Fit And Fine: Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4

The new Mi Band gets a colourful upgrade

- Kunal Gangar

This year’s Mi Band aka Mi Smart Band 4 may look similar to its predecessors but Xiaomi has packed with more features that aspire it to be more than just a fitness band.

The Mi Smart Band 4 features the same capsule design that we have seen with previous generation Mi Band devices. However, the capsule looks more polished with the 2.5D tempered glass covering the display and a touch-sensitive button on the top. The bottom features the heart rate sensor and the charging pins with a recessed area at the sides for the wrist strap. The soft wrist strap quality is good and is comfortable to wear for all-day use. Another good thing about the Mi Smart Band 4 straps is that one can reuse their old straps from Mi Band 3.

The 0.95-inch AMOLED colour touchscreen display is a major upgrade when you compare it from the last year’s model. The 120x240 pixel display is sharp and legible even in direct sunlight, thanks to the adjustable display brightness that reaches up to 400 nits.

Having a touch display frees from the single button navigation. The button still works as a back or a wake-up button but most of the things on the band can be done with simple up/ down swipes. Just like other Mi Bands, the Mi Smart Band 4 also requires Mi Fit app for the initial setup and if you want to enhance the functionality of the band. The app not only allows viewing of historical fitness data, sleep data and heart rate but can be used to configure for app notifications. The app can also be used to sync watch faces or create a new one from the images in the phone gallery. The band can also be used to reject/silence calls and control music.