There is no arguing that digital technology has stepped far forward over the past couple of decades. Instead of simple mobile devices and “antediluvian” computers with their bulky dimensions, we got a number of devices that are prone to a constant decrease in size, but increase in terms of functionality. And such gadgets, entering our ordinary life, make it more diverse and exciting.
Moreover, the most remarkable thing is the variety of those devices that are presented around us. You can not only have fun with them, playing various simulators and arcades, but also monitor your health, strengthen it, exercise more effectively and so on.
In this article, we’ll just talk about such a device. Meet: this is about the Xiaomi Mi Band bracelet - a device that allows you to not only monitor the state of your body, but can become a real personal assistant. More details - later in the review.
General concept
Let's start with the presentation of the gadget as a whole. Before us is the so-called fitness bracelet, which has now become very popular among the young and active population. Already from the name itself, we can conclude that the device is intended for physical exercise, sports, tracking its activity. We will describe this in more detail in the section where the device’s functionality will be listed - so you will understand what this device can specifically do.
In the meantime, we note that the manufacturer of the bracelet is Xiaomi (an active tech giant that won the sympathy of millions of users in a short time on the market). This means that the product is developed in the spirit of this company: it is inexpensive, but it has an attractive design, simple interface and a lot of useful functionality.
Anyway, recently this brand has become very popular. The smartphones produced by him, as well as various accessories for them and other electronics, diverge in millions of copies. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Xiaomi Mi Band bracelet caused such a stir in the market of electronic wearable devices.
Equipment
If you have never used such a gadget, for sure, the first thing I want to ask is how such a bracelet is sold: what it is offered for, what equipment it has. Therefore, we will start from this point to describe the gadget in more detail.
So, it is offered in a company’s traditional packaging made of simple cardboard with a logo printed on top. Opening it, we find too tiny parts, which do not immediately become clear what’s what. But in fact, we have the following components: a USB cable (for charging and connecting the gadget to a PC), a bracelet directly (enclosed in a metal shell), a strap for it (made of rubber) and instructions for use.
In fact, the Xiaomi Mi Band bracelet is offered in a fairly simple configuration, although it also contains everything you need.
Design and device
When the device started selling, the developers promised a whole line of bracelet straps that can be matched to any suit, regardless of where the gadget owner is going to go. But now for some reason, only rubber models of different colors are available from the official manufacturer. That is, so far, the choice can be made between the color scheme, but no more.
The material from which the strap is made holding the Xiaomi Mi Band bracelet (the 2nd generation of the device has not yet seen the world) is made of some special material with high strength. At the same time, it is quite pleasant to the touch, although outwardly it looks like a simple elastic band.
Bracelet fastening is very simple: at the end of one part of the strap there is a loop into which the other part is threaded. In addition, the latter is also fixed in one of the holes (by the principle of a clock). Thus, a double bracelet retention system is involved: the ring is made to insure against possible disclosure of the mechanism during wearing. And it turns out that the Xiaomi Mi Band bracelet will not fall from your hand under any circumstances.
The second element that makes up the gadget is the core. In fact, we are talking about the “brain” of the bracelet - that part in which all the electronics are placed. Outwardly, it looks like a small metal plate that just fits in the strap.
Software component
In the mentioned “brain”, on the basis of which the Xiaomi Mi Band sports bracelet works, equipment using software is installed. In fact, we are talking about a miniature computer with great functionality.
An important condition for the full work is that the bracelet must be connected to the smartphone. As you know, this can only be done using Bluetooth. In addition, there are restrictions on the version of the operating system on the phone: the Xiaomi Mi Band 1S bracelet can only work in conjunction with Android 4.3 (and older) or iOS 5.0 (and older).
In order to work with all the functions declared in the technical specifications, you must have a pre-installed application on your phone. You can get it on Google Play and in the AppStore - this is what it is called (by the name of the bracelet).
Gadget features
Finally, we got to the description of what our device can do. First off, it's a great fitness tracker. Using the built-in sensors and focusing on your hand movements, the device is able to calculate the number of steps you have taken per day. This is the main function that captivates many lovers of an active lifestyle and makes them purchase a device.
Secondly, the Xiaomi Mi Band bracelet (the instructions that came with it) can become a “smart” alarm clock and, thus, will help you wake up when you need to. Reading your movements during sleep, the gadget can roughly calculate the time when you will be in one or another phase. Settings (made, of course, on a smartphone or tablet) will help set the desired wakeup mode. When the time comes, the bracelet will begin to vibrate and thus make you wake up. The beauty of this is that it will not cause inconvenience to your loved ones who are sleeping nearby - they will not hear anything.
Thirdly, the device can become a personal assistant thanks to the alert transfer function. Xiaomi Mi Band fitness bracelet, as already mentioned, is synchronized with a mobile phone. Using the software for this gadget, you can configure the arrival of alerts from this or that application. For example, it can also be SMS, incoming VC, calls and much more. Also, the user is given the opportunity to choose the color that the bracelet will blink if necessary. In addition, it can be just vibration, which will not let you miss an important call if you do not hear your smartphone.
Cost
The device has really a lot of functions, but other bracelets from the same category possess approximately the same characteristics. True, their cost often exceeds $ 100. Xiaomi, however, went the other way, providing the opportunity to buy such an accessory for only $ 20. Indeed, it is very cheap (after all, such a cost makes the Xiaomi Mi Band bracelet (the feedback of each client confirms it) not only an excellent assistant, but also a very affordable device for a wide mass of buyers.
And there are no problems with ordering - you can buy a device both in large online stores and at online auctions. The price, of course, is more advantageous in the second case, but the quality and service are clearly in the first.
Battery
The buyer may also have a very reasonable question regarding the batteries installed in the device. Indeed, the dimensions of the core, which is inserted into the Xiaomi Mi Band (strap), cannot be called large enough to place a serious battery there. Obviously, the gadget runs on some miniature batteries, the charge of which is most likely optimized to the maximum.
According to customer recommendations, the charge will last for 1.5-2 months of operation of the device, while the procedure for recharging the battery will take about 2 hours. Charging with a USB cable.
Reviews
What can be the characteristics on the part of buyers if the Xiaomi Mi Band bracelet (the review clearly demonstrated this) is really such a simple, functional and at the same time inexpensive device? Of course, from the reviews we managed to find mostly only good.
Benefits
The qualities mentioned above are attributed to the “advantages” of the model, adding ergonomics to the device, comfort in working with it, and reliability. Users note that it fully paid its price and, in addition, raised the reputation of the manufacturer.
Even if you have never worked with such devices before, the kit comes with a brochure that fully describes what the Xiaomi Mi Band bracelet can do. This instruction is extremely simple, thanks to it you can monitor your health right after purchase.
Also, indisputable advantages include motivation and stimulation of a person to move. So, in the reviews, many buyers note that they really began to walk more, hoping that they can “beat” their previous records. And of course, the Xiaomi Mi Band bracelet will help them in this.
The reviews also contain reproaches regarding some of the “defects” of the manufacturer, which I would also like to mention in the article.
disadvantages
These primarily include the lack of translation into an understandable language. Many reviews complain about this, although in fact the problem has already been eliminated - applications for the bracelet written in Russian appeared on the Internet. Earlier, immediately after the start of sales, the gadget was really offered exclusively with a Chinese interface. It is easy to guess that because of this, the user experienced a lot of inconvenience. Now the problem is resolved.
There are still some minor flaws like a quiet speaker for an alarm, an inconvenient (for some) strap, or lack of support for working with Bluetooth 3.0. Describing the gadget, many reviews call other points, but in our opinion, they are not so important to mention, if you characterize the Xiaomi Mi Band bracelet. These reviews, by the way, are not so numerical.
conclusions
What can be said about the described bracelet as a result? If we look at competing models, the difference in cost will be truly amazing: the price is what developers have relied on in the first place. In some ways, Xiaomi managed to reduce the cost of the gadget, due to which the device became available to a much wider circle of customers. Thanks to this, the Xiaomi Mi Band fitness bracelet is sold in such large volumes.
The second point is quality. Unlike the standard tactics of Chinese manufacturers to reduce costs due to the terrible quality of the product, Xiaomi approached the issue of developing its bracelet, apparently on the other hand. The company made it possible to use a really high-quality device, which not only meets, but exceeds all customer expectations. And this means that the person who purchased such a device is really happy with their purchase. This means that he will advise his acquaintances, colleagues and friends to take the same thing - and such a tactic will ultimately work better than any advertisement. Perhaps this is precisely what the stake was made on.
And now the company continues to develop a new generation of fitness tracker. If at the time of writing this article, only two modifications of the Mi Band were available, then we hope that in 2016 Xiaomi will delight the entire tech world with new innovations.