The Xiaomi Mi Band series of trackers has staked out the status of the world's most popular wearable gadgets and remains so to this day. But it all started small.

First generations

The debut of the line took place in the midst of summer 2014. The first generation of Mi Band marked the beginning of a laconic and minimalistic design, which was supported by the high quality of the workmanship of the product. The main protagonist of the first model was a sealed capsule with three LED lights on the front panel. Yes, there was no screen in the debut edition of Xiaomi Mi Band.

The first generation of Xiaomi Mi Band did not even have a display. Instead, a trio of LED lights were placed on the front panel of the waterproof capsule.

The color of the indicator lights could be customized for different events from four proposed options - blue, orange, green and red (in addition to the traditional white). The model was able to track the distance traveled, analyzed the quality of sleep and unobtrusively woke up the owner with vibration at the right time thanks to the “smart” alarm clock function. Due to the lack of a display, the wearable gadget worked without recharging for up to 30 days.

The same neutral exterior is retained in the 1S version of the bracelet, also known as the Xiaomi Mi Band Pulse. The key innovation in this modification was an optical heart rate monitor that counts the number of contractions of the heart muscle. The only difference between the updated revision of the tracker and the debutant of the line is the LEDs of only one white color on the front panel of the capsule, which somewhat underestimated the usefulness of the visual indication of notifications.

Popular Xiaomi fitness trackers

Second edition

Xiaomi's "cheap and cheerful" recipe worked really well. However, technology did not stand still and the second generation of the Mi Band fitness tracker got a long-awaited display. A miniature OLED screen with a diagonal of 0.42 inches in the design of the capsule showed the current time, the number of steps taken per day and calories burned, the distance covered, and displayed the results of heart rate measurements. Interaction with the interface of the fitness tracker was made by swiping and pressing the touch button in the area under the display.

An innovation in the second edition of the fitness tracker is the appearance of a small info display.

The declared battery life of Xiaomi Mi Band 2 was 20 days, and the built-in battery had a capacity of 70 mAh. A full charge from the USB port was provided in about an hour and a half. The model in the second generation has retained all the advantages of its predecessors (reference operating time and low cost) and has become much more convenient in terms of information perception.

Third version

In version number "3", the hit tracker from Xiaomi received noticeable improvements on all fronts. The most radically reworked in the model is the OLED screen, which has grown to a diagonal of 0.78 inches. Mi Band 3 received a more streamlined and glossy design of the capsule, and the display of the fitness tracker learned to recognize touch control by swiping up and down to switch menu items (while the under-screen touch button has not disappeared). Thanks to the larger display caliber in standby mode, it had enough room to display the time, date and number of steps.

The third generation of Xiaomi Mi Band has acquired an OLED screen with a diagonal size of 0.78 inches.

Xiaomi Mi Band 3 could count steps, measure heart rate, show time, monitor sleep quality and duplicate notifications. From the new menu appeared stopwatch and weather forecast. The autonomy of the model remained at the same level - about 20 days of work without recharging. In parallel with the classic version for the Chinese market, a modification of the tracker with an NFC chip was released, but it was impossible to use this interface for contactless payments outside the Middle Kingdom.

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fourth generation

The fourth generation of Xiaomi Mi Band is successfully alive today. It further increased the screen diagonal (up to 0.95 inches), along with which the display learned to broadcast color images. Tempered glass was rolled over the AMOLED screen, and in the proprietary application they added the ability to install custom dials for every taste and color.

Controlling the music player of a paired smartphone is a useful feature in the fourth generation of Xiaomi Mi Band.

The success formula of Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is that the gadget has absorbed the most practical features that simplify everyday life. On the display of the device, you can fully read small messages, see the name of the calling contact, view information about the frequency of contractions of the heart muscle, watch the weather, search for the phone, and even control the music player. The device is also useful for adherents of an active lifestyle, as it has 18 types of activities, coupled with the ability to receive training data in the form of heart rate, running pace or maximum speed.

Fifth generation

The fifth generation of the hit fitness tracker has been stretched even more (up to 1.1 inches diagonally) and thrown a lot of new watch faces. The extended functionality of the device includes the ability to measure the body's stress level, track the female cycle, and remotely control the smartphone's camera. Also from the innovations in the model introduced breathing exercises.

The screen size of the Xiaomi Mi Band is growing with each new generation.

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 bracelet was armed with magnetic charging, so you no longer need to get the capsule out of the strap. However, the straps themselves and the charger will have to be bought new - their backward compatibility with previous generations of the wearable gadget was not delivered. The autonomy of the tracker remained at about the same level, the price of the device did not change either.

Sixth edition

The successor to the fifth Mi Band retained the appearance of the tracker and at the same time got rid of the frames around the AMOLED screen. As a result, the display diagonal of the device has grown to 1.56 inches - more useful information is placed on it. Xiaomi Mi Band 6 supports 30 sports training modes, and 6 of them are automatically recognized.

With the advent of the SpO₂ sensor, the iconic fitness tracker from Xiaomi has learned how to measure the level of oxygen saturation in the blood.

Related functions of the device are represented by collecting information about the user's activity, measuring the level of blood oxygen saturation, determining the level of body stress, monitoring sleep, tracking individual female cycles. As before, on the shelves of stores, the sixth edition of the fitness tracker is sold in a "chip" version and in a modification without an onboard NFC module. Also in the model there is a system for assessing the state of health PAI.

Seventh version

Xiaomi Mi Band 7 Large AMOLED screen (by the standards of a fitness tracker), Always on Display, many watch faces, many activity measurements, blood oxygen saturation, women's cycle tracking, stress and health assessment, management music on your smartphone. There are no significant downsides.

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi follows a well-tested formula: taking what already works well, improving it a little and adding something new, while keeping the price almost at the level of the previous generation. Voila! This is exactly what the Mi Band 7 fitness tracker turned out to be.

Usable screen area

For the better, the model has changed the usable area of the screen, which increased its diagonal dimensions to 1.62 inches. The display is now much more convenient to read notifications from your smartphone and interact with the interface as a whole. And the screen of the wearable device was taught to work in Always On mode - the non-fading display function remains active when the clock is displayed, as it is not needed, it can be easily turned off in the settings.

Key innovations

The number of supported sports modes in Xiaomi Mi Band 7 has exceeded a good hundred. The bracelet can track the vast majority of all kinds of activities. The model also has functions for monitoring heart rate, tracking sleep quality, assessing stress levels, breathing exercises, etc. From the new tracker, they threw an improved sensor for determining the level of blood oxygen saturation, which collects information automatically throughout the day, the ability to track cardio endurance and prevent excessive exercise.

Potential hit

In offline mode, the bracelet keeps afloat for up to 15 days. Its 180 mAh battery is charged through a convenient magnetic connector. The NFC version of the device also supports voice control. A little later, after the release of the classic "seven", the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 Pro gadget appeared to the world - a cross between fitness trackers and smartwatches. You can read more about him and other debutants of the Chinese brand in the article “Hot news from Xiaomi: Band 7 Pro fitness tracker, Home Wi-Fi MESH system, 12S generation smartphones and Book Pro laptops”.

Mobile app

For many years in a row, Xiaomi fitness trackers have been controlled through the Mi Fit mobile application. In the spring of 2022, the programme was rebranded - now it is called Zepp Life. Note that the application interface has not undergone major changes. On the main screen, it displays the number of steps taken, an assessment of the quality of sleep and heart rate. Separate tabs provide access to sports training, interactions with friends, and advanced settings (including smart alarm functions and notification settings).

At the beginning of 2022, the popular Mi Fit app for controlling fitness trackers from Xiaomi was rebranded - henceforth it is called Zepp Life.

Zepp is the new name of the Amazfit brand that produces smartwatches and fitness trackers. This division belongs to Huami, which is behind the development of the iconic Mi Band series.