Xiaomi
Update: July 16, 2020 (07:14PM ET): The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is now available in Europe and UK. We’ve updated the original article below with all the details.
Original article: June 11 2020 (3:11 AM ET): Xiaomi has launched the highly anticipated Mi Band 5 in China. Carrying forward the legacy of its predecessors, Xiaomi’s latest fitness tracker offers a ton of features at an ultra-cheap price point.
Everything from the display to the sensors, to the processor, gets an upgrade on the new Mi Band, making it more feature-rich than ever. Let’s take a look at all that’s new on the Mi Band 5 and how it differs from last year’s Mi Band 4.
Xiaomi Mi Band 5: Specs and features
To start with, the AMOLED display of the Mi Band 5 is slightly bigger than that of the Mi Band 4. It measures 1.1-inches as opposed to the Mi Band 4’s 0.95-inch screen. That’s not much of a difference but the screen now has smaller bezels and a larger area to display more information. The resolution is set at 126 x 294 pixels and it supports 100% of the P3 color gamut. It also comes with a 2.5D tempered glass panel that protects the screen from scratches and abrasions.
There are more than 100 new themed dials to choose from, including 54 IP featured themes such as Spongebob Squarepants, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Hatsune Miku, and Detective Conan. You can also customize the band interface by adding function modules based on your preference, everyday mood, and personal style.
The Mi Band 5 also gets several new sports modes; 11 to be precise. In contrast, the Mi Band 4 offered a total of six sports modes. Given that people are not getting out much these days, it’s nice to see the inclusion of more indoor activity features on the Mi Band 5. Check out all the new sports modes below.
- Outdoor running
- Treadmill
- Cycling
- Walking
- Freestyle
- Pool swimming
- Elliptical (New)
- Rowing machine (New)
- Jump rope (New)
- Indoor cycling (New)
- Yoga (New)
Besides the added sports modes, the Mi Band 5 gets many new tracking features and improvements. We’ll have to test out how well they work in our review, but for now, its definitely a step up from what you get with the Mi Band 4.
Improved sleep tracking
The Mi Band 5 now has improved sleep monitoring, with continuous heart rate tracking as you snooze. Xiaomi claims this will help identify sleep problems such as irregular and sporadic sleep patterns, and rapid eye movement. Based on the data collected, the app will give you suggestions on how to improve your sleep quality.
Blood oxygen tracking
The Mi Band 5 also gets a built-in SpO2 or blood oxygen tracker. This was absent from the Mi Band 4. The tracker can apparently detect your blood oxygen saturation levels every second, for eight hours in a row. That’s a total of 28,800 reading in a span of eight hours. This continuous SpO2 monitoring is also aimed at improving sleep quality. It will work in tandem with the Mi Band 5’s sleep tracking function to provide more comprehensive sleep quality feedback.
Women’s health and PAI scoring system
Other new features include menstruation cycle tracking, breath training, remote control for your smartphone camera, and a new PAI Vitality Index. PAI stands for Personal Activity Intelligence and is a feature borrowed from Huami’s Amazfit wearables. It essentially gamifies health tracking by giving you a score between 1-100 based on your daily activity and heart rate.
Magnetic charging
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Apart from the new sports modes and tracking features, the Mi Band 5 also brings a major design tweak. Traditionally, all Mi Bands have had to be popped out of their silicone straps for charging. The new Mi Band 5 does away with that hassle and brings all-new magnetic charging onboard.
The band has a 100mAh battery which, Xiaomi claims, can keep the lights on for up to 14 days on a full charge.
NFC and voice assistants
In China, the Mi Band 5 brings support for NFC and the XiaoAI voice assistant. The Russian variant of the Mi Band 5 launched with NFC, but the global model lacks this option. In fact, it lacks NFC, SpO2 tracking, and a voice assistant.
Now that you know all that’s new with the Mi Band 5, here’s a quick table summarizing the specs.
| Xiaomi Mi Band 5 | |
|---|---|
| Display | 1.2-inch AMOLED 2.5D color touchscreen 126 x 294 resolution |
| Water resistance rating | 5ATM |
| Sensors | Heart rate sensor SpO2 sensor NFC Accelerometer Barometer Proximity sensor |
| Battery | 125mAh 14-day battery life (advertised) |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Sports modes and tracking | Outdoor running Treadmill Cycling Walking Freestyle Pool swimming Elliptical (New) Rowing machine (New) Jump rope (New) Indoor cycling (New) Yoga (New) Sleep PAI Health Suite Blood Oxygen Heart rate Women’s health |
| Alerts and controls | Calls Message App notifications Alarms Calendar Music controls Remote camera control Find my phone |
| Charging method | Magnetic |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Pink, Orange, Purple, Yellow, Green, Gray |
Xiaomi Mi Band 5: Price and availability
The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 comes bearing the same affordable price tag as its predecessor. In China, the regular variant of the Mi Band 5 without NFC will cost 189 yuan (~$26). Meanwhile, the version with NFC will come in at 229 yuan (~$32.38). Both models will go on sale in China on June 18.
The Mi Band 5 is also available in Europe and the UK as the Mi Smart Band 5 (albeit without NFC, SpO2 tracking, and voice assistance). You can buy the Mi Smart Band 5 at €39.99 (~$46) across Europe, with a €34.99 (~$40) early bird price. In the UK, it’s priced at £39.99 (~$50) but is available at an early bird price of £34.99 (~$43).
Xiaomi also seems to be readying the launch of the wearable in India. A listing for the Mi Band 5 with model number XMHS10HM was spotted by a Twitter user on the database of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). This suggests that the launch of the Mi Band 5 in India could be imminent.
We’ll update this article with more Mi Band 5 availability information as and when we know more.
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