Is the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 the perfect gadget?

Introduction

Global version of the well-known Xiaomi fitness tracker. This model features an excellent design. The new strap attachment allows you to wear this model as a pendant. It has a bright AMOLED display with a 60 Hz refresh rate and Always-On display technology.

Water resistance of up to 5 ATM and battery life of up to 16 days. Extensive functionality and more. Of course, you can read about all of this in advertisements, but how does the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Global actually perform? Let me tell you.

Unpacking

This model comes in the same thin white cardboard box as the Chinese version of the bracelet. The box features an image, brief specifications, and the model name. The packaging is identical.

The package includes the fitness tracker itself, a user manual, a strap, and a magnetic charger with two pins. The capsule weighs 15 grams without the strap, and its dimensions are 48 x 22 x 1 mm.

Appearance and colors

The Smart Band 8 comes in a black casing with a black strap and a gold casing with a white strap. Additional straps can be purchased separately, offering a more than sufficient selection.

The strap attachment mechanism of the eighth series has improved, in my opinion. There is a video on the channel with the setup instructions for this bracelet — if you have purchased or are planning to, you can watch it, everything is straightforward.

Usage options

The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Global can be worn not only on the wrist but also as a pendant around the neck, using the neck mode, or on sneakers in capsule mode. Remember, such features existed about three years ago but not with Xiaomi. For this, you need to purchase a special attachment to secure it to your sneaker.

Each mode is designed for a specific usage scenario. For example, in neck mode, you cannot measure heart rate, SpO2, and other metrics. Steps are not measured as accurately as in bracelet mode. In capsule mode, you need to attach the bracelet to your shoe, after which you can view information about step length and more. They are not the first to come up with this idea, and they won’t be the first to forget about it.

Device design

The device’s design is attractive, and the smart bracelet looks great. The capsule’s body is made of plastic with a glossy finish. The standard strap is made of high-quality TPU, which is comfortable to wear. The Smart Band 8 is lightweight and comfortable to sleep in. The body features the Xiaomi logo, two charging contacts, and health monitoring sensors.

Screen

On the front, there is a 1.62-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 192 x 490 pixels. The screen refresh rate is 60 Hz, similar to the iPhone 15. Scrolling is smooth, making navigation through the interface very convenient. The system operates quickly and without lag. The interface is available in multiple languages with a good font, and the pixel density is 326 ppi.

The screen has small bezels, but the chin is more noticeable. The display’s color reproduction is rich, with a brightness of up to 600 nits. In direct sunlight, the screen remains visible, and the auto-brightness feature works quickly and accurately. The maximum screen timeout is 5 minutes.

Always On Display and screen settings

The full-featured Always On Display works in smart mode or on a schedule. Its style depends on the installed watch face, but the screen still lacks sufficient brightness with AOD enabled. With AOD on, raising your wrist to activate the screen works flawlessly, just as it does without AOD. Additionally, this feature can be customized.

The “Always On Display” function can be set for a maximum of 20 minutes. There is a screen-off feature by covering it, which is convenient, as well as turning on the screen by tapping it. To avoid accidental touches, you can change this function so that the screen turns on with a swipe instead.

Additional features

You can set a password on the Smart Band 8. The “Do Not Disturb” mode can be accessed by swiping down from the main screen, notifications by swiping up, the menu by swiping left to right, and then there are widgets. You can place up to two widgets on one screen, personalize them, and sort the apps in the menu.

In the menu, there are sections for statistics, activity, workouts, a “Running” tab with various running templates (endurance running, fat-burning running, etc.), and a “Status” tab displaying training load, VO2 max, and recovery.

Further in the menu, you can find heart rate measurement, blood oxygen level, stress level, sleep monitoring, vitality, weather with a detailed forecast, a music player for adjusting the volume and controlling music playback on your smartphone, an alarm that can be set directly from the bracelet, a flashlight, breathing exercises, a stopwatch, and a timer.

In the background, only the stopwatch can run. Additionally, the menu includes an app for focus, phone finder, events, notifications, world time, women’s health, a Bluetooth button for remote photography, and options to enable and disable silent mode on your smartphone.

Settings and features

In the settings, you can adjust the vibration, enable power-saving mode, optimize energy consumption, and use standard Bluetooth settings. Unfortunately, it has Bluetooth version 5.1, but this doesn’t hinder its performance. The global version does not include NFC.

Navigation and training

The device offers a wide range of workouts, including swimming tracking and automatic activity measurement. You can install the Chinese version of the app to add jump rope mode and treadmill running.

There is no built-in GPS; navigation relies on the GPS of your smartphone. During workouts, you can use the music player.

The smart bracelet can measure heart rate, SpO2, monitor sleep, and stress levels. It doesn’t register heart rate or oxygen levels in the air, which is good. Heart rate is measured in auto mode at intervals of 1, 10, and 30 minutes. SpO2 works in a continuous mode, as does stress level monitoring.

You can also manually measure these indicators. The measurement results are accurate, and the sleep monitoring is precise, tracking all sleep phases correctly.

Notifications

Incoming calls can only be declined or handled with quick replies. Notifications arrive instantly, but you cannot respond to them, and quick replies are not available. App icons are displayed.

Battery and autonomy

The battery capacity is 190 mAh, and a full charging cycle takes just 1 hour. With active usage, including all health monitoring and AOD enabled, the bracelet will last about five days. While it’s clear that with various adjustments you can stretch the battery life to around two weeks, if you use all features without worrying about battery conservation, this is the expected duration.

Water resistance

The water resistance rating is 5 ATM. Naturally, I tested them for waterproofing — they didn’t fail, so you can swim and shower with them. Many people say I shouldn’t warn against using electronics in salt water, as everyone’s devices work fine. However, I read many comments, and in salt water, as well as in saunas, many electronic devices, even those designed to be submerged, often fail.

Smartphone connection and dials

The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Global connected to the Mi Fitness app without any issues. The Mi Fitness app has four tabs: Health, Workout, Device, and Profile. In the smart bracelet settings, everything is standard. In addition to the previously mentioned features, there is a watch face store with more than enough options to choose from.

There are watch faces for pendant mode, mini-games, personalized watch faces, multifunctional watch faces, and the option to set any photo as the wallpaper.

There are also health monitoring settings and standard device settings. You can update the firmware through the app, and I have already received an update.

Disadvantages

The drawbacks are the old Bluetooth version, noticeable screen bezels and the presence of a chin, no built-in GPS, and no ability to respond to notifications even with templates. Perhaps this feature will be added in the future; I really hope so. They do not connect to the Zepp app, and the global version lacks interactive modes.

Summary

In summary, both the Chinese and global versions of the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 8 are excellent smart bracelets. Of course, I recommend purchasing the global version, as it would be more reasonable. The device gets a definite yes from me. Wishing you all the best and good luck, dear friends!