Xiaomi Mi Band Pulse review: Accurate heart rate monitoring at just S$27.99
Keeping a finger on the pulse
Back in late 2014, the Xiaomi Mi Band activity tracker hit the Singapore market with its cut-throat price tag and reliable core functionalities. At S$19.99, it was only 6.47% of the Jawbone UP3’s retail price of S$309. The Xiaomi Mi Band wasn’t nearly as advanced as its peers, but it did all the basics right – steps tracking, distance tracking, and sleep tracking were paired with other cooler statistics such as calories burnt.
This time, Xiaomi decided to add one more hardware feature to the band – heart rate tracking. Because it requires a heart rate monitor (HRM) of sorts, the product needed a refresh. This, in turn, brought us the new Xiaomi Mi Band Pulse. No prizes for guessing how they arrived at its name. It was also interesting how they could add a HRM for a final retail price of S$27.99.
Let’s look at what it does now and how it works.
Design
On the surface, the Xiaomi Mi Band Pulse is nearly indistinguishable from its predecessor. It is still the same oblong shaped sensor at 5.5g, with a shiny cut edge around its aluminum top. The new Xiaomi fitness tracker introduces a heart rate monitor onto the rear of the sensor unit.
The wearable’s silicone band is the same strap from before, and it’s quite comfortable when worn. The combination of its light materials and flexible strap made it easy to ignore the Mi Band Pulse. We were only conscious about the device when we went for a run, where you can feel your perspiration mixing around under the strap. Fortunately, the wearable is easy to clean.
Since the strap isn’t different from the previous version, you can remove the sensor from the strap’s housing, or you can swap the band for a different color. Unfortunately, the colors are very vibrant and striking to the eyes, so there’s only Black or White if you want a strap that looks less juvenile.
It uses the same proprietary USB cable to charge the sensor unit. Ours has gone four whole days without charging and it still had 89 percent battery left. It’s safe to say that the HRM unit doesn’t really impact the excellent battery life in any way as found in the original Mi Band.
Features
The Mi Band Pulse is supported by the same app made for its previous wearable. Pairing the new wearable via Bluetooth is just as easy as setting up the older Mi Band. You’ll need a Mi account, and you can use the same account to register your other Xiaomi products. If you don’t have an account, you can set it up using your phone number or e-mail address.
The new heart rate BPM (beats per minute) feature is prominently visible on the main screen. The Mi Band Pulse only tracks resting HR, since the device requires you to tap the ‘measure’ button in the menu, and the device will take a short moment before giving a snapshot of the present BPM. It does not take a live sample when you are awake or running. That said, the tracker is accurate when compared to other significantly pricier wearables in our HRM tracker shootout that will be covered in HWM June 2016. It gives readings that are close to, or identical to other HRM-capable wearables and home-use blood pressure monitors we’ve tried.
As we tested the band on an iOS platform, it’s immediately apparent that the iOS app has limited functionality when compared to its Android OS counterpart. The Android app lets you indicate the unique types of exercises, like Rope Jumping or Sit Ups, but these features are seemingly absent from the iOS version. As a passive wellness tracker, the Mi Band Pulse only tells us the total number of steps and sleep accrued, and the differentiation of walks and runs is subtle. Sleep tracking came with passive HRM on this new device, and the form factor helped to prevent wearing fatigue on the arm while you're dozing off.
Final thoughts
While it may not pack as many features as compared to your Jawbone or Fitbit trackers, it still does all the basics of a tracker on top of its new and accurate heart rate tracking functionality. If you’re particular about your strenuous activities, the Mi Band Pulse would be under-equipped to make you satisfied. However, if you’re a sedentary office worker who’d like to see some physical progress, the Mi Band Pulse is an excellent choice given its low price point and core features.
At just S$27.99 (S$11 more than the predecessor at its new price), it's a perfect low-cost, accurate wellness tracker, making it an ideal first wearable for non-tracker folks, or to complement your existing (and pricier) wearable which may lack heart rate monitoring.
Interested? You can order the Xiaomi Mi Band Pulse over at the Xiaomi website.
Specifications at a glance
Compatibility: iOS7 or later or Android 4.4 or later
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0
Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
Sleep Monitor: Yes
Weather-proofing: IP67 (water and dust resistant)
Battery: 45mAh, up to 30 days (Standby only)
Dimensions: 37 x 13.6 x 9.9mm (Sensor only)
Weight: 5.5g (Sensor only)
Price: S$27.99
