Mi Band 3 Review: A Mi Band 2 Successor Worth Considering?

Xiaomi’s Mi Bands have consistently dominated the fitness band market. From the original Mi Band to the latest Mi Band 3, Xiaomi’s aggressive pricing has garnered widespread attention. Having tested every iteration, including the Mi Band 3 acquired from China, priced at Rs. 1,999 on Amazon and Mi India, it’s time for our review:

Mi Band 3 Specs:

First, let’s examine the specs:

Design and Build: Remarkably Xiaomi-esque, and Admirable

In terms of design and build, the Mi Band 3 follows Xiaomi’s established philosophy, refining the Mi Band 2 in crucial areas, significantly impacting its appearance and comfort.

Arguably, Mi Band 3 addresses two major flaws in Mi Band 2’s design — the non-touch display and the conspicuous button. Mi Band 3 features a touchscreen and a seamlessly integrated button, creating a sleek, low-profile appearance.

Admittedly, the tracker’s 3D curved design makes it highly susceptible to scratches. During my everyday use, I often accidentally hit it against walls and objects, resulting in minor scratching on the glass. However, this can be attributed to my irresponsible handling of the Mi Band 3. In contrast, Devinder, who has been using another Mi Band 3 for the same duration as me, exhibits more caution—his Mi Band 3 remains scratch-free.

Personally, I admire the tracker’s curved design; it exudes beauty even when the screen is off. I confidently assert that the Mi Band 3 is truly stunning.

Xiaomi has significantly improved the water-proofing of the Mi Band 3, upgrading it from the IP67 rating of the Mi Band 2 to a water-proof rating of 5ATM (up to 50 meters). In comparison, IP67 is rated for up to 1 meter of water submersion.

The strap for the Mi Band 3 shares the same build and design as the Mi Band 2, including the flexible silicone material that retains its shape even when bent and stretched. Unlike the Mi Band 2, the Mi Band 3 strap is available in three colors: black, deep blue, and orange.

Removing the tracker from the Mi Band 3 is a bit tricky. It feels slightly intimidating, possibly due to the curved glass panel or the snug band. Popping the tracker out of the band feels like it could crack the glass.

However, some viewers suggested in our video review that removing it back-to-front is easier. I tried it, and indeed it is. While still more challenging than with the Mi Band 2, it’s no longer a concern about breaking the glass.

Display: OLED, Touchscreen, What’s Not to Love?

The Mi Band 3 improves upon its predecessor with a 0.78-inch touchscreen OLED display, a significant upgrade from the 0.42-inch OLED panel of the Mi Band 2.

This display is notably brighter and boasts a pixel density of 193ppi, one of the highest among fitness bands in its price range, resulting in exceptionally sharp visuals.

Moreover, being a touchscreen, navigation through menus is accomplished via swipes, with buttons reserved for specific actions such as returning home or initiating tasks with a long tap.

Impressive display, albeit occasionally slow to respond to touches after waking up. Likely fixable with a software update. If it’s a widespread issue, Xiaomi can address it with a patch.

PS: No notch, contrary to some comments on my video. Aren’t we glad?

Features: Enhanced Compared to Mi Band 2

Regarding features, the Mi Band 3 improves upon the Mi Band 2 by adding more functionalities. To simplify, I’ll categorize the features into fitness and other.

Fitness

In terms of fitness, the Mi Band 3 offers typical tracker capabilities at this price point. It counts steps, measures distance, and tracks calories burned. Caloric tracking is crucial for weight management, and the Mi Band 3 facilitates this.

Sleep tracking is available, breaking down sleeping patterns into deep sleep, light sleep, and awake, offering a detailed look into your patterns (mine are pretty messed up, as I realized after using the Mi Band 3).

Heart rate tracking is also included, with improvements over the Mi Band 2. While the Mi Band 2 could measure your heart rate, it required explicit activation, unlike the Mi Band 3, which offers the option for automatic readings. This feature can be invaluable for individuals with cardiac issues.

Option to set intervals at 1, 10, and 30 minutes is available. This feature significantly affects battery life (Xiaomi provides a warning during setup), but it remains optional.

Additional Features

Besides fitness functions, Mi Band 3 includes other useful features.

A built-in stopwatch is accessible from the ‘More’ menu. It proves handy not only for workouts or runs but also in various daily situations requiring timing (trust me, they occur).

Additionally, the Mi Band 3 can help you locate your smartphone with just a couple of taps, a feature absent in the Mi Band 2. I appreciate this function as I often misplace my phone at home, causing panic later. Furthermore, when attempting to find your phone with the Mi Band, it will ring despite being on Silent mode (I confirmed this even with Do Not Disturb enabled).

Additionally, notifications. The Mi Band 3 improves upon notification handling compared to the Mi Band 2. If you receive a call, the Mi Band 3 displays the incoming call and allows you to reject it by pressing and holding the button. However, the term ‘reject’ essentially silences the call, which could be clearer if it simply said ‘silence’.

Regarding messages, the Mi Band 3 now allows you to view notifications. It can display up to 5 notifications, with a maximum of 3 pages per notification, which may seem limited, but I found it sufficient. Additionally, you can clear notifications by pressing and holding the button on the Mi Band 3. While I would have appreciated the option to reply directly from the band, implementing this might have transformed the Mi Band 3 into a full-fledged smartwatch (or a close approximation).

Watch faces are available here too, akin to the Mi Band 2. However, the Mi Band 3 offers three faces compared to the previous two. Moreover, you can now change faces directly from the band, catering to those who frequently switch.

NFC

Xiaomi released two Mi Band 3 variants: a standard model, which we are reviewing, and a 199 Yuan model with NFC.

NFC enables faster pairing with your phone and facilitates payments through Mi Pay. However, this feature is likely restricted to China, making it less significant for Indian users.

Overall, the Mi Band 3 is a well-rounded fitness band loaded with features. In my usage, it almost breached smartwatch territory with all the great features Xiaomi packed into it.

The Mi Fit App

Talking about the Mi Band 3’s features, I’d be amiss not to mention the amazing Mi Fit app, its companion. Users familiar with Mi Bands would recognize this app’s excellence, but with the Mi Band 3, there are several improvements, partly due to enhancements in the band itself.

Firstly, there’s the step-counter, which remains consistent whether you’re using the Mi Band, Mi Band 2, or Mi Band 3. It displays daily step-count, distance traveled, and calories burnt. It’s a useful tool for monitoring walking habits and ensuring sufficient daily activity.

Then, there’s heart rate data. With the Mi Band 3, this data is presented graphically. I activated automatic heart rate detection to record data every 10 minutes during regular band usage. The resulting data is well-presented. Additionally, there’s a table summarizing my daily average heart rate, as well as the minimum and maximum rates. Individuals with cardiac conditions will appreciate the ability to monitor their heart activity throughout the day.

The sleep data remains consistent, divided into three regions: deep sleep, light sleep, and awake. Additionally, the app provides analysis of sleeping patterns and suggestions for improving habits.

In the Mi Fit app, you can manage notifications and select specific apps for band notifications. You can also set activity or weight goals.

Battery

One of the notable features of Mi Bands is their battery life. The Mi Band 1 lasted nearly a month, the Mi Band 2 around 15 days, and the Mi Band 3 maintains a decent lifespan per charge.

Xiaomi claims a 20-day battery life for the Mi Band 3 under lab testing conditions, with manual heart rate tracking. However, in my personal usage, I set heart rate measurements to every 10 minutes throughout the day. This drains the battery significantly (Xiaomi warned me about this initially), but even so, the Mi Band 3 lasted a solid 10 days, which is impressive.

Xiaomi’s decision to equip the Mi Band 3 with a much larger 110 mAh battery compared to the 70 mAh battery in the Mi Band 2 has paid off well. I have no complaints about the battery life of this device.

Even when drained completely, it takes about 3 hours to reach full charge. Conveniently, I can charge it overnight approximately every 10 days, which is quite efficient.

Pros and Cons:

The Mi Band 3 impresses in multiple aspects, yet like any device, it has its drawbacks.

• Excellent design
• Touchscreen OLED display
• Automatic heart rate tracking
• Good battery life
• Sharp 193 ppi display

Cons:

• Difficult to remove from the band
• Prone to collisions with walls and furniture (similar to stubbing your toe)

Mi Band 3: An Upgrade from the Mi Band 2

Considering everything, I confidently declare the Mi Band 3 an undeniable upgrade from the Mi Band 2. It surpasses its predecessor in every aspect and introduces features previously unavailable.

With a larger, brighter display, enhanced design, and comprehensive fitness functionalities such as automatic heart rate tracking, stopwatch, notifications, and call alerts, the Mi Band 3 excels. Moreover, it boasts a significantly larger battery, capable of enduring up to 10 days even with continuous heart rate tracking—a feature absent in the Mi Band 2.

Priced at Rs. 1,999, the Mi Band 3 stands unmatched. Whether you’re a first-time fitness band buyer or contemplating an upgrade from the Mi Band 2, I wholeheartedly endorse the Mi Band 3.

Buy the Mi Band 3 from Amazon: (Rs. 1,999)