Redmi Smart Band Pro review: This one is geared for fitness

Redmi Smart Band Pro: What’s good?

The Redmi Smart Band Pro has a 1.47-inch AMOLED display. This is slightly smaller than the Mi Band 6 which has a 1.56 AMOLED display. But given the more rectangular form, this does look bigger than the Mi Band 6. Still, this has a better fit on my hands. The Mi Band 6’s length did not suit my slender wrists.

The display on the new device is excellent and works well in bright sunlight as well. Keep in mind that the Always-On feature has to be turned on from the app. The Redmi Smart Band Pro has a TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) strap, which is a mix between rubber and plastic. It does not make for the most comfortable fit, especially if you wear it tight, which is required for most accuracy with heart-rate readings.

https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/08/1x1.png Redmi Smart Band Pro will automatically detect if you are walking, running or on a treadmill. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

The Redmi Smart Band Pro is billed as a ‘Sportswatch’ given it packs a number of features and can track more than 110 fitness modes. While I’m not sure I would call this a full-fledged smartwatch, this remains an accurate fitness tracking device. The steps count was spot on with the Redmi Smart Band Pro. I also used it to track an indoor cycling session as well and found this to be accurate. The heart-rate range it showed was similar to what the Apple Watch 3 was displaying.

This will also auto-detect if you are in the middle of an outdoor walk, on the treadmill or out for a run. Once again, the band was very precise with this feature. Every time, I started my daily walk, it detected this quickly and accurately. And when I stopped, even for a few seconds, it would automatically pause the session.

The band also comes with 5ATM water resistance so you can take it for a swim and track that session as well, provided you have access to a pool in these pandemic times. The device also comes with tracking for Blood Oxygen levels, sleeping tracking, heart-rate monitoring. These can all be found by swiping up from the main watchface. All the workout modes are also listed here as well and you can customise these according to preference.

The highlight of the Redmi Smart Band Pro is the number of fitness modes it supports. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

You can choose more options for the watchface from the Xiaomi Wear App. The band will also track stress levels, though you will need to turn on all day monitoring from the app. This will mean a significant consumption of battery life.

The Redmi Smart Band Pro will also let you track how many times in a day you stand, the number of calories burnt, daily exercise minutes. You can set a daily steps target as well. The overall system does remind me of Apple Watch, where you have to complete your ‘rings’ for the day. It can be a good motivator to keep going if you have just restarted your fitness journey.

The device is compatible with Apple Health and Strava fitness apps as well. The device will show notifications as well, though again you have to grant the app notification access from the Xiaomi Wear app. But you have to turn on notifications for each app individually, as they are all turned off by default. This might seem annoying, but it at least it ensures the device is not flooded with random notifications.

The data from fitness activities as recorded by the Smart Band Pro is seen on the app. (Image credit: Screenshot from Xiaomi app)

The band also supports menstrual health tracking. In my case, I noticed that the device was predicting one in the next three days, which was obviously wrong. That’s because it was pulling data logged back in August 2021 from the Xiaomi Wear app. My cycle has gone for a toss since then. Updating it with new data from the app, fixed the problem. For anyone switching from another Mi fitness device, do keep this in mind if the data shows incorrectly.

The Band Pro also tracks menstrual health. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

The battery life on the Redmi Smart Band Pro is excellent. I’ve used it for more than a week and only charged it when I first unboxed the device. With basic usage, you should easily get the 14 day promised battery life.

The sleep data is seen on the app. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)

Redmi Smart Band Pro: What’s not good?

While the device can be used for sleep tracking, it is not a comfortable wear for the purpose. Plus the screen lights up at the smallest movement which is annoying. Another thing I noticed is that the device showed sleep data for today morning, which is strange, since I was not wearing it at all. I’m not sure what has happened here for the band to detect this at all.

The magnetic charging cable always took me two to three tries to snap on. The lack of other changeable straps is another miss I would say. The straps are not the most comfortable. I hate it when bands or watches leave a strap mark on my wrist and this does happen with the Redmi Smart Band Pro as well.

Redmi Smart Band Pro: Verdict

Xiaomi has found the perfect formula for building reliable fitness bands and trackers. They get the basics right and this continues with the Redmi Smart Band Pro. If someone watches a comprehensive device for fitness tracking but has a budget of under Rs 4000, this is an easy one to choose.

Keep in mind that the introductory price of Rs 3,499 will soon give way to the full price of Rs 3,999. The Mi Band 6 is also priced at Rs 3,499 but the sports modes are limited to 30 on this.