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It is quite difficult for manufacturers to develop a new version of an already existing successful device, since it is necessary to improve all its characteristics and at the same time make it as reliable as possible. Recently, the Xiaomi Mi Band fitness bracelet has become the most popular wearable device, the recently released third version of which will be devoted to our review.
What is needed for the new version of the device to be successful?
First, you need to update the appearance of the device. Secondly, add new functionality (or improve some characteristics). Third, keep the device price order. In general, Xiaomi Mi Band meets all these criteria.
Design and management
The first thing you can pay attention to when considering fitness bracelets of the Mi Band series is that with each generation the dimensions of the device itself increase.
As we remember, in the first generation it was a small sensor, without a display, and practically did not stand out on the wrist. Mi Band 2 got a small display, which is also not particularly striking, as the case was “drowned” in the strap.
In Mi Band 3, all 42 millimeters of the body length “crawled out” because the strap covers the body from the sides in a special recess. As a result, on a hand with a small wrist girth, it will already stand out noticeably, becoming something like a watch, and not a bracelet.
In addition, in order to make the fitness bracelet look more expensive and modern, the front surface was made completely glossy. The disadvantage of this solution is that the front of the device in this case will be more susceptible to damage.
The strap itself is made of elastic hypoallergenic rubber, and the stud with which it fastens is made of aluminum.
It comes with a black strap, but there are other color options on sale.
The display, of course, has also been enlarged, now its size is 0.7 inches and the resolution is 128 x 80 pixels. Thanks to this, the following useful information can be displayed on the display:
- contact name on call notification
- messages
- physical activity data.
In addition, the screen is touch-sensitive and “understands” swipes (touches with movement). The device management system is based on this:
- Vertical swipe is used to switch between the main functions (pedometer, heart rate, weather, messages)
- Horizontal swipe switches elements within this function (for example, for a pedometer – number of steps, distance traveled, calories burned)
- Holding the button allows you to start any function
- Touching a button acts like a Home button
- Swipe up to unlock the screen.
Thus, MI Band 3 has become more complex in terms of functionality and control, has become larger and prettier, that is, it has slightly moved to a higher class of devices, as it should have been, in principle.
Functional
Fitness bracelet – a device designed to monitor physical activity. To do this, it is equipped with two main sensors:
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Pulse sensor. In this case, it has been improved, now it is certified according to the medical standard.
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The motion sensor is a three-axis accelerometer.
However, these functions have received only quantitative improvements, and as for the qualitative differences compared to the previous model, they are also here.
The first interesting update that will affect most users is a major improvement in water protection.
Mi Band 3 now has a design that can withstand a pressure of 5 atmospheres. Such pressure has a water column at a depth of 50 meters, but this does not mean that you can dive so deep with a bracelet, because when swimming, in addition to the static pressure of the water column, there is an additional dynamic pressure of the flows washing the device. However, it is quite possible to swim on the surface and dive shallowly with the Mi Band 3.
As a result, now you can safely go to the pool with it, not take pictures on a beach holiday, which, of course, is a big plus, since we especially need the device to track the activity of the owner in these cases as well.
The second thing that could be expected from the novelty is the appearance of NFC. This technology of near contactless data transmission allows us to use payment terminals with a bank card using a wristband. There is good and bad news here. The good news is that it will really appear in MI Band 3, the bad news is that not in all instances of the device. So far, versions without NFC are entering the market, a more expensive version with NFC will appear, judging by the announcements, in September.
As already mentioned, the screen of the device has been seriously improved, and in general the device has “smartered”. For example, it can show the accumulated statistics on physical activity for the day, display information about sleep after waking up.
Thus, Mi Band 3 has a lot of what you need to track your healthy lifestyle activities, but, of course, it cannot be compared with a full-fledged sports watch: there is no GPS, complex programs for sports, and so on.
Software
A fitness bracelet, by definition, cannot work without being linked to a smartphone with a special program. In this case, the role of such is the Mi Fit application, which implements a fairly rich functionality.
The first thing the program offers during installation is to set a daily goal, that is, the number of steps you would like to take.
Next, your height and weight are entered into the program, based on them, the number of calories spent during a particular activity is then calculated.
As for the activities themselves, there are four of them: outdoor running, treadmill, cycling and walking. The program builds a graph of the distance traveled by day in the calendar.
In the program, you can also see data on the steps taken, on sleep, on the pulse and, of course, on the achievement of the above goal.
autonomy
Fitness bracelet Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is equipped with a 110 mAh battery, it works 20 days without recharging. This is more than enough for such a device.
The device is charged from the supplied USB cable; it differs from the older versions of the device in the size of the covering part.
conclusions
Having learned about the appearance on the market of Xiaomi Mi Band 3, one would assume that it will become a hit, like previous versions, if the developers did not make any mistakes. After getting acquainted with the device, it became clear that almost all aspects of the device’s operation have been improved compared to the previous model, however, Mi Band 2 is still half the price, and therefore is sold more actively. But most likely, over time, the third version will become cheaper and will be just as successful. Xiaomi has always offered an interesting price tag, which is why its devices have become so popular.
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