Following the impressive success of the original MiBand and the follow up Mi Band 1S, Xiaomi has finally introduced the Mi Band 2 and I am impressed.
Unboxing
I don’t know why there is such a hype around unboxing but I must admit it is kind of fun.
The Mi Band 2 comes in a compact cardboard box, similar to the previous models, that looks very environmentally friendly, the fact that they are not using any extra (unnecessary) plastic is worth praising.
Contents
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Original Xiaomi Mi Band 2 silikon smartband – 23.5 x 1.05 cm / 9.25 x 0.41 inches
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Mi Band 2 pod with OLED screen and touch sensitive navigation button.
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Charger base.
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User manual – mine is in Chinese but is supposed to come in English too.
Quality
The Mi Band 2 makes a good impression, the look and feeling is of a quality product. The Band is flexible, light and comfortable on the wrist. You can not use the charger or (leather) bands from the previous models because of a slight difference in size.
Xiaomi has kept all the functions of the predecessor and added a few more. The Mi Band 2 works with Android (4.4 and higher) and iOS (7.0 and higher) and is IP67 certified.
Functions
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Time
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Alarm
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Fitness tracker
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Heart rate
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Steps
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Distance
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Calories
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Notifications
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Call
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SMS
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Apps
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Sedentary alarm
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Sleep monitor
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Hours slept
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Hours deep sleep
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Time of sleep, deep sleep and awake with graph.
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Unlock phone – Android only
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Third party access
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Gesture wake up
Battery Life
A big thumbs up for the Mi Band. We have been using the Mi Band with nearly all functions activated and it uses around 4% battery a day, that makes a month usage per full charge realistic. According to Xiaomi it needs 3 hours to recharge, I’ll take their word on that.
Price and availability
We received our sample from Gearbest, at the moment they have a presale until the 30th of June for $42.98 with free shipping, there are already over 12,200 orders. There are third parties selling it on Amazon for around $55.
Conclusion
The Mi Band 2 is a great product with a fantastic price. With the newly added screen, IP67 certification, an impressive battery life and all the built in functions there is not much more I could expect from a wearable. I personally see no need for a smartwatch with the Mi Band 2 but it would be interesting to see what Xiaomi would come up with as a smartwatch.
