HomeXiaomi Mi Band 3 Review – best fitness tracker under $50

Xiaomi Mi Band 3 Review – best fitness tracker under $50

In 2014, Xiaomi announced its first generation sports bracelet called the Mi Band. This band was able to provide some common features in products of this type, such as the pedometer and the alarm, although it was priced at $12, which was an unprecedented amount for a product of this type. Two years later, in 2016, the company arrived with the Mi Band 2, which came with a built-in 0.42-inch screen, many improved features and a price of $22. Thanks to this, we could see that Xiaomi updates its line of smart bands every two years, so the launch of the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 carried out this May 31 was quite expected.

Xiaomi Mi Band 3 31
Xiaomi Mi Band 3 31

The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 was launched alongside the Mi 8 flagships by Xiaomi during the company’s 8 years anniversary event in China. The smart bracelet is now available on shopping stores at a giveaway price. The Mi Band 3 is known to be an upgrade to the Mi Band 2.

Brief Overview Of The Xiaomi Mi Band 3

The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 comes with a larger screen compared to the second generation model. It is presented to users with a 0.78-inch PMOLED screen that is capable of displaying more than 24 characters at a time and has a pixel density of 193ppi. As far as you can see, this is the smartest custom PPI display band highest in the market today.

In addition to updating the screen, the chip that is in the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 has also been updated. Even if it has a bigger and brighter screen, this device can still maintain the same battery life that could be seen in the last Mi Band 2, so its update will be accepted in five ways. At the same time, it comes with 5ATM straps that are water resistant, protecting the band even when submerged to a depth of up to 50 meters. Therefore, unlike its predecessors, this can be used when swimming and diving, when in the shower or wherever you want.

The UV100 coating process was applied to the Xiaomi Mi Band 3, and also has an anti-fingerprint coating to increase the wear resistance of its surface. On the other hand, the Mi Band 3 is divided into two versions – one is the standard version, while the second is the NFC version. As its name suggests, compared to the standard version, the NFC version comes with an NFC chip, which is suitable for the type of actions it performs. Finally, this product continues with the high and constant relationship between quality and price that Xiaomi products have, reaching the Chinese market with a price of $25.

Compared to its predecessor, there’s been an upgrade in design, as well as an upgraded OLED panel and NFC. The screen is now bigger compared to the Mi Band 2; the heart rate sensor works fine as well. Let’s find out more, shall we?

The packaging of the Xiaomi Mi Band 3

Well, from what you can see, the package in which the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 comes is standard, and being honest, there are not many things that we can talk about regarding its packaging. Having said that, we will be doing a review of the black color variant of this band, which comes with a user manual and its respective charger cable.

On the back, you can find all the important information about this smart band, in addition to its manufacturer.

Design

The fitness tracker/smart bracelet looks enchanting and tiny on your wrist. It also brings pleasant feeling and comfortability when you wear it. The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is IP68 Certified and can be immersed up to 50 meters deep underwater.

The smart bracelet has a 5ATM water resistant rating; you have no worries while swimming with the band in your hand for up to an hour. ; you The body of the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is available in a single color option, and it is black. However, there are three straps provided for replacement – one in the color graphite black, one in color orange thermal and the last in the color dark blue. The main body has become brighter, using a design similar to a liquid, it is also more rounded, tending to an elliptical shape.

The charging connectors are on the bottom. Compared to the traditional USB interface, the charging method eliminates the inconveniences caused by the connection and disconnection and also saves valuable internal space.

The heart rate sensor is on the back, as usual.

The band with which the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 comes

The strap of the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 uses a type of bite of synthetic double color, reason why it offers a great firmness and security after being buckled. Also, it has passed the ISO-10993-5/10 biocompatibility certification and the European RoHS environmental certification and also provides a comfortable tactile sensation.

To prevent the main body from slipping out of place, the inner lining of the band and the outer ring adopt a bi-color occlusal technology. Finally, this band has a total of 12 length settings that can cover most types of wrist users.

Display

Unlike the Mi Band 2, the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is built around a 0.78-inch OLED screen. This is much bigger than the 0.42-inch screen we saw on the Mi Band 2. The OLED screen on the Mi Band 3 brings out everything nicely.

In the lower part of this, there is a button that although you can not press, it will allow the user to interact with the smart band by simple touches.

The screen has a resolution of 128 x 80 pixels and automatically displays even clearer when you’re out in the sun. You don’t need to tap the screen to wake it up when you’re out and about. Just raise your hand while wearing the Band to wake up the screen.

What should be noted about the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is that due to some frequency problems when updating the screen, it may blink for a moment, which is totally normal. It weighs around 8.5 grams, so it will be able to be used all day without any discomfort.

Performance

Apart from the bigger display screen on the Mi Band 3, it sports a heart rate sensor underneath the bracelet. If you wear it all day, you get 24 hours heart rate monitor tracking your health every moment of the day. The heart rate recording starts automatically when you wear it on.

The improved functionality is the second selling point of the Xiaomi Mi Band 3. The first striking features compared to the second generation model are the ability to find the phone to which it is connected, lock the device screen, and adjust the weather settings.

One of the most important updates with this new version of Xiaomi bands is the addition of sports functions that make it possible to use the bracelet when performing exercises independently, which is very convenient.

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There’re a pedometer, sleep monitoring, and sedentary reminder. These features help to monitor and record all your activities in the day. You can now calculate the calories you burn, the distance you work and monitor your sleep. Yes, the Mi Band 3 also reminds you when to have a rest to improve your overall health.

Once the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is connected to a phone, the sports mode is activated and, therefore, it will automatically enter the mobile interface and show the time and mileage synchronously with the smartphone. By pressing the button for a long time, the sports time can be closed synchronously, and the band can be controlled to disconnect the phone.

In addition to all this, the My Band 3 has a built-in 3-axis accelerometer, which is compatible with Android 5.0 and iOS 9 and later versions.

Other Features

The new Xiaomi band and its great connection to smartphones

The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 comes with a lot of features for its price, and it’s definitely a perfect bracelet for quality sports. It boasts Bluetooth v4.2 LE, while connected via Bluetooth, you can ignore calls or answer them after seeing the caller ID. You will also receive notifications of the device connected via the display.

If you believe that the screen is too small to see and operate, there is the possibility of opening the applications that are needed on your phone to see data in more detail. Also, this band has been updated in terms of heart rate control; During the exercise, if the heart rate is too fast and exceeds the set number, the wristband will vibrate to alert the user of what is happening.

The next amazing feature is the addition of the display of the content in the notifications. This can be configured through the application with which the band can be controlled so that the content of the new messages and others will be displayed on the screen in real-time.

All your device’s apps notification will pop up on the OLED screen for you to see. You can see the latest 5 messages received on your device as well as NFC support. It has a sports mode that lets you connect to the MiFit App, you can just lift your wrist while running to check the length, speed, and heart rate.

In the Mi Band 2, you can use the phone to find the band, while the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 can now find the phone. 🙂

Battery

This new band comes with a built-in 110mAh battery, which is real progress compared to the 70mAh battery that was found in the previous My Band 2. Although the screen has become larger, the duration is not affected because the capacity of the battery has also been improved.

When we tested the Xiaomi Mi Band 3, the remaining power was 51%, and after three days, it was reduced to only 36%. Therefore, it consumes 5% per day. In this sense, the official information of a 20-day use is real.

We also tested the loading process. It reaches a load percentage of 16% in 12 minutes. Therefore, the My Band 3 can be fully charged within 75 minutes.

Xiaomi Mi Band 3 Findings

The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 version we have is in the Chinese language, and even the manual that came with it was all written in Chinese, so I had to install a modified MiFit APK version on my phone in other to install it a patched firmware on your the band. Use on your own risk. You must uninstall the official MiFit application first or the installation will fail (as the keys are different and the APK was resigned with debug keys). After successfully connecting the band to your smartphone, go to Profile > Settings > Check for updates on your phone and it will initiate a firmware update on the Mi Band 3.

After the update is complete, your Mi Band 3 Chinese language will be changed to English. Sounds easy right?

After you update the firmware, you can uninstall the modified APK and install the original one back.

The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 may have been outside the definition of the smart band because, in the traditional definition, a brand is not equipped with a screen, because only smartwatches are equipped with the content of the screen. However, there is a tendency to make portable devices easier to use and more convenient, so we can say that the screen is one of the most important updates that the Mi Band 3 has. In short, a Larger screen provides more functions and better use.

On the other hand, it is compatible with a special feature that automatically turns on the display when the user raises the wrist, and the band will give information such as the day, time or weather.

Well, we have already talked about all the features that this new sports band brings, so we can dare to say that, in just two years, this Chinese manufacturer has managed to bring a bigger screen, impressive water-resistant feature, and an improved appearance and keeping the price quite affordable.

Where can you buy this Xiaomi exercise band?

In case you are interested, this great device can be obtained from Gearbest online store at a price of only $ 29.59  which is at 26% off. Knowing this, we will leave you a button that will take you to the specific page where you are.

Buy Xiaomi Mi Band 3 on Gearbest

This Smart Bracelet is available on Gearbest right now for just $29.59 (at 26% off).

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About Author

Samuel Afolabi is a lazy tech-savvy that loves writing almost all tech-related kinds of stuff. He is the Editor-in-Chief of TechVaz. You can connect with him socially :)

1 thought on “Xiaomi Mi Band 3 Review – best fitness tracker under $50”

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