After many leaks and a previous launch in China, we finally have the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 in Spain. The popular bracelet leaps from generation to offer new features in a design that, at least first, feels very familiar. Do you want to know the importance of this team? Do you have a Mi Band 4 and do not know whether to make the jump? This then is the review you need to see and read. Be comfortable.
What has improved in the Xiaomi Mi Band 5?
It would be quite boring to review all the benefits that the Mi Band 5 has because after all, you will already have more clarity that with the Xiaomi bracelet you can receive notifications from your phone, control your daily activity (steps, calories, etc.), register the sports practice you do and even monitor your sleep.
Beyond that, the interesting thing here is to know that this new bracelet has practically the same design as the Mi Band 4 – it is only a few millimeters thicker but it is invaluable to the naked eye as you can see in the video you have at the beginning of this article-, but now it has a bigger screen (20%), which will allow you to see more information on it. You will also be able to enjoy new wallpapers, which can now be personalized thanks to the modification by modules, very similar to the Apple Watch -where you can decide what data you want to see in each section.
This panel is also brighter , so if the fourth generation was already good in this regard, the new one is even better, offering fantastic visibility in any situation. I would have liked that if it had at last automatic brightness, but at least you can control it from the Mi Fit application and set a night mode so that it decreases during the time frame you choose.
Another of the most outstanding improvements of the bracelet is its charger . It is true that the autonomy of the Mi Band 4 is so good, that it is not very uncomfortable to have to remove the pill from the band once a month for its loading, but well, if we are demanding, the truth is that it was one of the worst characteristics of the previous generation and Xiaomi has managed to improve it for this launch. The Mi band 5 comes with a smaller magnetic charger that doesn’t force you to remove the bracelet when you want to wear it. The ideal for me would have been that it was charged through a USB-C port, so as not to have to carry one more cable, but for the moment we will have to continue using the proprietary Xiaomi solution .
Now you can also register up to 11 different sports (previously only monitored 6), with a fairly good accuracy, and you have the so-called PAI indicator , a kind of global score of our physical state, own signature, which already existed in the Amazfit and which Basically the higher it is, the better it reflects your state of health – it can become a reference with which to compete even with your friends, for example.
You will also be able to measure your stress level (and receive suggestions to recover from it) and even record your menstrual cycle (I am happy to see that it is becoming popular to have a dedicated function for women, in which to have predictions of your next period, fertile days and even ovulation day that can be checked directly on the watch screen); Do guided breathing exercises and even use the Mi Band as a trigger for your mobile camera. Everything with the usual gesture : sliding up or down, although now it seems that more additional information screens have been added if you also move to the sides.
As for sleep monitoring, we now have the REM percentage record, and if you are concerned about heart rate measurement, this has also improved, since now you can enjoy continuous recording and feedback, although of course, this will reduce its battery, which is still one of its best qualities (you can get to be a little more than 2 weeks with it, depending on how you have it configured) despite the fact that its module has been slightly cut (125 mAh) compared to the previous generation (135 mAh).
You have the Mi Band 4, is it worth taking the leap?
At this point it is time to assess it with respect to the Mi Band 4 and consider whether or not it is worth changing to this new one. The truth is that in this case I do not see it so clearly. When I tried the Mi Band 4, I encouraged you to make the jump from 3 because I saw that there was a more substantial jump and its price was so tight that it would be worth the investment.
Now there are also changes, but they are still small adjustments , such as a somewhat larger screen, more sports that you will only appreciate if you practice them, a more modern charger but that is still proprietary or the record of the menstrual cycle or the PAI score that only they will compensate you if you use them. In this sense, the Mi band 4 is still a very good bracelet and perhaps therefore this time it does not compensate you so much to change and spend the 39.99 euros that the Mi Band 5 costs.
Everything would have been very different if the Mi Band 5 in its European edition had brought an NFC module (to make payments with it or carry other credit cards on it), but it seems that for the moment Xiaomi has preferred to keep this quality only in the version Asian.
Still, if you decide to make the change, we confirm it: at least the official Xiaomi silicone bracelets of generation 3 and 4 fit into 5 (a bit fairer, but they can be used).
She is still the queen of the sector
Don’t have an activity bracelet and are looking for one? So the Mi Band 5 is still the smartest option if you want to buy an activity bracelet at a good price and enjoy fantastic performance with everything that is demanded of such a device today.
It costs a little more than its previous generation, but it is still a more than justified cost for everything it offers. Xiaomi in this field is still without rival . There is no doubt about it.