Xiaomi has finally launched the Mi Band 3i, the younger sibling to the Mi Band 3 and it costs around Rs. 500 lesser than the latter. With all the basic features of a fitness tracker, the Mi Band 3i yet lacks a heart rate sensor. With Xiaomi excelling in the smart bands’ segment for a while at around Rs. 2000 mark, the mi Band 3i is a good take on the beginner level segment for anyone who is looking to step into the wearable tech. How good is it? Read our Mi Band 3i review below.
Build, Design and Display
The Mi Band 3i is just like that of the Mi Band 3 and if we see, Xiaomi has followed the design language for the Band lineup. With a more evolved design, the capsule is bigger compared to the introductory bands and it fits perfectly into the band. The capsule is rigid and looks neat with a good curvy finish to the display. As you strap the band in, you will find that there is just one hole in which your wrist feels super comfy. And as you remove, the capsule also can be easily slid out easily and put into the charger. On the whole, the band feels pretty light and comfortable upon wearing.
Coming to the display, this time around, the Mi Band 3i comes with a 0.78-inch OLED display with a resolution of 128 x 80 which will certainly last you for a couple of weeks. It comes with a capacitive touch panel with a button that can be touched to view different info on the display. Although the display size is an upgrade from what we used to get in the HRX Edition, the customization options are very limited and there is no increasing or decreasing the brightness as well. Anyhow, the screen is bright enough under direct sunlight. Along with that, there is a raise to wake feature which is not fast enough, so anyways, I end up tapping on the capacitive touch button.
Software: Mi Band 3i Review
What you can do on the band interface is pretty limited but coming to the Mi Fit app, there is a lot of info or data that is being monitored for you on you. The display on the home screen shows just time and date. And as the display is pretty small, I hate how it doesn’t have the feature of an always-on display. With actions like swiping up from the touch capacitive button takes you through weather, notifications, timer, steps, and more where you can swipe left or right to access band settings. In there you can reset, find a device, and see screen options.
Coming to the monitoring, there is no heart rate sensor and the tracking results aren’t that accurate because the app data shows that I was walking while I was sleeping. The Mi Fit app has all the extra data that you might want to see and below are some screenshots of the data collected in the Mi Fit app. As for the notifications, the band notifies you of messages from Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, and other apps. Also, incoming calls can be muted or rejected from the band itself; the most one can expect from a smart band at this price.
Battery: Mi Band 3i Review
For a long time, activity trackers from Xiaomi are known for their battery life and the backup of the Mi Band 3i is no less. It can last up to at least two weeks without having to charge again and is the upside of many fitness trackers out there. The Mi Band 3i packs a Li-Po 110 mAh battery and the capsule comes with a 2 x Pogo Pin which can be charged in the dedicated charger given in the box.
Verdict: Mi Band 3i Review
As for the features, the Mi Band 3i is like the cheaper version of the Mi Band 3 itself. Priced at Rs. 1299, it checks most of the boxes to make it the cheapest yet well-built fitness tracker with all the basic needy features. If you are looking to step into smart wearables tech for the first time, the Mi band 3i is a great start where you can later upgrade to better ones once you feel it’s worthy enough to spend more.
