Before the Mi Band arrived, we were used to seeing fitness trackers being priced as high as Rs 10,000. People were simply not ready to invest so much to get a wrist strap to track their daily activities.
So, should you buy the Mi Band just because it is cheap? Or, do you really need one?
This what you should know about the Mi Band before you buy.
Mi Fit app: The Mi Fit app is the heart of the Mi Band. The app is available on Android and iOS for free. The device is compatible with both iOS and Android smartphones. It has to be paired via Bluetooth to the smartphone app to sync recordings. You can switch off Bluetooth on your mobile to save battery and pair it only when you wish to see results.
At first, users will have to sign in with their Mi account or create a new one. The app will ask for personal information like gender, birthday, height and weight. Users will have to set a daily target of between 2000 and 30,000 steps.
The app can trigger the band to vibrate and notify users about incoming calls and also work as a silent alarm clock. The band will vibrate to wake you in the morning. The incoming call alert works when you are within the Bluetooth range.
What exactly does the Mi Band along with Mi Fit do?
It tracks the total number of steps, distance and approximate amount of calories lost everyday and also tracks sleeping pattern. If you wear the band while going to bed, it shows the time when you actually slept last night and also shows the time you woke up the next morning. The night mode shows the amount of deep sleep you had. However, the readings may not be accurate.
The Mi Band basically counts the number of steps you take in a certain period of time. The app then shows you the approximate amount of calories and fat you burned in that span. However, the app cannot record your daily calorie intake. So, you can ignore the calorie part altogether.
After the initial excitement, you might lose interest in the band. It just continues to store data which is of very little use. The activity bar chart shows your fitness trend and initially, the band will motivate users to complete their daily goal to be active.
After using the Mi Band for a couple of weeks, I have really stopped looking at the data. The app does very little to motivate you. For serious fitness freaks, the data is too less. There are no parameters for workout sessions. The band just focuses on making you walk or run to reach your daily goal. And it doesn’t matter if you don’t achieve it. To me, it’s just a Livestrong band which works as a silent alarm in the morning.
The Mi Band tracks sleep, counts steps, work as an alarm, notifies about incoming calls and battery lasts a month. With self-motivation and these features if you think the Mi Band can help you to be fit, then go ahead and buy it. After all, it is just 1000 bucks.
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