Xiaomi Miband 4 - Xiaomi cheaper, but not better

Xiaomi sprawia wrażenie, jakby za wszelką cenę chciało zaoferować każde urządzenie za najniższą dla kategorii kwotę, jednocześnie oferując przynajmniej odrobinę więcej niż konkurenci. MiBand 4 kontynuuje tę ideę, choć dystans od rywali nie jest już tak duży, jak wcześniej.

This article comes from the archival Imagazine 9/2019

The new Xiaomi band is built very similar to the previous ones: in a black, rubber belt fastened with PIN, there is a removable pastel with a screen and a touch button.This time, however, we have a colorful AMOLED instead of a monochrome display known from the previous generation.The screen is tactile, although the small surface makes us really able to touch the top, bottom or center (and this is how the interface is constructed), or drags with a finger vertically and horizontally.Under the screen there is a reversing button, which unfortunately bothers a bit: by making a gesture of shifts down, we can easily touch it, which will withdraw to the previous menu.On the bottom of the pile jam there is an optical heart rate sensor and charging pins.Despite their location, to charge the device, it must be removed from the band each time.A strong battery means that you don't have to do it often, but it is uncomfortable anyway.The weight of the device is minimal, I don't feel it on my wrist.I am disturbed by its height, he stands out from the wrist more than any of the predecessors, hooking up with a shirt cuff or a sweatshirt welt at every possible opportunity.

The first launch of the band takes a moment: after downloading the application on iOS or Android, the band is automatically detected.If we do not have an Xiaomi account, it is worth assuming them to track your progress also in the event of pairing with another device, in addition, we assign body weight or height.The next step is to update the software and many.Despite the jump by one version of the software (but important, because adding Polish), the system was updated twice, which took a lot of time.My band reached me unloaded, despite the fact that it was brand new, so it cannot be used immediately after removing from the box.After changing out by the first launch, it is worth taking a moment to read the interface.This one is simple and very comfortable.The main screen shows the time, date, the degree of battery charge and the number of steps taken.For such a small screen, it's a lot, especially since everything is legible.By scrolling sideways, we go to the control of playing music from a smartphone - this is basic, because we can only switch songs, pause and resume playback, as well as adjust the volume (this is the only uncomfortable element of the interface, the buttons are definitely too small).The scrolling up and down gives access to the status menu (i.e. summary of daily activity), heart rate (showing only current measurement), training (it is very extensive, I will go to it later), weather (with a forecast for the coming days), notifications (withoutPossibilities of interaction, displaying only messages) and more, containing all less important functions, such as a timer, a stopwatch, not disturbing or looking for a phone (but there are also settings).I believe that the menu system could be strongly optimized: the heart rate, status and weather, which open after touching their icon, transfers to such a small number of data that all could be closed on one screen (and thus instead of the next menu level, the widget would work better).The device does not offer too many personalization options: you can download one of several dozen shields (albeit, to put it the most delicately, they are not beautiful).Data fields cannot be changed, but this is not particularly bothersome, especially since it is not possible to install any additional applications.

The basic settings of the band are far from comfortable.At the beginning it is worth increasing the sensitivity of the wrist raising, with the base, usually the screen does not highlight.It is equally important to increase the brightness, which does not change automatically, and with the initial setting during a sunny day you cannot read anything on the display.After this change, the screen is much better readable than in the previous model.The last of the function I turned on is the measurement of the heart rate in specific time intervals.By default, it is turned off, which I think is a thick misunderstanding (such measurements allow you to catch the sudden and unjustified effort of heart rate).The band configured in this way no longer works declared by Xiaomi 30 days, and 16, but it is still a great result, especially since the device is constantly connected by Bluetooth to the phone and shows information about incoming connections and SMS messages.

The use of the training mode also has a small impact on the battery life.Miband 4 uses GPS with a phone to measure the distance, unfortunately, this is associated with the need to turn on the application each time when you start training.It bothers me especially while cycling when I throw my phone in my backpack and I can't get to it quickly.The quality of the measurement is nice, although it is far from the precision of even a simple sports watch with her own GPS or bands equipped with a receiver.The GPS trail is uneven, often shows a position shifted by up to several meters (i.e. the width of a two -lane road).On the plus side, however, should include a substantial list of statistics, including detailed heart rate charts, speed and height (based on GPS, the band has no barometric altimeter), as well as the time we were in specific heart rate zones.For a device at this price, it is a satisfactory.Sleep analysis is equally good, which, in addition to deep and shallow sleep time, also displays a comparison of the night in relation to previous ones (and therefore whether we slept longer or shorter than usual, as well as when we went to sleep).The application aggregates the data of all training, and basic data, i.e. burned calories, steps, heart rate, weight or sleep data, synchronizes with systemic health.The program is not excessively extensive and intuitive, you have to learn it - but it has all the basic functions I expect.

Miband 4 appeared on my right wrist, I wear it simultaneously with Apple Watch.I do not think that it is necessary on a daily basis, because Smartwatch Apple has all the Miband functions, and the band duplicates them, but it allowed me to compare both the distance measured during training and the number of steps.This one falls out actually, the differences reach a maximum of 5%.It is worse with a distance, because Apple Watch uses its own GPS and refreshes the location noticeably more often than Miband connected to the phone.Both devices are waterproof (Xiaomi up to 5 ATM), both are equally comfortable.The Miband 4 fastener is a bit like the Apple Watch rubber strap, except that the PIN has fucked me once, actually without a specific reason.The Xiaomi band is also very light and if it did not get on with clothing, I would not feel it on my wrist.I mentioned in the introduction that Xiaomi's competition is getting closer and although Miband 4 is the cheapest of the devices of significant companies, Huawei is chasing him strongly.The recently tested Honor Band 4 is only PLN 50 more expensive, and has a built -in GPS and a much more extensive sleep analysis (and also a more advanced application), but it works much shorter on the battery.The differences in the lowest segment are slowly blurring, and thus I doubt that Xiaomi would be able to regain its former distance.

The new Miband 4 is a device better than its predecessor.The addition of a colorful, quite light screen and a nice interface meant that the band can be much more, and at the same time did not grow significantly.It is a pity that Xiaomi remained with the need to pull the pill out of the belt to charge it - I am afraid that this may negatively affect the durability of the device.

Ocena iMagazine: 5/65/6