority‘s Kaitlyn Cimino. Kaitlyn appreciated the added polish over the previous model, but lamented the lack of some much-requested additions, like onboard GPS and NFC.

“Even with a small price hike, the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 continues the brand’s legacy of delivering elite entry-level fitness trackers. It packs a bright, colorful display and offers plenty of basic features in spite of how cheap it is. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, (or the band, I guess), but it stays steady in the tools it does offer,” she wrote. “While not a huge generational leap over the Mi Band 6, the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 does the essentials just as well and with some added polish to keep pace with the competition.”

What other reviewers think

• Wareable‘s Michael Sawh felt Xiaomi missed a trick by not providing any big updates. “It aspires to perform more like a sports device, yet it lacks GPS and a level of heart rate monitoring during exercise to deliver on that front,” they wrote. However, they noted that the Mi Band 7 still offers “a good fitness tracking experience overall” provided you can find it at the right price.
• XDA‘s Ben Sin noted that even with the price increase over the Mi Band 6, the Mi Band 7 is an “easy recommendation for those looking for a good value fitness tracker.” That said, there is some criticism for the lack of upgrades on the newer model.
• Finally, Notebookcheck‘s Marcus Herbrich noted that the Mi Band 7 is a case of “wasted potential.” “The only really new feature compared to the predecessor is the larger screen in combination with the always-on display function, which could provide real added value for some users, but we still see a lot of room for improvement here,” they wrote.

Design, hardware, and smart features

Xiaomi’s resisted the urge to make major aesthetic tweaks to its Mi Band formula over the years. Looking at the Mi Band 7, you won’t notice too many overt differences compared to the Mi Band 6. However, there are some stark hardware changes.

The most obvious is the screen. The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 uses a 1.62-inch AMOLED with a 490 x 192 resolution. Compared to the Mi Band 6’s 1.56-inch AMOLED with 486 x 152 resolution panel, that’s a noticeable size up. With this larger display, Xiaomi’s also improved the UI, bringing in new icons, animations, and a revised visual aesthetic that should make peeking at data easier.

With the larger screen comes a greater demand for power. To compensate, Xiaomi’s upped the battery capacity in the Mi Band 7 to 180mAh. That’s a 44% increase over the Mi Band 6. Of course, the larger capacity doesn’t immediately guarantee the Mi Band 7 will last longer between charges. As we experienced with its predecessor, smart features do a good job draining the battery. We expect continuous SpO2 tracking to be one of the main power hogs.

The Chinese Mi Band 7 model features NFC with Xiaomi’s voice assistant. It also supports contactless payments. It’s unclear if global models will also receive NFC or the return of Amazon Alexa to the wrist. This would be a welcome addition, though.

Fitness and health tracking features

Despite the lack of visual tweaks, there is a definite focus on improving the Xiaomi Mi Band 7’s fitness and health tracking kit this time around. The new band includes 120 sports tracking modes. That’s likely more than any one user would employ, but it’s great for multisport enthusiasts on a budget.

Joining these new modes is a new focus on training metrics. The Mi Band 7 can monitor training load, recovery duration, and training effect. These three factors help contextualize the impact exercise has on the body and make for a more complete picture than simple metrics like calories burned. VO2 max monitoring is another new feature to monitor maximum oxygen intake and continuous SpO2 monitoring to keep tabs on blood oxygen saturation levels. The Mi Band 7 will also alert users if this figure falls below 90%.

Beyond these new features, all the basic fitness tracking smarts make a return. Heart rate monitoring, daily steps, distance, caloric burn, and sleep tracking are all included. Stress tracking and women’s health monitoring round out the offering.

Xiaomi Mi Band 7 specs

Xiaomi Mi Band 7 vs Mi Band 6: What’s new?

The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 is still a solid fitness tracker in its own right, but the Mi Band 7 brings several new features to the table. As we’ve already mentioned, this includes a larger screen, bigger battery, more sport tracking modes, training metrics for athletes, continuous SpO2 monitoring with alerts, and a redesigned UI.

Beyond these advancements, the two products are functionally the same as far as basic fitness tracking and smart features go. Both have their problems though. For one, built-in GPS’s absence is still one particular sore point for Mi Band fans.

We break down the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 and Mi Band 6’s strengths and weaknesses in our in-depth explainer.

Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro: What is it?

Xiaomi announced the Mi Band 7 Pro in early July. Unlike the standard Mi Band 7, the Pro resembles a smartwatch rather than a fitness band. But, for all intents and purposes, this is an upgraded Mi Band 7.

Known as the Smart Band 7 Pro globally, the wearable features a smartwatch-like rectangular 1.64-inch AMOLED screen, in the same vein as the HUAWEI Band 6 or Redmi Smart Band Pro. The screen also gets always-on support and automatic brightness settings thanks to an ambient light sensor.

Internally, we see some big changes. The Mi Band 7 Pro adds built-in GPS functionality over connected GPS, making it a more independent training partner for runners and trekkers. The Mi Band 7 Pro and Mi Band 7 share several fitness tracking features, including heart rate tracking, all-day SpO2 monitoring, 117 sports modes, and sleep monitoring.

There are a few caveats, though. For those who prefer using Zepp Life, the Smart Band 7 Pro is only compatible with Mi Fitness. Additionally, the NFC touted as standard is only available on Chinese models. During our review, we also felt the Smart Band 7 Pro’s sleep tracking could use some fine-tuning.

Overall, the Smart Band 7 Pro is not the mouth-watering prospect it seemed on paper. Unlike the Mi Band models, it’s not a must-have, especially if you don’t require built-in GPS for runs and cycles. For most people, the standard Mi Band 7 will do just fine.

Xiaomi Mi Band 7: The competition

A few years ago few products could hold a candle to the Mi Band line in terms of price and features. However, that’s changed in recent years. Now the likes of HUAWEI and Fitbit have viable and affordable alternatives. Find the Xiaomi Mi Band 7’s biggest rivals below.

• HUAWEI Band 6 ($53.54 at Amazon): Although the HUAWEI Band 7 is now official, the Band 6 is still a viable option. It packs spades of battery life, a smartwatch-sized screen, and native SpO2 tracking. It’s only let down by the HUAWEI Health app and its fixed band which cannot be replaced.
• Fitbit Inspire 3 ($99.95 at Amazon): Fitbit’s gateway fitness tracker received a huge upgrade this year. It now packs a bright AMOLED screen and Fitbit’s usual reliable health tracking smarts.
• Fitbit Charge 4 ($123 at Amazon): One of the oldest products on this list, the Charge 4 is still worth it if you can find it at the right price. Unlike the Mi Band 7, it includes a built-in GPS. Spend a little more, and you can get the Charge 5 with an AMOLED screen and ECG as well.
• Garmin vivosmart 5 ($135.77 at Amazon): This is Garmin’s cheapest fitness tracker but still comes in way pricier than the Mi Band 7. However, it is loaded with Garmin’s excellent health tracking kit, including the scarily accurate Body Battery. That said, it lacks plenty of other creature comforts found in this price range, from built-in GPS to a readable color display.
• Xiaomi Mi Band 6 ($45.99 at Amazon): Finally, the Mi Band 6 is still a viable device in its own right and a worthy alternative to the Mi Band 7 if basic fitness tracking without fuss is what you’re looking for.

Where to buy the Mi Band 7

• Xiaomi Mi Band 7 (China, no NFC): 249 yuan (~$37)
• Xiaomi Mi Band 7 (China, NFC): 299 yuan (~$44)
• Xiaomi Mi Band 7 (Global): ~$60 / €59
• Xiaomi Mi Band 7 Pro (China): 379 yuan (~$56)
• Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro (Global): €99 / $119

The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is now widely available across several retailer sites in several regions. In the US, you can purchase one on Amazon for ~$46, making it around $10 pricier than its predecessor.

The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is now available in Europe (€99) and the US ($119 on Amazon).

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