Xiaomi Mi Band 7 buyer’s guide: Everything you need to know

The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is a newer entry into the company’s long but reliable line of affordable fitness trackers. Like the devices before it, the Mi Band 7 builds on the improvements of its predecessor without forcing consumers to break the bank. While other products now challenge the budget fitness tracker segment, the Mi Band 7 remains an enticing option for many, and for good reason. Here’s everything you need to know about the Xiaomi Mi Band 7.

Xiaomi Mi Band 7: At a glance

The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is the seventh major revision of the company’s affordable fitness tracker series. It first launched in China and was officially available on May 31, 2022. Xiaomi announced its global rollout plans a month later. Xiaomi also refers to the Mi Band 7 as the Mi Smart Band 7 in international markets.

Bigger, brighter display • Accurate resting heart rate • Continuous SpO2 monitoring
A budget band that delivers more than it’s price tag might suggest

A long battery life, bright always-on display, and impressive health and activity tracking smarts make this affordable tracker a great pick for anyone on a budget. Xiaomi’s Mi Band 7 delivers more than 100 sport modes, plus continuous SpO2 monitoring. You can even personalize your device with tons of animated watch faces.

Xiaomi doesn’t just sell one Mi Band model across all regions but has different options for its home market and the rest of the world. The standard version, priced at 249 Chinese yuan (~$37), lacks some additional features, like NFC smarts. The NFC version follows at 299 yuan (~$44). In Europe, the Mi Band 7 starts at €59.99 ($63), while US consumers can purchase one for $46 at Amazon.

The Mi Band 7 upsizes several Mi Band 6 features. It packs a larger battery, a bigger screen, and more sport tracking modes than ever before. There are also new features for serious physical trainers, continuous SpO2 monitoring with alerts, and several new colors. The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is available in Ivory, Orange, Green, Blue, Black, Pink, Fluorescence Green, Fluorescence Orange, Camouflage Green, and Camouflage Blue.

Xiaomi also announced the Mi Band 7 Pro in early July 2022, deviating from the usual Mi Band design and aesthetics. The wearable is available in Europe and the US as the Smart Band 7 Pro for €99 and $119, respectively.

It’s worth noting that the Mi Band 7 is no longer the latest and greatest Xiaomi Mi Band available. The company rolled out the red carpet for the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 ($37.82 at AliExpress) in April 2023. It brings massive changes to the Mi Band design with minor feature upgrades and increased battery life (at least on paper). The Smart Band 8 Pro launch followed the Mi Band 8 in August 2023.

Is the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 worth buying?

The Xiaomi Mi Band series has long set the pace for other budget wearables to follow. In that sense, it’s a no-brainer to purchase the Mi Band 7 if you are shopping for an affordable fitness companion for your wrist. However, you should think twice if you already own a Xiaomi Mi Band 6.

On paper, the Mi Band 7 excels in several areas, but the Mi Band 6 will likely still serve its users well for months if not years to come. So, should you upgrade if you already own a Mi Band 6? We don’t suggest it.

If you’re coming from a more mature smartwatch for a feature-filled fitness tracker, you’ll need to remember that the Mi Band 7 is an entry-level product. Expect it to lack several higher-end features you’ll find on premium devices. This includes sensors like an ECG, smarts like onboard music storage or music streaming, and message replies. If you don’t need these features and are simply seeking a basic fitness tracker, the Mi Band 7 is a solid bet.

What reviewers are saying about the Xiaomi Mi Band 7

We gave the Mi Band 7 a thumbs-up during our review. Our reviewer appreciated the added polish over the previous model but lamented the lack of some much-requested additions, like onboard GPS and NFC.

“Even with a small price hike, the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 continues the brand’s legacy of delivering elite entry-level fitness trackers. It packs a bright, colorful display and offers plenty of basic features in spite of how cheap it is. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, (or the band, I guess), but it stays steady in the tools it does offer,” our reviewer wrote. “While not a huge generational leap over the Mi Band 6, the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 does the essentials just as well and with some added polish to keep pace with the competition.”

What other reviewers think

• Wareable‘s Michael Sawh felt Xiaomi missed a trick by not providing any big updates. “It aspires to perform more like a sports device, yet it lacks GPS and a level of heart rate monitoring during exercise to deliver on that front,” they wrote. However, they noted that the Mi Band 7 still offers “a good fitness tracking experience overall” provided you can find it at the right price.
• XDA‘s Ben Sin noted that even with the price increase over the Mi Band 6, the Mi Band 7 is an “easy recommendation for those looking for a good value fitness tracker.” That said, there is some criticism for the lack of upgrades on the newer model.
• Finally, Notebookcheck‘s Marcus Herbrich noted that the Mi Band 7 is a case of “wasted potential.” “The only really new feature compared to the predecessor is the larger screen in combination with the always-on display function, which could provide real added value for some users, but we still see a lot of room for improvement here,” they wrote.

Mi Band 7 design, hardware, and smart features

Xiaomi’s resisted the urge to make major aesthetic tweaks to its Mi Band formula over the years. Looking at the Mi Band 7, you won’t notice too many overt differences compared to the Mi Band 6. However, there are some stark hardware changes.

The most obvious is the screen. The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 uses a 1.62-inch AMOLED with a 490 x 192 resolution. Compared to the Mi Band 6’s 1.56-inch AMOLED with a 486 x 152 resolution panel, that’s a noticeable size up. With this larger display, Xiaomi also improved the UI, bringing in new icons, animations, and a revised visual aesthetic that should make peeking at data easier.

With the larger screen comes a greater demand for power. To compensate, Xiaomi’s upped the battery capacity in the Mi Band 7 to 180mAh. That’s a 44% increase over the Mi Band 6. Of course, the larger capacity doesn’t immediately guarantee the Mi Band 7 will last longer between charges. As we experienced with its predecessor, smart features do a good job draining the battery. We expect continuous SpO2 tracking to be one of the main power hogs.

The Chinese Mi Band 7 model features NFC with Xiaomi’s voice assistant. It also supports contactless payments. It’s unclear if global models will also receive NFC or the return of Amazon Alexa to the wrist. This would be a welcome addition, though.

Скільки коштуватиме Xiaomi Mi Band 7 у Європі

Компанія Xiaomi нещодавно презентувала в Китаї смарт-браслет Mi Band 7, а зараз збирається випустити новинку на глобальному ринку. Завдяки інсайдеру стали відомі європейські ціни на пристрій.

Скільки коштуватиме

За словами інформатора, Xiaomi Mi Band 7 в Європі коштуватиме близько 50-60 євро. Для порівняння, за Xiaomi Mi Band 6 на старті продажів просили 50 євро.

Нагадаємо, нова модель може похвалитися збільшеним дисплеєм із функцією Always-On Display, підтримкою 120 спортивних режимів, датчиком SpO2, захистом від води ( 5АТМ ) та автономністю до 14 днів. Коли відбудеться глобальна презентація пристрою, наразі невідомо.

До речі, подейкують, що окрім Mi Band 7, компанія Xiaomi скоро може також представити його покращену версію — Mi Band 7 Pro.