Xiaomi Band 8: A New Interactive Boxing Mode
The Xiaomi Band 8 has just been released and it brings a lot of upgrades over last year’s Xiaomi Bet 7. I have been using this fitness band for the last month and it has been a lot of fun. In 2023, budget fitness bands have somewhat lost their charm, but the Xiaomi Band 8 is here to flip the script altogether.
Features of the Xiaomi Band 8
Besides the interactive boxing mode, the Xiaomi Band 8 also has a running bean mode which should be useful to athletes or anyone who is developing a running habit and wants to improve their form. By placing the band on your shoes instead of your wrist, the band 8 can deliver much deeper running metrics, including foot strike pattern and impact force, as well as all the usual stuff like stride, cadence and pace.
Limitations of the Xiaomi Band 8
While this sounds pretty good for a pro athlete, for an amateur runner like me, I wish Xiaomi’s fitness app would give some insight into my actual performance itself. It just feels like a data dump right now, instead of anything that gives me information or can benefit me in any way.
Additional Features of the Xiaomi Band 8
The Xiaomi Band 8 has a total of 150 sports modes, 20 more than its predecessor. I like how I can access all of them via the band itself and how they are grouped based on their exercise category.
Xiaomi Band 8
The Xiaomi Band 8 is a great choice for those looking for a fitness tracker with a few extra features. It can track your heart rate, calories burnt, and a few of your workouts automatically. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have an auto pause feature, so if you forget to pause the exercise after you’re done, it will keep recording.
Health Monitoring Features
The Xiaomi Band 8 can keep track of all the health monitoring features you need, such as heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, sleep, stress, and breathing assessment during sleep. It also includes the Vitality score, which is similar to the Paedo score and encourages you to engage in heart rate intensive exercises.
Accuracy
I compared the Xiaomi Band 8 against Samsung’s flagship Galaxy Watch 5 Pro to test the accuracy of the data and found the Band 8 to be slightly overshooted in different aspects, including sleep tracking and distance covered during a walk.
08 inch LCD display with a resolution of 126 x 294 pixels.
Xiaomi Band 8
I’m not totally surprised by the Xiaomi Band 8, as almost every Xiaomi wearable I’ve tested in the past couple of years has had this issue, especially with sleep monitoring. To view all your health data, you will need to install the Mi Fitness app, which is available for both Android and iOS devices, or you can refer to the band itself. Xiaomi has polished their UI UX quite nicely.
Design
The Xiaomi Band 8 gets a big thumbs up from me in terms of design. It has a quick release strap mechanism, which is more practical and intuitive. The metal frame feels much better on my wrist. I wish Xiaomi would have gone with a softer silicon strap instead of the TPU one by default, but this is not the worst thing in the world either and I did not develop any skin irritation or issues like allergies. In select markets, Xiaomi even sells a bunch of different strap material options, including leather and chain straps.
Pendant
The weirdest of them all is the fact that the Band 8 can be worn as a pendant. For some reason, I don’t know why anyone would want to go that way since you’re sacrificing a whole lot in terms of health and fitness tracking in return for nothing practical, and it does not even look that good as a fashion accessory anyway.
Display
The Xiaomi Band 8 has a 1.08 inch LCD display with a resolution of 126 x 294 pixels.
60Hz Refresh Rate
The Xiaomi Band 8 features a 62 inch AMOLED display, which may look the same as last year’s. However, it now has a 60hz refresh rate instead of 30 Hertz, making interactions with the band feel more fluid and responsive.
Ambient Light Sensor
The Band 8 is also the first in its lineup to get an ambient light sensor for automatic brightness adjustment. This works flawlessly, and the watch face options for the band 8 are pretty great too, with some of them even having a built in game of sorts that you can play to kill time.
Notification System
Xiaomi has also upgraded the notification system for its fitness band. Incoming notifications are now grouped in a poor, app basis and, surprisingly enough, the band 8 can also open the notification on your phone with a simple tap. It does not work all the time, but it’s still a pretty cool feature that can be improved with future updates.
Display Shape
The only thing that I would change about this display is its shape. The pill shaped layout has been a staple of Xiaomi’s budget fitness bands, but it began showing its age a couple of iterations ago. I wish Xiaomi would switch to a regular display, like Huawei’s latest activity trackers. Likewise, I would have liked if it had a physical button, since navigating around the band would have been a whole lot better.
Battery Life
Xiaomi claims that the Band 8 has a 190 milliamp hour battery and can last up to 16 days under regular usage. In reality, with all the major health tracking features turned on, users can expect to get around five to seven days of backup on average. Charging speed has been improved with the Band 8, taking only one hour to reach 100%. The two-pin cable is generic looking, not as good as the design of the previous Xiaomi bands which latched onto the band more securely.
Design
The Band 8 is a refreshing addition to the beloved lineup of body and fitness trackers. It features a metal frame, quick release strap design, ambient light sensor and a smoother 60hz refresh rate. Xiaomi has also added new interactive boxing mode, running bead mode and running Tutorials, making it one of the best budget fitness trackers.
Health and Fitness Tracking
Though the Band 8 gets a lot of things right, the health and fitness tracking side of things could be better.
Xiaomi Band 8 Review
The Xiaomi Band 8 is a great choice for those looking for a fitness tracker. It has a sleek design, is lightweight, and is comfortable to wear. It also has a long battery life and is water-resistant. The band tracks your steps, calories burned, and sleep quality. It also has a heart rate monitor and can be used to track your workouts.
The Xiaomi Band 8 has a great display that is easy to read and navigate. The app is easy to use and has a variety of features. You can set goals, track your progress, and get reminders to stay active. The app also has a social media integration so you can share your progress with friends.
The Xiaomi Band 8 is a great choice for those looking for a fitness tracker. It is affordable, has a great display, and is easy to use. It is also water-resistant and has a long battery life. The app is also easy to use and has a variety of features.
Huawei Band 8
If you’re looking for something a bit more advanced, you should check out the Huawei Band 8. It has a lot of the same features as the Xiaomi Band 8, but also has a few extras. It has a built-in GPS, so you can track your runs and bike rides. It also has a larger display and a longer battery life.
The Huawei Band 8 is a great choice for those looking for a more advanced fitness tracker. It has a lot of the same features as the Xiaomi Band 8, but also has a few extras. It is a bit more expensive, but if you’re looking for something more advanced, it may be worth the extra cost.
Whether you’re looking for a basic fitness tracker or something more advanced, the Xiaomi Band 8 and Huawei Band 8 are both great choices. Both have a lot of features, are easy to use, and have a long battery life. The Xiaomi Band 8 is more affordable, while the Huawei Band 8 has a few extra features. Whichever one you choose, you’ll be sure to get a great fitness tracker.
