Xiaomi has renewed one of the emblematic products by launching the Smart Band 9. Symbol of the strength of the Chinese manufacturer in offering products with excellent value for money, this connected bracelet is still evolving and the brand is offering this year a revision placed under the sign of “style”. Available in France since the start of the school year, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 has spent the last few weeks on our wrist. The opportunity for us to discover the improvements made by the brand and the evolution of the bracelet.
| Xiaomi Smart Band 9 | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions and weight | – 46,53 X 21,63 x 10,95 mm – 15.8 g (without the bracelet) / ≃ 27 g (with the bracelet) |
| Screen | – 1.62-inch AMOLED touchscreen – 192 x 490 inches – Brightness: up to 1,200 nits |
| Sensors | – Accelerometer sensor – Gyroscope sensor – Optical heart rate sensor – Ambient light sensor |
| Battery | – 233 mAh – Magnetic charge – Up to 21 days of battery life – Charging time: approximately 1 hour |
| Compatibility | – Mi Fitness – Smartphones Android 8.0 and iOS 12.0 and later |
| Other features | – 5ATM waterproofing |
| Colors | – Noir – Gris – Powder pink – Pastel blue |
| Package Contents | – Xiaomi Smart Band 9 – Magnetic charging cable – User Manual |
| Price and release date | – 39,90 euros – August 2024 |
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is sold at a price of 39.99 euros, or 10 euros less than the Smart Band 8. This very low price does not prevent it from arriving with a silicone bracelet. Allow 10 to 20 euros for replacement bracelets, or 10 euros for the racing clip.
Buy the Xiaomi Smart Band 9
Design and screen
Xiaomi changes almost nothing to the design of its connected bracelet. The new version strongly resembles its predecessor and that does not displease us. Through developments, the Smart Band has found its style and retains its elongated shape. The dimensions and weight of the Smart Band 9 – 46.53 x 21.63 x 10.95 mm for 15.8 g without the bracelet – allow you to have a discreet bracelet on your wrist. Although it is very difficult to notice a change compared to the Smart Band 8 with the naked eye, Xiaomi has nevertheless slightly revised the dimensions of its new bracelet.
The Smart Band 9 is slightly smaller and lighter than the Smart Band 8 (48 x 22.5 x 10.99 mm), but these differences are minimal. Even on the smallest wrists, the difference will probably not be noticeable. In both cases, we stay away from the watch bracelet as we can see at Xiaomi with the Pro variant of the Smart Band.
Even more personalization
This default design, very versatile, helps the bracelet adapt to small and large wrists. The original silicone strap gives a sporty side to the Smart Band 9 and is comfortable enough to be forgotten.
In order to offer it a more advantageous design – or one more in line with your current style – Xiaomi has been trying to make its bracelet more “fashionable” for several generations.
The Chinese firm offers seven new bracelets in different materials and colors, as well as more than 200 different frames. If the manufacturer opts for a proprietary connector system, the Smart Band 9 remains compatible with the Smart Band 8 bracelets. For our test, the brand offered us the opportunity to discover the Running Clip and the Braided Strap. Both accessories are priced at 9.99 euros on the Xiaomi website.
Practical, they are especially intended for athletes who want a lightweight bracelet attachment solution. The effect is successful and the case is well maintained inside the accessory. As for the bracelet, it is positioned as an effective alternative to the silicone bracelet.
This desire to offer colorful models and to make it easy to customize your bracelet also demonstrates the maturity of the product. It also confirms that the format is more difficult to evolve than in the past and that new developments involve transforming the Smart Band into a fashion accessory.
The screen gains brightness
With an identical format, Xiaomi’s latest bracelet keeps a screen of similar size. The 1.62-inch AMOLED panel displays a definition of 490 x 192 pixels (resolution of 325 ppi), i.e. generous dimensions on a bracelet. The brand is not resting on its laurels and is boosting the brightness of the panel, going from 600 cd/m² “only” on the Smart Band 8 to 1,200 cd/m² for the Smart Band 9. An improvement that does not go unnoticed and which provides greater comfort for viewing the screen outside, even in direct sunlight. The rest does not change and Xiaomi still offers a large number of display settings. You can opt for automatic brightness, activate always-on mode or even synchronize DND (do not disturb) mode with your smartphone.
Features
In terms of functionality, we are on the status quo and the Smart Band 9 offers an experience comparable to that of its predecessor. The HyperOS system is in charge and it doesn’t really disrupt the experience, close to that offered for a few generations. In the absence of a button, you navigate with simple touch gestures:
- Swipe up and down: Displays the notifications panel. It allows you to quickly check messages, missed calls, and other alerts without having to take out your smartphone.
- Swipe from bottom to top: Opens the main menu with the bracelet’s apps and features. You can start a workout, measure your heart rate, view your activity history, access the settings
- Side swipe (left or right): Allows you to navigate between the different widgets and the quick settings menu. There is an overview of key information such as weather, number of steps, heart rate, sleep time. The quick settings menu allows you to activate/deactivate certain functions such as “Do not disturb” mode or quickly access the bracelet settings.
The main thing is there, the efficiency too
Going back is done by swiping from the left edge to the right edge of the screen, which won’t disrupt gesture navigation users on Android. The smartphone will also be used to configure the bracelet and access the Mi Fitness application. In addition to Android (from version 8.0), the bracelet is compatible with Apple devices running iOS 12.0 or newer.
This essential application in the Xiaomi ecosystem allows a watch or bracelet connected to the phone. An essential step to take advantage of its accessory and we have already mentioned Mi Fitness in numerous recent tests. Always effective, the application however tends to rely on acquired knowledge and forget to progress. This remains more penalizing with a watch than such an accessible bracelet.
Health and sports monitoring
The main benefit of the bracelet remains to follow you in your daily activities, whether in terms of your health or your physical exercises. The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 does not revolutionize the genre and offers different sensors for complete monitoring: accelerometer, gyroscope, optical heart rate sensor, etc.
The Smart Band 9 is able to count your steps, but also measure heart rate or blood oxygen level (SpO2). All the tools are all easily available from the bracelet and the data can be viewed using the app. If cardio monitoring seems effective to us, sleep monitoring sometimes seems overvalued.
Sport is not left out with the promise of following more than 150 sport modes, including essentials such as running, walking, hiking, cycling, swimming or even skipping rope, the treadmill running and skiing. On the wrist, you can find all the activities supported by the bracelet via the Training menu. They are grouped by theme (water sports, dance, combat sports, board games (yes!), etc.). For more experienced athletes, it is possible to connect the application to third-party platforms such as Stravia.
Autonomy
The Smart Band 9 has a 233 mAh battery and Xiaomi claims up to 21 days of battery life, with standard use. Endurance increases to 9 days with intensive use. The improved battery capacity can be explained by the decision to offer a brighter screen than before.
For practical reasons, we tested the Smart Band 9 by pushing the sliders upwards. The bracelet was used with the screen always on (always-on mode), notifications activated, sleep tracking, four sports sessions of one hour each and the rest of the default settings. This use seems quite sustained to us and certainly a little more advanced than average.
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is impressive in these conditions, offering battery life of around a week. If we do not reach the nine days promised by Xiaomi, the bracelet behaves well with our demanding conditions.
Finally, Xiaomi announces a charging time of around 1 hour and the manufacturer keeps its promise. If you don’t flirt with 0, it’s even possible to envisage a charge from 15 to 100% in around 45 minutes.
Price and availability
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is available in France at a price of 39.99 euros. It comes in four colors: pastel blue, gray, black, powder pink and titanium.
Buy the Xiaomi Smart Band 9
Accessories are also available on the manufacturer’s store. The running clip for the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 costs 9.99 euros, like the braided bracelet.
Discover the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 accessories
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