The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active Fitness Tracker is making waves for being remarkably affordable, but is it worth your money? Unveiled as the budget-friendly sibling to the popular Xiaomi Smart Band 9, this fitness tracker launched globally back in October 2024, and at its price of $44.99 (roughly £19.99 / AU$42.99), it’s hard to resist on the surface.
So, what can you expect from the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active? For starters, it’s undoubtedly lightweight and portable, tipping the scales at only 16.5 grams. Its physical design features a rectangular body and strap, with a 1.47-inch display running at 172 x 320 resolution. While this might sound good on paper, many reviewers, including TechRadar, have noted concerns about the display's quality and overall design appeal.
“The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active is startlingly cheap, but you’ll understand why once you use it,” TechRadar commented, highlighting the compromises made to keep the price low. Indeed, the gadget simplifies many features but seems to excel particularly only at sleep tracking.
Despite its low cost, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active struggles with accuracy when tracking various fitness metrics. Aimed primarily at casual users seeking fundamental health monitoring, the device includes about 50 sports tracking modes, which range from swimming to strength training. Unfortunately, as noted by TechRadar, the tracker falls short on reliability. Users have reported inconsistencies, such as GPS readings faulty by up to 20% and incorrect heart rate monitoring, which diminishes its credibility as a fitness tool.
Specifically, the review revealed significant issues: “Many different health tracking metrics were easily proven wrong, with GPS reading poorly compared to data from our smartphone,” mentioned the reviewer, indicating users might find their workout data skewed when relying on this device.
Although the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active provides basic fitness tracking capabilities, its functionality does not extend well beyond sleep monitoring. Reviewers found its heart rate and calorie tracking to be particularly inadequate. “For only a small price increase, you can buy the Smart Band 9 which is a lot more reliable and versatile,” TechRadar advised, emphasizing the limited functionality of the Band 9 Active.
Interestingly, the Smart Band 9 Active shines when it performs more smart-device functions. It lets users receive notifications, control music playback, and access weather updates from their wrists, which is typically expected of fitness trackers at this price point.
This tracker connects to your smartphone using Bluetooth 5.3 technology, allowing users to sync with the Mi Fitness app seamlessly. The app provides detailed insights about past workouts along with some additional health metrics. Yet, there remains room for improvement on both the hardware and software fronts. TechRadar's verdict categorized it appropriately; they observed “it fares little with its ‘smartwatch’ lifestyle functions.”
With its strong focus on affordability, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active is available as a compact and simple option ideal for those who simply want basic notification functionality or require minimal health tracking capabilities.
Despite its shortcomings, users may find value in its once-off purchase if they're targeting specific, less intensive applications. If you're interested solely in sleep tracking and don't care about extensive fitness features, this tracker may serve your needs.
Still, considering the range of offered features and the performance limitations, it's worth weighing your options. If your budget allows it, investing just slightly more could lead you to devices with significantly improved performance across the board. A more dependably calibrated heart rate monitor or built-in GPS capacity can undoubtedly lead to more precise tracking, ensuring users get the most out of their exercise routines.
So, what's the final verdict on the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active? You might find it fits user profiles seeking basic functionalities—particularly as their first fitness tracker or for casual users. Yet, serious fitness enthusiasts or those tracking performance metrics for health purposes may want to look elsewhere.
Whichever route you choose, it's clear Xiaomi has made bold choices to launch such budget-friendly devices, but compromises are evident. The balance between need and budget will be key for potential buyers considering this product against its more feature-rich counterparts.