➤Is it worth buying a smartband Xiaomi mi band 3? 🕹

The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 smartband is one of the best, if not the best gadget of its kind when it comes to value for money. For less than R$200, you can get a smart fitness bracelet, capable of tracking your physical exercises, your heart activity, your sleep and, of course, being used as a watch.

Its feature set rivals bracelets that cost significantly more. Unlike other similarly priced options, the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is much more elegant and complete, however, not everything is rosy. Here we will see the greatest qualities and the worst defects of the Chinese manufacturer's gadget.

Is it worth buying a smartband Xiaomi mi band 3?

In this Xiaomi Mi Band 3 review, we will analyze how the gadget works on a daily basis.

Design

The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 has a very simple design, but enough to get the job done. The device itself is separate from the bracelet, it can be removed from the bracelet and even, every now and then you need to separate them to recharge the battery.

Is it worth buying a smartband Xiaomi mi band 3? — Accessories - Xiaomi Mi Band 3

Xiaomi offers bracelets in black, blue and red, but there are numerous third-party alternatives, in the most diverse materials and colors. The bracelet that comes with the smartband is rubberized and smooth, but there are numerous third-party options, such as metallic bracelets and several different colors.

It's comfortable to wear thanks to its slim profile and light weight. There are wide size configurations available, but the standard size should fit most wrists.

The watch face is made entirely of curved glass, which gives it a very premium design, considering the price.

The OLED display sits in the middle of the display's glass panel, with invisible bezels. This look works well and is good for swiping and tapping. It is also very responsive, having plenty of scratch resistance. But if you are a clumsy person like me, use the gadget with a protective film.

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The only other interactive element is the small indentation at the bottom of the screen, which acts as a return key.

The only downside when it comes to display is the lack of visibility in sunlight. It is very difficult to see the viewfinder in direct sunlight. However, as most interactions are done on the smartphone, this is not a big problem.

As an added bonus, the device is water resistant, which means you can use it in the rain, shower, or pool without worrying about ruining your new toy.

Features and performance

What makes the Mi Band 3 ideal for you or not is what you expect from a gadget of this genre. As a basic health tracker, the Mi Band 3 can do a lot. It counts calories burned, steps taken, monitors your heart rate and records your sleep.

heart rate monitoring

Heart rate monitoring seems pretty accurate and consistent. The heart rate check gives you a closer look at your exercise performance, your resting pulse, and even fun things like watching your heart rate after a strong cup of coffee. This is something that many Mi Band competitors cannot offer, even though it costs more.

Sleep tracking

Sleep tracking is basic but accurate. You can basically see the total sleep time, and how that time was divided between light sleep and deep sleep. Knowing that you are not getting enough sleep is very helpful in changing some habits and having better health. Sleep detection is automatic, so you don't have to remember to tell Mi Band that you are going to sleep.

Shorter naps are also identified by the smartband, which is very useful for those who usually take a "nap" in the afternoon.

Counting steps and calories

The step count is pretty good too, and you can calculate your calories with reasonable accuracy, minus the caveats and limitations inherent in all these similar devices.

Activity tracking

Activity tracking is a weakness of the bracelet. Mi Band 3 only has two activity profiles: treadmill and exercise. If you plan on lifting some weights and monitoring your heart rate during this workout - or even recording it - you will be very disappointed.

The same goes for swimming, practicing a fight or playing a "naked". For example, I play soccer once a week, and unfortunately there is no more precise control, just the step counter.

Already through the smartphone app, it is possible to register an outdoor run, treadmill, cycling or walk in the "training" tab, but it still leaves something to be desired, given the various options of physical exercises that a person can do.

The only way to start a run or cycle is through the app. So not only do you need the app to track the activity, but you also need to take your phone out of your pocket to activate or stop the activity. It's a little uncomfortable. But it's worth it, as you get a fair amount of detail after a run, including average speed, pace, total stride, climbs, among other things. You can also see your heart rate, pace, and other information over time, in the form of graphs.

The app will also use your smartphone's GPS to map where you've been.

Mi Fit app

The Mi Band 3's software experience is in keeping with the rest of its approach. Setting up the Mi Fit app is pretty easy, and the navigation is pretty straightforward once you learn where everything is.

Information on the home page is presented in a vertical list, which allows you to view paired devices, your sleep, heart rate, weight, and goals. At the top of the page is a graph showing your overall step count and calories burned.

Tapping this symbol will give you a more detailed breakdown of your day, with auto-detected elements like walking and "light activity". These activities are not displayed elsewhere in the app, and you cannot expand them for more detail.

There are some missing elements, such as the ability to sync directly with MyFitnessPal, which many dieters use. Fortunately, you can do this via Google Fit, which saves the Mi Band in this regard.

Social features are limited to adding friends via QR codes, and you don't get any of the "insights" or suggestions you get with some similar apps. The app presents the data, but you'll have to draw your own conclusions.

The software usually gets the job done, but it's not perfect and doesn't bring anything new. If the app were better developed, it would probably be possible to take even more advantage of the Mi Band 3's hardware.

Xiaomi is generally very good in this regard, so it is possible that the app will improve over time.

smartwatch features

It would be generous to call the Mi Band 3 a smartwatch, but its smart features are still impressive given its price.

Notifications

You can get notifications from five different apps, call notifications and weather forecast.

Locate device

There is a very useful "find device" function for those who keep losing their smartphone around. Just activate the function, and your smartphone will start to emit a loud beep. I even saved a lot of searching time with this function.

Stopwatch

The Mi Band 3 also has a stopwatch. It's not very evolved, but any extra features are welcome.

Bluetooth

Here's another point that the Mi Band 3 leaves something to be desired. The Bluetooth experience is pretty inconsistent. On my OnePlus 5, I had no problem pairing and syncing the device, and it reliably updated whenever I opened the app. But many users report that they sometimes have difficulty syncing between devices.

If you are thinking of buying the Mi Band 3, we recommend that you do some research first, to make sure it works well with your device.

Conclusions

The Mi Band 3 is incredibly cheap. Still, you get a good deal with a fraction of the information it collects, compared to the competition. It can't deliver everything a high-end smartwatch does, but it's pretty close, and it certainly beats many significantly more expensive devices.

As long as you're not a professional athlete, you'll likely have everything you need with this device - from notifications on your wrist to good heart rate monitoring. Just take into account sync issues and narrow selection of activity tracking options when considering making the purchase.

The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is cheap enough for even the most demanding users to buy it as a backup device and still spend their money well. If you want to spend little on an activity monitor, we recommend the Xiaomi Mi Band 3.