Much Better Than Xiaomi Mi Band 7! Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro REVIEW

I finally received the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro fitness bracelet. You know, I already tested Mi Band 7 some weeks ago on our channel Tech Brothers, but I wasn’t very impressed by it.

Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is just an improved version of Mi Band 6.

However, the new Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro is very different. First, it has a bigger screen, as well as built-in GPS and NFC.

You know, I don’t want to compare Xiaomi Mi Band 7 and Smart Band 7 Pro in this article. We will do this next time.

Now, I want to do a full review of Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro.

Unboxing

You may have already noticed that I call this bracelet Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro, but not Mi Band 7 Pro.

I think the correct name is Smart Band, because it says so on the box.

By the way, there is no global version of Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro yet, so the inscriptions on the box are in Chinese.

Inside the box, we have a user manual in Chinese, magnetic charging cable and fitness band.

Price

Before talking about design, I want to say that I bought Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro for $64 on Alibaba.

However, I see that it is already available on Aliexpress for about $57. I will leave the link in description under this article.

Design

As I already said, Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro is very different from Mi Band 7, mainly because of design. I cannot say it is a fitness watch, but it is also not a compact Mi Band that we are used to.

The bezel around the display looks like metal, especially in a white version, but actually, it is plastic. By the way, Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro is available in black and white color options.

Most likely, there will be straps of different colors available later, but for now, you can choose only from black and white.

Talking about the strap, it is removable, but not the same as Mi Band 7.

You need to press this button, and then pull out.

On the back of the fitness bracelet, we can see different sensors, as well as charging contacts.

Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro doesn’t have any physical buttons or crown on the side faces, but there is a microphone hole on the right side. Unfortunately, it is not for phone calls. The mic is used for the Chinese voice assistant. If you don’t know Chinese, this feature is useless for you.

The new fitness bracelet has 5 ATM water resistant, so you can take a shower or swim in the pool with it.

Display

You know, the display of Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro looks twice as large as Mi Band 7. However, on paper, it is only a little bigger. The screen diagonal of Smart Band 7 Pro is 1.64 inches. This is AMOLED panel with resolution of 280 by 456 pixels.

The screen has 2.5D glass on the top, so it is a little curved.

Another feature is a built-in ambient light sensor for automatic brightness adjustment. You can also choose a screen brightness from 1 to 5 manually.

Overall, the display is good, but the brightness is not enough for use in a sunny weather. You have to cover the screen with your hand or look for shade.

Like Mi Band 7, the new Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro has Always-On Display. You can choose a smart mode, schedule or all day mode.

OK, let’s talk about other functions and settings of Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro.

Functions

The new fitness bracelet from Xiaomi has six watch faces out of the box. However, there are more than 100 band displays in the app on smartphone. We will look at them later.

You can swipe down to read the new notifications.

The quick settings menu opens by swiping to the right. Here we can see a battery level, digital time, flashlight, alarm clock, do not disturb mode, raise to wake, find phone and settings menu. Let’s go to the settings menu.

Settings

First, we can choose a band display. As I already said, there are six available in the band, but you can upload more from the app on smartphone.

Then, there are display settings, such as brightness, auto lock time, always-on display, cover to sleep and raise to wake.

You can also choose a vibration mode from default and strong.

The next function is do not disturb mode. You can turn it off, enable smart mode, set a schedule or use it all day long.

Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro has an auto-detect function for automatic detecting sports activity. Please note that this function affects a battery life.

You can also change the app layout in the settings menu. There is icon mode and list mode.

Smart Band 7 Pro also has a pin protection. You can set a PIN, and your band will automatically lock when you take it off.

Finally, there are some system functions, such as reboot, turn off and reset.

Apps

You know, the main apps of Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro are the same as Mi Band 7, such as workout, activity, stats, running, heart rate, sp02, sleep, stress, breathing, cycles, Mi Ai, Weather, Cards, Events, Music, Camera, Alarm, Focus, Stopwatch, Timer, Flashlight, Find Phone, AliPay, and Help.

NFC

Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro has a built-in NFC, but you cannot use it for payments.

In the app, you can add a transport card and an access card. I didn’t find a bank credit card. Probably, the global version of Smart Band 7 Pro will support contactless payments.

GPS

Let’s talk a little about sport functions and GPS.

Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro is the first fitness bracelet from the Chinese company with built-in GPS. You cannot turn it on/off manually, but you can see the GPS signal when you turn on a workout mode, such as walking or running.

From my experience, Smart Band 7 Pro counts steps and distance better than Mi Band 7.

By the way, the new fitness bracelet has not only workout modes, but also running assistant. You can choose a running program for yourself, for example, basic run/walk. As you can see, this program lasts 17 minutes, and combines walking and jogging at intervals.

You can also choose a program for fat burn, endurance and intervals.

Mi Fitness App

In the app, you can monitor your running and other workouts. There is a map of movements, as well as information about workout, such as time, calories, heart rate, etc.

You can also use a workout mode in the app, such as outdoor running mode, walking, outdoor cycling, and treadmill.

In the Device menu, we can see a battery level of smart band. Then, we can go to Online, and upload the new band displays on the fitness bracelet.

If you want to receive app notifications on Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro, then you need to enable this function in the app. You can also choose which apps can send notifications.

There is also Heart rate settings, such as continuous monitoring, high and low heart rate, advanced sleep monitoring, blood oxygen settings, and stress settings.

Battery

You know, I am surprised that the battery life of Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro is about the same as Mi Band 7. You will have 14 days on a single charge of moderate usage and 6 days of heavy usage.

I think it is very good for fitness bracelet with large display and built-in GPS.

Conclusion

So, Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro looks more interesting than Mi Band 7 for me.

Although, it is about $20 more expensive, it has a bigger display, so it is more convenient to read the notifications or even the name of the apps.

A built-in GPS makes counting steps and distances more accurate.

There is also built-in NFC, but you can only use it for transport cards in China. Also, the voice assistant will only be useful for the Chinese.

The other functions work fine outside the China.