Syed Imran Haider 
Xiaomi’s Smart Band series’ latest iteration has been launched, but can this new generation of fitness tracker compete with the other inexpensive wearables that are available in the market? Let’s take a close look at the Smart Band 8 to see what it has to offer.
Design and build
The Smart Band 8’s design is not too different from what has been seen in fitness trackers in the last couple of years. It is a pill-shaped unit that comes with a metal frame, which weighs 27g and measures around 48mm x 22.5mm x 10.99mm. This ensures it can sit on your wrist comfortably. There is a 1.62-inch AMOLED display in the front and various sensors make up the rear, including the 6-axis sensor, Ambient light, PPG heart rate and the charging port.
There are no speaker grills or buttons and you can take it for diving and swimming. Black and White are the two main models and you can get white or black TPU straps. Xiaomi has given the Smart Band 8 the Apple Watch treatment in terms of fittings and straps. There is a wide variety of bands and straps available and even a pendant clip that allows you to wear it on a necklace. There is also a clip that lets you attach it to the laces of your trainers. Fitness trackers do not usually come with such a range of style choices, which makes it a smart move on Xiaomi’s part.
Display
The refresh rate has gotten a boost from 30Hz to 60Hz and this makes scrolling smoother than any other fitness tracker and even some smartwatches. The 1.62-inch AMOLED panel looks impressive, with clear text and strong colors due to the 192 x 490 resolution. 2.5D reinforced glass has been used for the display, which means it is not as strong as Gorilla Glass, but remains decent. It also comes with auto-brightness built-in and the Always-on feature can also be activated. The app offers plenty of free watch faces and they are quite well-designed, allowing you to personalize the display.
Software and features
The Xiaomi Smart Band 8’s interface is quite similar to its predecessors. You can use a watch face to change the home screen and the information it shows can vary. Some give you instant access to data like calories burned, heart rate, steps, remaining charge, date and time, or a smaller range of these metrics.
You can swipe up, down, right and left for navigation. Swiping up gives you access to the app menu, while swiping left or right gives you access to quick settings and other apps. You can open the notifications area by swiping down. In addition to health-related features, there are some additional tools provided as well. The Smart Band 8 is compatible with audio and music apps that allows you to control the volume and playback without using your phone.
A weather app is also available, along with alarm, stopwatch, torch, events and even controls for your phone. You can get message notifications, but cannot reply. Bluetooth 5.1 BLE handles connectivity and it syncs quite well, but there is no NFC, or GPS.
Health and fitness tracking
Given its price, the Xiaomi Band 8 is excellent in terms of health and fitness tracking. The tracker can monitor your heart rate, blood oxygen and even stress, although they are for guidance and not very precise. The sleep tracking is also immensely useful, as opposed to other devices. Breathing monitoring can also be enabled. There are specialized tracking modes available for more than 150 activities.
The Verdict
If you are looking for a good-looking, well-made and affordable fitness tracker that comes loaded with features, the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 is a good choice.
