Xiaomi launched the Redmi Smart Band Pro alongside the Redmi Note 11 and Redmi Note 11S. Based on its name, this is clearly positioned as more capable than the Redmi Smart Band. The new Redmi Smart Band Pro brings with it many of the requested features, such as AMOLED display, SpO2 and stress tracking as well as the ability to track a variety of exercises. With the improved feature list, the price has also gone up, but only slightly. Is Redmi Smart Band Pro still worth your money? I put this fitness tracker to the test to find out.
Redmi Smart Band Pro price in India
The Redmi Smart Band Pro priced at Rs. 3,999 in India but the company has announced a limited-time offering price of Rs 3,499. Redmi Smart Band Pro will go on sale at 12 noon on February 14.
Redmi Smart Band Pro is light and barely noticeable on the wrist
Design Redmi Smart Band Pro
The Redmi Smart Band Pro has a rectangular polycarbonate body with a 1.47-inch AMOLED display. This panel is large enough to easily read text without having to squint. It also has an always-on mode and has an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust the brightness. Smart Band Pro has no buttons and is completely touch-based. You get curved TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) straps, similar to the one above Mi Band 6 (Review). These straps have a proprietary connector, making them easy to remove without the need for additional tools. However, those who are looking for alternative third parties may have difficulty finding them in the market.
The underside of the Redmi Smart Band Pro has all the health sensors housed in a pill-shaped bump. There are also contact pins used to charge the Smart Band Pro. The included charger has a magnet, making it easy to plug this fitness band in to charge.
I found the Redmi Smart Band Pro to be super light at only 25.5g. I barely noticed it on my wrist, and also wore it to bed with no issues. The Smart Band Pro has a 200mAh battery and 5ATM water resistance.
Software and features of Redmi Smart Band Pro
Redmi Smart Band Pro can be paired with Android as well as iOS smartphones using the Xiaomi Wear and Xiaomi Wear Lite apps respectively. The pairing process is simple and requires a Mi Account. Once paired, either app can also be used to change some settings of the Smart Band Pro. Applications that support many Mi and Redmi is wearable and very easy to use. The band syncs with the app on your phone, then it can display different parameters. You can also change the watch face on Redmi Smart Band Pro using the app. There are over 50 watch faces to choose from, and you can also set a photo from your phone’s gallery as your watch face.
The bottom of Smart Band Pro has all the health sensors
Powered by Ambiq Apollo 3.5 SoC, Redmi Smart Band Pro runs on custom software. It has Bluetooth 5 LE for connectivity. Sadly GPS is missing so it has to rely on your connected smartphone for positioning. Redmi Smart Band Pro can take notifications from your smartphone and alert you when a call comes in.
You can track nearly 110 different types of exercises, including 14 water workouts, on the Redmi Smart Band Pro. Commonly used exercises such as walking, running, cycling, HIIT, trekking and swimming can be activated on the exercise rope in no time. You can edit the list of available ones based on your workout regimen. Redmi Smart Band Pro can automatically detect some activities such as running, walking and using the treadmill. In addition, Redmi Smart Band Pro can also monitor heart rate, SpO2, sleep, stress and menstrual cycle. The strap is capable of continuously monitoring the wearer’s heart rate and SpO2 levels while you sleep, but these features are disabled by default to save energy.
Redmi Smart Band Pro has a very simple user interface. You can swipe right from the home screen to access the quick toggles and swipe left to access widgets for heart rate, SpO2, weather, workout and fitness stats. Swiping down from the top allows you to see unread notifications from your paired smartphone, and swiping from the bottom shows you all the functions of the Smart Band Pro.
Redmi Smart Band Pro performance and battery life
I have been using the Redmi Smart Band Pro for a week and it feels comfortable to wear all the time. The screen is viewable outdoors, but I found it too bright when sitting in a dark room, even with auto-dimming turned on. While the interface is easy to use, it doesn’t feel too smooth at first, especially when scrolling. During the review period, the software update (1.1.127) fixed this issue. The Smart Band Pro’s wake-up enhancement was well calibrated, and the screen stayed on when I raised my wrist. It was equally fast when I lowered my hand.
You can monitor your SpO2 level on Smart Band Pro
I had to manually enable automatic heart rate and SpO2 tracking, as well as app notifications and advanced sleep tracking using the app. I set the Redmi Smart Band Pro to measure my heart rate at one minute intervals and SpO2 every 30 minutes while I was sleeping. I’ve also turned on resting and active heart rate alerts and set the band to vibrate for incoming notifications.
When it comes to fitness tracking, I am satisfied with the accuracy of the Redmi Smart Band Pro. I used a Apple Watch Series 7 (Review) to compare and find that the heart rate measurement is in the same range. Periodic monitoring of my heart rate has a negative impact on battery life (more on that later) but results in more useful stats. The sleep tracking was very accurate, and the band provided me with a complete breakdown of my sleep habits. I enabled SpO2 tracking while sleeping, and the device did. I read the results manually during the day and I found it to be in the same range as what a medical grade pulse oximeter reports.
I used the Redmi Smart Band Pro to track my evening walks. Since it has no built-in GPS, it relies on a paired smartphone for accuracy. Without GPS, the Redmi Smart Band Pro’s unreported distance measures 0.96 km for the actual 1km that I walked. With a paired smartphone in my pocket, the frequency band works better, measuring 1.02 km for the same distance.
The Xiaomi Wear app displays the health stats on your paired smartphone
It also has automatic workout detection for three specific workouts, as I mentioned before. The Redmi Smart Band Pro prompts me to track my steps within a minute of starting the activity. It measured 1,002 steps for every 1,000 steps I counted, and this error rate is acceptable given the price of this fitness band.
Battery life is pretty good with a small 200mAh battery, but it really depends on how you use the Redmi Smart Band Pro, so your experience will be different. I had the display always on, set the heart rate monitoring interval to one minute and the SpO2 monitoring interval to 30 minutes during sleep, and I used the advanced sleep tracking option. App notifications are also enabled, and the Smart Band Pro is used to track daily outdoor walks.
With that much use, the fitness band lasted for four and a half days, which is quite short compared to Xiaomi’s fourteen-day battery statement, this is possible using light. With some compromises, you’ll easily be able to go more than a week on a single charge. The included magnetic charger attaches to the strap quite easily and can fully charge the battery in less than an hour and a half.
Identify
When I consider Redmi Watch (Review) last year, I found it to be a capable device but one big negative was the lack of SpO2 tracking. Xiaomi has addressed that shortcoming with the Redmi Smart Band Pro. Compared to Redmi Watch, Redmi Smart Band Pro only lacks GPS function. If you are in the habit of carrying your smartphone with you for a walk, the Redmi Smart Band Pro can still track them accurately.
The Redmi Smart Band Pro has all the features one would expect from a fitness band and has been launched at a good price. It will appeal to those who want a bigger screen than the screen Mi Band 6 (Review) is also a less expensive option and will suit those who want thinner wrists. The Band Honor 6 is a direct competitor to the Smart Band Pro and offers a similar set of features at the same price point.
