Mi Band 5 – Xiaomi’s new smart fitness bracelet

The Mi Band 5 is the latest generation of the smart fitness band from Xiaomi. The tape was developed in 2020 and there are again two versions. The Chinese version with NFC and the global version without NFC. Note that you cannot use NFC in Europe, as there are currently no service providers offering this function in cooperation with Xiaomi. The recommendation is therefore to buy the global version of the Mi Band 5, which is already available online and in specialist shops.

Those who want to save currently have the chance to get cheap bargains with the Mi Band 3 and Mi Band 4. These are currently on sale in specialist shops and online shops. In addition, supermarket discounters have already included these in their range. So in this article you can read whether it is worth buying the new Mi Band 5.

Features at a glance

The Mi Band 5 comes with numerous functions. I would like to give you the first quick overview here:

• Steps
• Heart rate
• Sleep phases
• Stress level
• PAI (physical activity number)
• News
• Breathing
• Events
• Weather
• Workout
• Alarm
• Camera control
• Music control
• Timer
• Stopwatch

Many of these features are self-explanatory or you already know them from other smart straps or watches – for example from their predecessors, the Mi Band 3 and Mi Band 4.

Specifications Mi Band 5

The smart tape is waterproof up to 50 meters – but should not be used when diving. However, showering and bathing is no problem with the Mi Band. The battery is now also 10mAh larger with 135mAh than the Mi Band 4. However, this is swallowed up with the larger display.

What is new is that you no longer have to disconnect the Mi Band 5 from the bracelet for charging, but rather that it is charged with magnetic contacts.

Display

The display of the Mi Band 5 is a 1.1 inch AMOLED display with a good resolution of 126×294 pixels. This makes it slightly larger than that of the predecessor, although the pixel density has not changed much.

The display on the Mi Band is particularly problematic when showering. Even if the tape has a key lock or display lock, this can be deactivated by swiping. Especially the drops when showering deactivate them and adjust the Mi Band. Alarms are often activated in this way or individual menus are controlled.

Battery

The Mi Band 5 has a 125mAh battery installed. In view of the larger display as well as the many functions, one should have expected a little more here. It is hoped that at least future Mi bands will crack the 200mAh – after all, cell phone batteries have now built up to 5000mAh. Nevertheless, the battery capacity is sufficient for one to two weeks – depending on the screen brightness, vibration and physical activity as well as the number of heart rate measurements.

Functions this Mi Band 5

In the following I would like to introduce you to some of the functions of the tape. You will already know many of them and are self-explanatory. On the other hand, there are many people who do not yet have a smart bracelet and want to know whether this function is for them.

Steps

Like most cell phones, Xiaomi can record your steps. The benefit compared to cell phones, however, is that you won’t always have your cell phone plugged in, but you will always wear the fitness watch. This gives you a more accurate and accurate result of your daily steps at the end of the day. This also helps you to get to know and understand your daily rhythm better. You can also set the watch to vibrate after a certain time (usually after an hour without movement) and thus remind you to take at least a little break. Of course, your mobile phone cannot do any of this.

Sports

The new smart band can now do up to 11 sports. These are:

• Running
• Treadmill
• Gehen
• Swimming
• Cycle
• Climbing
• Jump rope
• Yoga
• Freestyle
• Rowing
• Indoor cycling

In contrast to the Mi Band 4, 5 new sports have been added. However, it is questionable whether these are also needed and which smart values ​​can be drawn from them.

Heart rate

A big advantage of Mi bands is the continuous heart rate monitoring (up to every minute). This means that the whole day can be measured and not just the sporting activity (continuous measurement). Note, however, that a higher measurement frequency affects the battery.

The Mi Band can also warn of abnormal heart rate problems and a heart rate that is too high.

Sleep phases

The Mi Band also monitors sleep, with the Mi Band 5 also having better and more continuous sleep monitoring. Sleep problems and sleep patterns can thus be easily recognized and there are tips on how the quality of sleep can be increased.

The sleep phases are grouped by Mi Band 5 in four categories:

• Deep sleep
• Light sleep
• REM sleep
• Awake

There are three main questions:

• How long is the duration of deep sleep? Are there many or few deep sleep phases?
• How long is the total sleep duration?
• How often are the waking phases? Are there many or few awake rabbits?

Stress level

The Mi Band can measure the stress level throughout the day. It is divided into four different categories:

• Relaxxed
• Mild
• Moderate
• High

The levels are divided according to the measured water level, whereby up to 40 is considered relaxed and up to 60 is normal. Only after 80 does the display change from medium to a high stress level. It is currently unclear when the stress level will be measured. Even if the heart rate measurement takes place every minute, the stress measurement is less common.

PAI

PAI is a measured value that very few users will be familiar with. This is a vitality index and stands for Personal Activity & nbsp; Intelligence. A weekly score of 100 should be achieved, whereby the points result from the length of the activity and the pulse level. Walking quickly or covering long distances on foot is therefore not enough. Activity in combination with a higher heart rate is important for this measured value.

Menstrual cycle

Another function of the new tape is the memory of the menstrual cycle and ovulation. It remains to be seen whether this is a helpful or important function of a smart belt.

VO2-Max Sensor Mi Band 5

The Mi Band 5 does not currently have a VO2 Max sensor – whether it will get this is questionable. There is some talk of a plus version in autumn, but this has not been confirmed. Alternatively, this can also be calculated using certain parameters, whereby the value is never exact. The VO2 MAX value often only provides a high level of accuracy if many parameters are adhered to. For example, a level route would have to be run for 15 minutes in order to achieve a good result.

GPS on Mi Band 5

Mi bands are designed for long battery life. However, GPS in particular prevents a long runtime. The GPS function would be used during sporting activities. As already known from smartphones, however, a high GPS rate is required for the route during sporting activities. This means that the cell phone is always in contact with the satellites. Often the battery has already dropped by 25% after two hours – this corresponds to a value of 1000mAh for new cell phones. For comparison: The Mi Band has a battery capacity of 125mAh.

However, many other manufacturers also have the problem with the GPS. Of course, the battery is a bit higher there and the GPS signal is most likely not online in the long term – but there are also guideline values ​​of 4 to approx. These tapes don’t last any longer. This requires development in storage technology for electricity until acceptable values ​​and running times are achieved. For this reason, it is still advisable to use the GPS function of the cell phone and not the smart watch or the band.

NFC

The global version does not currently have NFC. In Europe it might be a bit early to pay with the band at the moment. Many banks are currently still blocking solutions (including with Google Play). As long as this problem is not resolved, the Xiaomi will not take a step towards payment based on NFC. In addition, the Mi Band with NFC costs more and the battery consumption should also be higher.

Brightness Mi Band 5

The Mi Band 5 is sufficiently bright for the sun without dazzling in the dark. Level 4 is recommended, as it still offers good brightness and does not use up the battery too quickly.

Set brightness Mi Band 5

You can adjust the brightness of your Mi Band yourself. To do this, you can switch the band lighter or darker via the settings. The standard setting is level 3 of 5. We recommend at least level 4 in summer. Note that each level has a lighter effect on the battery life of the Mi Band. So you can turn the Mi Band to the highest level for sporting activities – but don’t forget to switch it back to darker afterwards.

Apps for the Mi Band 5

Good apps for the Mi Band are, on the one hand, the official Mi Band app (Mi Fit). These are available for free in the Play Store and offer you the most important and basic functions. If you want more functionality, there are many other apps that significantly increase the functionality of your band. These include the “Notify Fitness” or “Mi Band Master” app. Both are available in the free version with limited functionality.

Mi Fit

The Mi Fit app is the official app from Xiaomi. In addition to the Mi Band 5, you can of course add other smart devices here. Note, however, that you can only add one active device per category. The categories are fitness wristbands, fitness watches, scales and shoes. You should get by with that, though. The Mi Fit app is constantly being expanded, although many functions are not apparent at first glance. A distinction is also made between the settings of the app (how something is arranged – regardless of which smart category the data comes from) and the settings for the smart devices themselves.

In addition, the Mi Fit app also offers you the option of starting workouts directly from the app, so that you don’t have to fight your way through the workout jungle of the Mi Band, which is a bit confusing. On the home page you can also see three of your most important vital signs and parameters. You can decide for yourself which these are. Perhaps this is a little shorthanded, as steps, heart rate and sleep are already full.

Mi Band Master

Mi Band Master is an important app for the Mi Band. The Mi Band Master has achieved its great success with the Mi Bands 1 to 3, as it has added some important functions here – for example, displaying texts. With the new Mi Bands, the app is almost unnecessary as a functional addition to the Mi Band, as the Mi Band 5 already has most of the functions on board. Nevertheless, the app still has its authorization – after all, it is structured differently than the in-house Mi Fit app from Xiaomi. For example, there are many widgets for Android that you can put on the start page. So you have all important key figures available at a glance, from the battery level to the number of steps.

You can find more information about the Mi Band Master at blog article about the Mi Band apps and in the blog article about the Mi Band Master app .

Difference between Mi Band 5 and other Mi Bands and other providers

In this section I would like to show you the differences between the Mi bands 3, 4, 5 and other smart fitness bands. If you have already had Mi bands, the navigation of the menu navigation as well as the functions of the bands will look familiar to you. Nevertheless, the bands are suitable for completely different types, so that even buying an old Mi band can be an advantage.

Difference between Mi Band 5 and Mi Band 4

In the comparison between Mi Band 5 and Mi Band 4, little has changed here. A little more sports were added and you can customize the display better – the elements themselves. The controls and gestures have remained the same and the battery life has not changed much either. The slightly larger display quickly eats up the larger battery reserves. As long as there is no need for a Mi Band 5, you can stay with the current Mi Band 4.

Comparison of Mi Volume 5 and Mi Volume 3

Compared to the Mi Band 3, buying the latest bracelet is definitely worth it. After all, not only is the display bigger, but also in color. In addition, the display can be adjusted so that the elements can be arranged as desired. The battery life, however, is no longer as the screen is larger, brighter and in color. So if you really want a Mi Band at an excellent price and with an ultra-long battery life, the Mi Band 3 is in good hands. It offers all the important sporting functions and already has enough features (such as weather, minute pulse, etc.). Both Mi bands have a capacitive button and a display to control the gestures.

Comparison of Mi Band 5 with other providers

Compared to other fitness bracelets, the Mi Band is currently quite true to the line. Every year there is a new volume, which is expanded by a few functions. It should have a long battery life and at the same time be cheap, so that the price has been constant at around 40 € for a new Mi Band in recent years. The Mi Band from 2020 did not exceed this value either. Compared to other manufacturers, however, you have to accept compromises.

Mi Band 5 VS Honor Band 5

With the Honor Band from Huawei, the software is currently the crux of the matter. In addition to the Huawei Health app, the Huawei Mobile Services application must also be installed. Both cannot always be installed via the PlayStore, so that the Huawei AppStore often also has to be installed. Otherwise, the fitness trackers are currently the same in terms of functionality.

Mi Band 5 – charging times, runtimes, battery life and battery

In contrast to its predecessors, the Mi Band 5 has a different charging method and therefore no longer has to be removed from the band. The two contacts with which the Mi Band 5 can be charged with a magnetic charging plug are installed below the heart rate monitor. However, this also means that the charging plugs are no longer compatible with other versions of the Mi Band.

Charging time Mi Band 5

Depending on the adapter, it takes different lengths of time to land the Mi Band. With a normal PC output at 5V, the full charging time is around 3 hours. This is not particularly fast now, but it is bearable. Note that you will not receive any measured data during this time (neither heart rate nor number of steps).

Mi Band 5 runtime / battery life

The running time of the Mi Band 5 is significantly shorter than that of its predecessors. In comparison, the front runner is of course the Mi Band 3, as it only had a smaller black and white display. This saved a lot of electricity and significantly increased the running time. But the more functions, the shorter the runtime – despite the larger battery.

Switch off Mi Band 5

Like its predecessors, the Mi Band 5 cannot be switched off or deactivated (in contrast to a Huawei band). To de facto switch off the Mi Band, you can simply wait until the battery is empty. But there is no on / off function, as the fitness bracelet was not developed for this.

Mi Band 5 FAQ

Below is a section in which you can see many questions from users, including answers. They help you to understand and use your Mi Band better or solve many unexplained problems.