Xiaomi Band 8

Product Information

For example, we’ve run 30 miles in a week with the Smart Band 8, alongside two gym sessions and five hour-long walks, yet our training load is still considered ‘Low’. Xiaomi’s proprietary OS is also very zippy - a feeling that's is aided by that bump-up in refresh rate we referenced earlier. This splits your night’s sleep into either light or deep sleep, though this expands to include REM sleep and heart rate monitoring (leading to more accurate sleep stage information) after you enable the setting. The Smart Band 8 is also capable of high and low heart rate notifications, though this is another feature that you’ll have to turn on manually. Interestingly, the Mi Fitness app will still point out your lowest HR from a particular 24-hour period, as shown above, and this was always very in tune with our Oura and Garmin.

Band 8 hands-on: Comprehensive fitness tracking on a budget Xiaomi Smart Band 8 hands-on: Comprehensive fitness tracking on a

And the results are surprisingly pretty good. The big downside here is that you’ll still need to set up a workout from your phone and take it with you on your run, but the data does seem to have some value. For those planning to use the device in Pebble Mode, we should also note that our tests found that you’ll only lose around 5% of battery per hour of running. Typical usage mode test conditions for the Xiaomi Smart Band 8: Fully charged, factory default settings, and static display, with high-precision sleep monitoring, in-sleep breathing quality monitoring and all-day stress monitoring turned off. Heart rate monitoring every 30 minutes and message notifications (100 messages, 10 calls, and 3 alarms per day) enabled; wrist raised to engage screen 200 times per day; app data synchronised once per day; blood oxygen manually measured twice per day; and exercise monitoring for 60 minutes per week.I've already mentioned the 6-axis motion sensor, but that's also joined by a heart-rate sensor on the underside which delivers your all-day heart-rate and blood oxygen saturation readings. On our test runs, we’ve found that the heart rate readings don’t react too well to fluctuations in real-time - even when the pace is relatively steady. And largely thanks to being able to see that shiny metal frame, the look has now elevated far above previous generations. Like with some health features, the Smart Band 8’s more advanced sleep monitoring is turned off by default, which means you’ll initially only be given very basic data.

Band 8 - Xiaomi UK Xiaomi Smart Band 8 - Xiaomi UK

It means swiping through menus and viewing graphics and stats is much smoother - and much more in line with what you would see from a smartwatch with a much loftier price tag. Features, OS and ecosystem We should note, though, that resting heart rate figures are always gathered slightly differently between manufacturers.It is made from plastic that has a metallic finish and - yes it's a little cheap feeling - but it's a nice-looking reflective coating, and one that means you're not just wearing a dull hunk of plastic on your arm.