Redmi entered the smart band market earlier this month in China with its own Redmi Band. The company is targeting the ultra-cheap fitness band segment with users who just want the basic fitness tracking features at an extremely affordable price tag. The Redmi Band goes for 99 yuan ($14) in China, which is even cheaper than Xiaomi’s Mi Band 4.
We just got the Redmi Band in our hands yesterday and decided to give you guys a quick tour of its design and features. Our first impressions have been pretty positive with the band offering a comfortable design and enough features to get you started on your fitness journey.
Redmi Band Hands-on
The Redmi Band may not be the best-looking fitness band in the market right now it is quite refined for its price tag. The main body of the Redmi band and the strap fit well together, so much so that it feels like a one-piece design. But note that the strap can be removed from the side to expose the USB plug used for charging. This is one of the most convenient charging designs in the fitness wearable market – so you don’t need any external cables or cradles. You can practically charge the Redmi Band anywhere with a USB slot.
The Redmi Band is light and comfortable to wear. If you have worn a Xiaomi Mi Band, the feeling is similar. So most of you won’t mind wearing it for a long period of time.
Simply put, the design of the Redmi Band isn’t special but that’s not really a bad thing. A simple yet useful design is what we expect from an extremely cheap wearable fitness band.
The 1.08-inch color LCD display offers a pretty decent viewing experience. The display is big enough to show important information at a glance. Unlike other black and white display wearables, the Redmi Band’s display offers interesting and colorful visual elements for fitness tracking and over 70 watch faces ensuring enough customization options.
The display resolution does feel a bit low but for the $14 price tag, we can’t really complain about this screen.
The Redmi Band can be charged via the USB plug under 2 hours. Once charged, you don’t have to worry about charging for nearly 14 days. You can literally wear the band anywhere you want, including while swimming, thanks to its 5ATM waterproofing.
The band comes with all the basic features you would expect from a fitness wearable. This includes 5 professional sports modes like running, walking, cycling, and even indoor exercise, 24-hour heart rate check, sleep monitoring, and even text and call notifications.
The Redmi Band doesn’t support NFC.
Overall, for $14, the Redmi Band offers everything you expect from a smart band and even more. Despite being a first-generation wearable, the band is built well and caters to first-time fitness enthusiasts.
We will be testing the Redmi Band in detail in the coming days, so stay tuned for a complete review very soon.
The Redmi Band is already up for sale on Giztop for $19.99.
