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The Mi Band 7 was released in China on May 24 and proved a massive success. With over one million devices sold in just one month, I had to figure out if the new edition of the Mi Band Fitness Tracker was worth it? Are you in a hurry? Do you want to get the answer right away? Yes, in my early tests of the Mi Band 7, I was surprised to find out that for less than $70, this fitness tracker had it all and could easily compete with the more pricey Fitbit Charge 5 and Garmin Vivosmart 5.
One Minute Summary
The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is truly an impressive fitness tracker. It comes with everything you can expect from a smart device at a fraction of the price of more exclusive brands. With a battery life of up to 15 days, a wide AMOLED colorful touch display, 120 workouts to choose from, and sensors that accurately track your health and fitness level, the Mi Band 7 is a fitness tracker that will not disappoint. Compared to the Mi Band 6, this new iteration brings three major improvements: Continuous blood oxygen monitoring, a faster CPU that fits well with the improved User Interface, and the ridiculously high number of activity tracking. It may sound plasticky and will probably not win a beauty contest. Still, if you are searching for a reliable and reasonably priced fitness band, the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is undoubtedly the device to consider.
- Xiaomi is One Step Ahead: #1 Wearable brand in the world. New Mi Band 7 is another big step forward.
- 1.62" AMOLED Display, High Res 192x490 and up to 500 nits brightness. Big improvements upon Mi Band...
- 120 fitness modes vs 30 fitness modes on Mi Band 6! Battery capacity incresed from 125mAh on Mi Band...
- New Blood Oxygen Sensor + 24Hr Heart Rate Monitoring. Track 120 Different Activities.
- Improved sensor technology and Bluetooth 5.2.
Last update on 2023-01-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
What’s in the Box?
The Mi Band 7 is only available in black as of this writing. I like black, but if you want a more fancy look, we suggest that you wait a couple of weeks as many colorful bands will no doubt soon be available.
The tiny box is minimalist but contains what is needed: the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 and the charging cable. A user manual is also included in 15 different languages. When I say a user manual, it is probably not the proper word as the font size is tiny, and the information provided is minimalist.
Xiaomi Mi Band 7 | |
Health Features | - Heart Rate (All day, Spot check) - Heart Rate Alerts (Low, High) |
Activity Tracking | More than 120 |
Lifestyle Features | - Connected GPS - Calendar |
Battery Life | Up to 14 days |
Water Resistance | 50 meters (Swimming) |
Compatible Devices | iOS, Android Smartphones |
Design
The Mi Band 7 comes already charged at approximately 80%, which is more than enough to keep you up and running for at least one week. The first thing I did that I recommend is plugging the charging cable and letting the device charge up to 100%. It should not take more than 15 minutes.
Once the battery is full, and the device is paired with the Mi Fitness App (available for Android or iOS), the first thing that comes to the eyes is the bright and large 1.62 inches AMOLED display. Compared to the tiny monochrome display of the Garmin Vivosmart 5, it is just night and day. The colors are crisp, with a resolution of 192×490 and up to 500 nits brightness; the Mi Band 7 screen is probably one of the best I have seen on a Fitness Band.
At this price point, do not expect a Gorilla Glass. The touch screen feels plasticky. I suspect it will easily collect scratches, so that a screen protector may be a good idea.
The band is made of thermoplastic elastomer and has the same soft feel as the infinite bands found in Fitbit devices. The band is adjustable from 160 to 224 mm and should fit any morphology. For example, I am a big guy, but my wife has a tiny wrist. The band somehow fitted both of our wrists.
Finally, with a weight of less than 14g, wearing the Mi Band 7 is hardly noticeable.
Overall, the 46.3 x 20.7 x 12.25 mm form factor is ideal if you do not mind an ovoid-looking device on your wrist: the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is as curved as the Huawei Band 7 is squared.
Battery Life
Xiaomi has always been famous for its long battery life. The Mi Band 7 comes with a 180 mAh battery, a thirty percent increase from the Mi Band 6, which is given for lasting up to 14 days. Do not expect, though, to reach the two-week mark if you use all of the health perks of the device, such as continuous heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring.
From my tests, it is relatively easy to make the device lasts more than seven days, which is already an outstanding achievement compared to more prestigious 18 hours battery life devices. I am looking at you, Apple Watch!
Connectivity and App
The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is compatible with iOS and Android devices and interacts with the smartphone through the Mi Fitness App or the Zepp App.
Smartphone Chinese Apps all share a similar feel, so you should not be surprised if you have already had to deal with an Amazfit, Huawei, or Xiaomi device.
One remark, though. The App offers many settings, which is excellent in theory but can quickly become overwhelming. Just check the video below, where I went through all the settings. Do not hesitate to pause to grasp the numerous available options better.
The band 7 connects to the App through Bluetooth Low Energy 5.2. I had no problem pairing the fitness tracker. Just install the App on your smartphone, scan the QR Code on the watch screen, and you should be ready in no time.
The Band 7 is brand new, and I strongly recommend that you update the firmware as soon as possible. Be ready to wait 10 to 15 minutes, though!
Connecting the band to Strava and Apple Health is also possible to get all your data in the same place.
With plenty of watch faces to choose from and even the possibility to use your pictures, it also becomes possible to make the device genuinely unique looking. The Always On Display (AOD) feature missing from the Mi Band 6 is now available on the Band 7. Despite putting a toll on the battery life, being able to just glance at the screen to check the time is a truly useful feature.
Health Features
The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is not a health tracker per se but has much to offer for those interested in monitoring their health.
The tiny tracker is packed with features that include:
- Heart Rate Monitoring (spot and continuous, with the possibility of getting heart zones)
- Blood Oxygen Monitoring (Spot and continuous with the possibility to program an alert in case the oxygen saturation drops below a predefined level)
- Sleep Tracking
- Stress monitoring (all-day monitoring with the possibility of getting a breathing exercise reminder in case your stress level goes beyond 80)
From my early findings, I was impressed by the accuracy of the blood oxygen monitor. When Garmin often tells me I navigate below 90% blood oxygen saturation, the Mi Band 7 finally provided more realistic 95%+ values!
Sleep Tracking is more informative than actionable, but unfortunately, it is the case with most wearables that often struggle to detect the sleep stages accurately.
The excellent review of the Quantified Scientist on YouTube concluded that:
- The Heart Rate sensor was accurate for static movements but struggled with brisk exercises. I confirmed this finding by comparing the results with the excellent heart rate sensor of the Apple Watch SE.
- The Oxygen sensor was excellent. Also, a result I confirmed.
- The step counting was spot on.
- The Mi Band 7 had a lot of difficulty in detecting REM stages while sleeping. Take these results with a grain of salt, though, as firmware updates are being released quickly and should dramatically improve sleep cycle detection.
I would like to see three missing features: the temperature sensor, the raw HRV data, and the possibility to monitor blood pressure. But for less than $70, I realize that I may be too demanding. Even the Apple Watch still does not offer such analyses.
Sports and Activities Tracking
The Mi Band 7 comes with the possibility to track 120 sports and activities. Yes, you read well: 120! That’s four times what the Mi Band 6 was capable of doing. I did not know that playing chess was considered a workout, but at least you will find your favorite activities or hobbies.
The activities are directly accessible on the watch and are divided into categories:
- Running and Walking (5: outdoor running, walking, treadmill, indoor walking, race walk))
- Cycling (3: outdoor cycling, indoor cycling, BMX)
- Swimming (3: pool swimming, fin swimming, artistic swimming)
- Outdoor Workouts (5: fishing, skateboarding, roller skating, rock climbing, parkour)
- Indoor Workouts (24: freestyle, elliptical, rower, indoor fitness, HIIT, core training, aerobic combo, strength, stretching, stair climber, flexibility, stepper, gymnastics, yoga, pilates, aerobics, gymnastics, cardio combo, cross-training, spinning, horizontal bar, parallel bars, battle rope,
- Dance (14: ballet, belly dance, square dancing, street dance, ballroom dancing, dance, Zumba, Latin dance, jazz dance, folk dance, hip hop, pole dance, breaking, modern dance))
- Combat (12: kendo, karate, boxing, judo, wrestling, tai chi, muay thai, taekwondo, martial art, kickboxing, jujitsu, fencing) )
- Ball (25: tennis, soccer, cricket, baseball, bowling, squash, basketball, softball, gateball, volleyball, table tennis, handball, badminton, beach volley, wall ball, billiards, sepak takraw, dodgeball, water polo, ice hockey, shuttlecock, futsal, hacky sack, bocce, jai alai)
- Water workout (6: sailing, rowing, dragon boat, kayaking, snorkeling, flow riding)
- Winter workout (3: curling, ice staking, indoor ice skating))
- Leisure workouts (12: hula hoop, frisbee, darts, kite flying, tug of war, shuttlecock, esports, air walker, swinging, shuffleboard, table football, somatosens)
- Board & Card Games (5: chess, checkers, weiqi, bridge, board games)
- Others (3: archery, jump rope, equestrian)
Do not expect to get a built-in GPS. The Mi Band 7 will connect to the smartphone GPS. To date, only the Fitbit Charge 5 fitness tracker comes with a built-in GPS, but the price tag is not comparable.
I was surprised by how fast the band 7 connected to my iPhone GPS.
Each exercise is thoroughly analyzed even though you will not get the same level of details as the $150 Garmin Vivosmart 5.
If like me, you are a Sunday runner and do not plan to train for the New York marathon, the data collected from the Band 7 will be more than enough to stay fit.
As I mentioned, it is somehow possible to link the Xiaomi Band 7 to the Strava App and get the best of both worlds for those serious about their training.
Lifestyles features
The Mi Band 7 is also an actual smart device that will easily let you check the weather, receive notifications, wake you up, or even control the music on your phone. But unfortunately, paying via NFC or downloading music directly from the band is impossible.
Of course, the Mi Band 7 also comes with numerous useful features that make life easy such as the integration of a flashlight. When I say flashlight, the screen will just turn white but with 500 nits of power, it can be a life-saver at night when the power is just switched off.
One last perk that is not so commonly found even in the more expensive devices is the possibility to remotely control a smartphone camera. Perfect for family photos when not willing to use a standard timer.
Why Should You Consider a Xiaomi Mi Band 7?
The Mi Band 7 leverages the quality of the Mi Band 6 and goes the extra mile by providing a brilliant display, a long battery life, Always On Display function, many activities to choose from, and even high-quality sensors for continuous health tracking.
Still are missing a built-in GPS and NFC communication, but considering the price tag, the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is a serious fitness tracker that will meet the needs of most of us.
Why Should You Not Consider a Xiaomi Mi Band 7?
The Band 7 is designed to meet the average user’s needs. It does not excel anywhere but is good everywhere. If you are a serious athlete and could not imagine living without being part of the Apple ecosystem, the Band 7 may not be your best choice. Be ready, though, to pay more than five times the price!
