Of all the wearable devices from Xiaomi, the Xiaomi Mi Band series has been somewhat of a bestseller. According to the statistics published by Xiaomi in 2022, Xiaomi Mi Bands reached a total sale of 140 million, translating into one out of every fourteen persons in the country using one. This is an illustration of how this watch band meets users’ needs in terms of health, sleep, and exercise tracking.
Each generation of the Xiaomi Mi Band has its special features. Like the Mi Band 6, the device offers blood oxygen and heart rate monitoring. The Mi Band 7 introduces a fully upgraded sports mode. And for Mi Band 8, it can even serve as a game controller. Xiaomi always focuses on innovation, ensuring that each new release meets user demands.
Historically, with the release of a new model of Mi Band, the shipment volume reached millions within a very short period, which proved that each new iteration was a hot seller.
With the annual Xiaomi conference coming, the new Xiaomi Mi Band 9 is to be released with several major upgrades:
First, it has improved sleep monitoring accuracy by 7.9 percent and improved the accuracy of heart rate detection by 16 percent with an upgraded sensor.
The second is that the battery life has been prolonged. Taking into consideration a large screen and high brightness compared to the last generation, the Mi Band 9 reached a battery capacity of 233mAh, which extends the battery life from 14 to 21 days.
A linear motor upgrade to vibration feedback will allow the vibration effect to be more refined. There are further improvements, such as the higher brightness and an aluminum alloy middle frame.
Now, let’s see how the Xiaomi Mi Band 9 performs.
Appearance
The Xiaomi Mi Band 9 still continued the classic runway design, with a 2.5D screen cover and a 1.62-inch AMOLED display. The changes on the outside are not that big, and the maximum screen brightness has doubled, from 600 nits in the last generation, reaching an astonishing 1200 nits, the proper lighting it needs to make sure you are able to clearly read text content even in outdoor environments. The sensor from the previous generation for ambient light is preserved, allowing the bracelet to adjust the screen brightness based on changing ambient light conditions for an improved viewing experience.
Inside, the Mi Band 9 packs the newest BES chip from Hengxuan Technology, has improved storage specs of 16MB PSRAM, and 256MB NAND, and is also able to bring 60Hz refresh rate and global motion effects for smoother navigation.
Overall, the monitoring module has been upgraded from a PPG single-lamp single-PD scheme in the previous generation to a PPG dual-lamp single-PD scheme. To enable more accurate monitoring, the Fresnel pattern on the PPG transparent window was removed. The light group consists of a red light, a green light, and an infrared light. The green light is for heart rate, and the red and infrared rays are for blood oxygen. In addition, the infrared light may detect the wearing of the watch. The new addition augments the overall accuracy when it comes to sleep monitoring by 7.9% and heart rate detection by 16%.
What else
On the back, there are two magnetic charging contacts and two quick-release buckles, one at the top and one at the bottom, which enable disconnection of the wristband and its replacement with a single click.
The band itself is quite comfortable, made from durable fluoro rubber. It’s also compatible with wristbands from the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 so that users can have enough space to wear their favorite bands.
The package also includes jogging pods that are attached to shoelaces when exercising or worn as a pendant.
The Mi Band 9 by Xiaomi has a thickness of 10.99 mm and features an aluminum alloy middle frame with a matte sandblasting and CNC process, which ensures a better texture quality compared to the middle frame with the metal spray paint of the previous generation.
Sleep Function Experience
The Xiaomi Mi Band 9 has further upgraded the ability of sleep monitoring due to hardware and software upgrades and some strategic cooperation with professional sleep institutions. In cooperation with the Peking University Third Hospital, the Mi Band 9 added sleep apnea monitoring. Moreover, it allows professional sleeping guidance in cooperation with the China Sleep Research Society, while cooperation with the China Association for Standardization helps in forming standards related to the accuracy monitoring of sleep. Thereby, these endorsements increase the professionalism of the Mi Band 9 when dealing with sleep monitoring.
The Xiaomi Mi Band 9 is capable of displaying the most detailed information about sleep directly on the watch: deep sleep, light sleep, REM, wakefulness time, average heart rate, and average blood oxygen levels. A more advanced breakdown of information is possible through the Xiaomi Sports Health app, where sleep scores, average heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and average respiratory rates are given with intuitive interpretations and suggestions.
Analyzing the sleep data itself, the Mi Band 9 assesses the quality of sleep, be it short sleep, abnormally deep and light sleep ratios, or late bedtimes. It offers detailed insights and suggestions to help improve sleep and explains what this will mean in the long term if the situation does not improve. Users can enlarge sleep data to full screen to see information more clearly, including blood oxygen and heart rate, for a better understanding of the physical condition during sleep.
Some important notes about sleep
It is worth mentioning that sleep length differs due to various reasons, though 6-10 hours sounds like a reasonable interval. The cycles of sleep alternate periods of wakefulness, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep, which last 90-120 minutes. Normally, one goes through 4-6 sleep cycles per night. Light sleep accounts for 20-60% of total sleep, deep sleep for 20-40%, REM sleep for 10-30%, and waking up during sleep is normal if it lasts less than 20 minutes.
For those who nap, 10-20 minutes is ideal for replenishing energy levels without one becoming groggy. One can also find the average breathing rate on a mobile application.
Now, the Mi Band 9 has introduced a rather fun “sleeping animal” mode whereby one has to wear the device for seven nights to analyze the sleeping behavior of the user in regards to which animal they resemble: brown bears with good sleeping habits, sharks going to bed very late and sleeping very little, or owls who only fall asleep very late and then by intervals. This creates an interest factor in monitoring sleep.
After identifying the sleeping animal, the Mi Band 9 will then develop a detailed sleep insight report according to the sleeping habits of the user to help them understand if their energy levels can handle daily stress from work and study.
Health Monitoring and Sports Functions
Health Functions
Except for sleep monitoring, the Xiaomi Mi Band 9 does a decent job in all-day heart rate, blood oxygen, and stress monitoring; more importantly, the dual-light single-PD setup improves its accuracy. Moreover, the band can still detect atrial fibrillation and vibrates to alert the user of any irregularities, allowing them to seek timely attention and take action.
Sports Functions
The Xiaomi Mi Band 9 offers more than 150 sports modes, ranging from indoor cycling and outdoor cycling to running and walking. It adds 10 new wrist running courses that you can start from a smartphone. It provides scientific and intuitive running guidance to the user.
While one is working out, Mi Band 9 provides professional sports data, including maximum oxygen uptake, recovery time, exercise effect, and maximum load. Easy viewing and adjustment of performance metrics ensure a more effective and informed time of exercise.
Conclusion
Xiaomi’s Mi Band series has already built its reputation among the devices in the wearable device market. The Mi Band 9 inherits this innovative legacy. The Mi Band, selling 140 million units by 2022, has proved itself to be a nice gadget at an affordable price with features for health, sleep, and exercise monitoring.
Every new Mi Band edition represents new features, whether from blood- and heart-rate monitoring, to sports modes—added in the Mi Band 7 and upgraded in the Mi Band 8—to be a game controller. The features of the Mi Band 9 are some serious upgrades in terms of accuracy for monitoring both sleep and heart rate, battery life, and even further refined vibration feedback.
It still holds a classic design, yet the Mi Band 9 scores with a brighter 1.62-inch AMOLED display and updated internals. Partnerships with professional sleep institutions promise advanced sleep tracking and advice to enhance its role as a health companion.
Supporting over 150 sports modes and featuring new wrist running courses, Mi Band 9 of course covers a great many activities, detailed performance metrics, and optimum workouts. More fun additions include the “sleeping animal” mode, which adds some fun to your health monitoring.
In following the line of inheritance that came as successors to earlier models, the Xiaomi Mi Band 9 continues not just with its continuous innovation in user-centered design but also forms part of the wearable device category.
