Xiaomi Smart Band finally has a linear motor, a better display, and there is also a ceramic version! In this review, we will show you how it performs, and some of the upgrades compared to the last gen.
If you want to buy this Xiaomi Smart Band 9, you can head to GeekWills.com.
Unboxing
Inside the box, we have the Instructions, a charging cable with a magnetic pin and USB-A port at the other end. Now this is the smart band itself, the texture of ceramic is really different from other materials, it is an effect that ordinary metal or glass cannot have. The whole body is made of this bright white color, it looks very good and you can sense the weight of it when you have it on your wrist. This could be the best material and design among all Xiaomi Smart bands.
However, the back is plastic, but it has some kind of frosted texture. The strap is made of rubber, l believe the regular version is TPU. The rubber strap has a better texture and is softer than TPU, if your skin is sensitive, this ceramic version is the way to go. One thing that is even better is that the buckle on the strap is also ceramic, it matches the body very well. So ten out of ten, what score would you give to this one?
Next, let’s check on the weight. The Xiaomi smart band 9 weighs about 22.7 grams without the straps, it is indeed much heavier than the previous gen, that one was 14.3 grams. This is because ceramic is indeed heavier, and also the battery is bigger, more on that later.
Comparison
Next, let’s compare Xiaomi Smart Band 9 to the previous gen.
The most obvious thing is the upgrade in materials. The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 had a plastic frame, but it was painted with a metallic texture, it may not be as good as real metal. The regular Xiaomi Smart Band 9 has an aluminum alloy frame, and this one in our hand is ceramic. The overall texture is a big leap compared to the previous one. Moreover, the regular version has four colors, silver, black, blue, and pink gold, all made of aluminum alloy.
In addition to the material, the appearance of these two generations is actually very similar. The straps and charging pod are the same. Even the size and shape of the screens of the two are the same, both are 1.62-inch AMOLED “runway” screens. The 9 is actually one millimeter shorter than the 8, but the bezel at the bottom is still wider than the one on the top, so it is still not symmetrical. The refresh rate is still 60Hz, which is relatively smooth to use. The brightness of this screen is 1200nit, literally doubled compared to the previous gen. Everything on the screen will be clearer under the sun.
The upgrades are also in the settings.
– For example, the Smart Band 9 has enabled the device to always turn on the screen upon raising your wrist throughout the day, it was not available on last gen.
– Then the auto brightness option is actually different. In this generation, if you turn on the automatic brightness, you cannot adjust the brightness anymore. You need to change the setting first.
– Now the battery has also increased. This time it is 233mAh, while the previous gen was 190 mAh. So the battery life has been significantly improved. The estimated battery life is about 21 days, if AOD is turned on or with intense use, it can last for about 9 days, much longer than last gen.
– The other important upgrade is the motor. It has changed from a very cheap rotor motor to a linear motor. Although it is only a Z-Axis linear motor, the vibration effect is indeed much better than the previous one. Although in this review you can not feel it ,but we tested it, the vibration is obviously very intuitive and crisp. This kind of performance has actually exceeded many smartwatches.
– Next, let’s take a look at the back. Other than the layouts being different, the actual performance has also been upgraded due to these two infrared sensors at the top and bottom. Basically, the heart rate sensor is still located in the middle, but the red and green lights used for those purposes are separated. This layout actually improves the accuracy according to Xiaomi, it claims that the overall performance has increased by 16%.
System Upgrades
Let’s check out the upgrades of the system and software. This time the Smart Band 9 also uses the HyperOS. To support that, the processor has also been upgraded, from the previous Apollo 4 BlueLight to BES2700IMP. So these two major upgrades has improved the overall smoothness.
-For example, when we go back in the app, there is an animation, I believe there isn’t any of this on the 8. This seems to be a small upgrades, but it is still an improvement that you would definitely love.
-At the same time, the overall font size is a bit larger than that of 8, makes it a bit easier to read the info on the screen. Also, some of the UI have been redesigned, a bit better looking than before.
-The Mijia App is available on it also, you can add some prompts here, such as turn off all the lights in the bedroom.
-It also support operating with wet hand.
-In addition, you can customize the widgets on the watch face this time, you can change the colors and info you want in the watch face here. This feature was not available on the 8.
-This time, Xiaomi Smart Band 9 supports App store, you can download some games or some small apps. So it feels like this device is a big step closer to a real smart watch.
Special Feature
Here comes a surprise, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 potentially will support certain functions of Nintendo Switch. You can use this Xiaomi Smart Band as a motion recognizer, then you no longer need to use the handles. However, this function has not yet been available, and we are not sure if it will support the global version. So we need to wait a while for it.
Verdict
Alright, let’s summarize the upgrades of Xiaomi Smart Band 9. Simply put, they are the material and the Z-Axis linear motor, these make the overall user experience much better. The battery life is better, the UI has become smoother. In addition, you can install more Apps on it, it makes this product more like a smart watch. So would this one be your pick, let us know your thoughts here. And if you want to purchase this one, Geekwills has them on the shelf.
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