Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Is Still One Of The Best Budget Fitness Watches [Review]

Despite the long-lasting battery and an array of features, the smartwatch still has its quirks.

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If you’re looking for an affordable smartwatch and fitness tracker, the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is one of the best bets in the market now.

My first impressions: the watch face of the Mi Band 7 definitely looks wider and the display colours are more vibrant than its predecessors. The thin band makes the whole watch look sleek on any wearer.

Xiaomi Band 7 is all charged up and ready to go. Image: Adeline Leong/ TRP

The setup is straightforward enough. All I had to do was to scan the QR code on the watch using the phone and then connect it to the Zepp Life app (formerly the Mi Fit App).

Once the watch is connected to the phone, I just needed to check for updates and it’s good to go once it’s all updated.

What’s new in Mi Band 7?

The Mi Band 7 boasts a lot more new watch faces, 100+ workout modes and continuous SpO2 monitoring with alerts.

Some of the more interesting workout modes I found available in Mi Band 7 as compared to the Apple Watch were:

Combat Workouts (Kendo, Muay Thai, Judo, Jujitsu and more)
Winter Workouts (Curling, Indoor and outdoor ice skating)
Leisure Workouts (Kite flying, hula hoop, frisbee, darts, esports, swinging, table football and more)

The most surprising find to me was that board and card games are considered workouts too.

I’m not entirely sure how playing board and card games constitute workouts unless you’re playing an intensive game of Monopoly, Cluedo or Twister.

Aside from that, I find the battery life of the watch amazing. The watch lasted for a little more than 7 days on one charge.

Using the Zepp Life app

Everything you do while wearing the watch will be tracked with the data synced to the Zepp Life app on your phone.

In the app, you can see the breakdown of your workout and health stats such as your heart rate during activities, sleep stats and the number of steps you walk daily.

Some of the stats that are measured and recorded after workouts in the Zepp Life app. Image: Adeline Leong/ TRP

The app also measures your personal activity intelligence (PAI) based on your heart rate data and daily activity intensity.

According to the Q&A in the app, the ultimate fitness goal is to maintain 100 PAI or more daily. To earn PAI points, you just need to elevate your heart rate through exercise.

Personally, I fail to find the relevance of measuring my PAI but maybe it’ll mean more to those who are passionate about their fitness levels.

What I find lacking

The scrolling ticker line gives an old-school vibe. Image: Adeline Leong/ TRP

Since I’m used to the wider display of an Apple watch, I had to get used to the narrow display of Mi Band 7.

The words will look smaller and cramped together. If the words or names of the app are longer, you’ll have to wait for the words to ‘ticker’ through to find out what it is.

The scrolling ticker line definitely gives the watch a really retro and old-school vibe, which can be fun for a while.

Although I can download more watch faces online, I still find the inability to customize the watch face limiting. I still have to use the presets available.

Should you get it?

The Mi Band 7 is supposed to be a simple and efficient fitness tracker in addition to being a watch.

For the price, the Mi Band 7 doesn’t disappoint and does as advertised. The Mi Band 7 is a good, no-frills investment if you’re looking for an affordable fitness tracker.

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