Xiaomi Mi Band 5

Xiaomi Mi Band 5

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is a fitness band released in June 2020. While it is branded as Xiaomi, they do not actually manufacture these bands. The exclusive supplier for the Mi Band is Huami Technology. In October 2020, Xiaomi extended their agreement with Huami for the next 3 years. This means Huami will be making the Mi Band 6, 7 and 8.

Beyond Mi Bands, Huami also creates smartwatches under their Amazfit and Zepp brand names. The Mi Band 5 is nearly identical to the Amazfit Band 5 with a couple of differences. The Amazfit Band 5 comes with SpO2 sensor and a microphone for Alexa support for a small increase in price.

The Mi Band 5 is using a Dialog DA14697 processor. This is a popular processor for fitness bands and can also be found in the Samsung Galaxy Fit. This band is using a proprietary operating system for Huami smartwatches. There is no access to a 3rd party app store such as Google Play, typical for smartwatches using a proprietary operating system.

Design

The Mi Band 5 sticks with the standard slim rectangular band design with a plastic case.  The watch is available in black but you can get a blue, orange, yellow, teal, green or black band. From a design perspective, the band is not premium but it does looks attractive.

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 Colors

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is pretty small at 46.9 × 18.1 × 12.4 mm in line with most other fitness bands. The band is not the slimmest with a thickness of 12.4 mm but it only weighs 11.9g. It is comfortable and can be worn while sleeping.

The Mi Band 5 comes with a 15mm silicone interchangeable strap. The silicone strap is decent quality and is comfortable to wear over an extended period of time.

You can interact with the watch using the touchscreen. At the bottom of the screen is a capacitive home button. The touchscreen works very well with no lag. Fonts, menus and icons can easily be read and navigation is not too complex.

The Mi Band 5 has a 5ATM water resistance rating which allows for swimming and showers. The watch has a swimming mode that allows the screen to be locked. Salt water or chlorine could be problematic so make sure to rinse, wipe and dry the watch after swimming.

Screen

The screen of the Mi Band 5, while small, looks good. The 1.1″ AMOLED Touchscreen, with 126 x 294 pixels delivers a good-quality visual experience. Indoors the display is excellent while outdoors is decent as well.

Huami does not indicate what screen protection is provided which is disappointing. Since it is not a rugged watch, we expect protection to be limited. That being said given the low price, build quality appears to be good.

Unfortunately, the watch does not have an always on screen option. The watch allows for custom watchfaces which is a nice feature.

Battery

The Mi Band 5 comes with a 125 mAh battery. Huami claims that typical usage battery life is 14 days. Real world battery life is slightly less but 10 days of battery life is what most owners are getting.

Connectivity Features

From a connectivity perspective, the Mi Band 5 has limited functionality when compared to full featured smartwatches. The band can only receive notifications and there is no ability to respond to notifications from the band.

Some users have had success with the 3rd party app ‘Notify for Mi Band’ to respond to notifications. With this app, when a notification comes in, you can open the music control menu, select a pre-written response and press the play button to send. Note that by doing this you will lose the music control capabilities on your smartwatch.

As this is just a basic fitness band, there are a number of features missing that you would normally find on a smartwatch:

  • Does not have a speaker or microphone
  • Cannot answer or place calls via Bluetooth
  • Does not have a camera
  • Does not have cellular connectivity
  • Does not come with GPS
  • Does not have Near Field Communication (NFC), hence you cannot make payments
  • Does not have a SpO2 sensor (as mentioned before the almost identical Amazfit Band 5 has this feature)

That being said it does allow for some additional useful features which is impressive for this price range.

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 Features

Health and Fitness Features

The Mi Band 5 comes with 3 sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate Monitor (HRM). These cover numerous fitness and health areas. These sensors allow you to track the following 10 metrics: Calories, Distance, Fitness Level, Heart Rate, Menstrual Cycle, Sleep, Steps, Stress, Swimming, VO2 Max.

Also included are 11 different sports modes. When compared to more fitness or health focused watches, the Mi Band 5 covers the basics.

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 Sports

One of the most common complaints with the Mi Band is the accuracy of the heart rate monitor. While the accuracy is OK during regular activities, it can be significantly off when exercising. Another complaint is that sleep tracking is not the most accurate as well.

Mi Fit App

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 uses the Mi Fit app. This is nearly identical to the Zepp App for Amazfit watches. While it is a decent app, it is not best in class. While the app has a lot of functions and features, it is not the most refined or easy to navigate. You can see how the Mi Fit app ranks on our Smartwatch Apps Page.

Known Issues

This is a very popular fitness band and there have not been any widespread common issues with it.

Verdict

One of the most popular fitness bands in the world due to its great value. Nice screen, good battery life and adequate fitness and health functions. Be aware that heart rate accuracy and sleep tracking are not the most accurate. Excellent buy overall given the features for the price.

Specifications

General

Read Review
Watch Type Fitness Band
Gender Unisex
Release Date June 2020
Operating System Proprietary - Other
App Mi Fit
Supported Devices Android 5.0+, iOS 10.0+
Processor Dialog DA14697

Design

Shape Rectangular
Case Size 46.9 × 18.1 × 12.4 mm
Case Material Plastic
Weight 11.9g
Strap Width 16 mm
Strap Material Silicone
Interchangeable Strap Yes
Watch Colors Black
Input Touchscreen
Water Resistance 5 ATM

Screen

Screen Size 1.1"
Screen Type AMOLED Touchscreen
Resolution 126 x 294
Pixels per Inch Not disclosed
Always On No
Custom Faces Yes
Screen Protection None

Battery

Typical Usage Battery Life (Days) 14
Watch Mode Battery Life (Days) Not disclosed
GPS Mode Battery Life (Days) N/A
Charging System Magnetic
Capacity 125 mAh

Features

Notifications Receive Only
Bluetooth v5.0
Bluetooth Calling No
Bluetooth Music No
Speaker No
Microphone No
Camera No
Cellular No
GPS No
Near Field Communication (NFC) No
Payments No
WiFi No
Voice Command No
Memory None
Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate Monitor (HRM)
Tracking Calories, Distance, Fitness Level, Heart Rate, Menstrual Cycle, Sleep, Steps, Stress, Swimming, VO2 Max
Sport Modes 11
Warranty 12 Months

Summary

Unique Features None
Advantages Good price for specs
14 day battery life
Good quality screen
Good fitness and sports apps
Disadvantages Cannot respond to notifications, no emoji support
No GPS
No app store with third-party apps
No NFC or payment capability
Verdict One of the most popular fitness bands in the world due to the excellent value for your money.

Published: December 26, 2020

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 - WatchSmarty
Xiaomi Mi Band 5

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is one of the most popular fitness bands in the world due to its great value. Nice screen and good battery life. Excellent buy overall.

Product SKU: Xiaomi Mi Band 5

Product Brand: Xiaomi

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: 32

Price Valid Until: 2021-01-01

Product In-Stock: SoldOut

Editor's Rating:
6.6