Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro Product Unboxing
Packaging and accessories
Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro is packaged in the classic design style of the Xiaomi bracelet series, a long cardboard box design, the overall very simple.
The front of the package draws the product picture of the bracelet, and the bottom is labeled with the product name "Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro" in silver font.
A glance at the back of the package is labeled with the product details of the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro, manufacturer information, and several key features, including a 1.74'' screen, GNSS track positioning, health indicator monitoring, sports mode, and more.
Unpacking and removing all the contents of the box as above. The packing list of Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro includes paper documents such as the bracelet, wristband, charging cable and manual.
As for the cable, the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro comes with a magnetic charging cable with a USB-A connector on one end and a magnetic charging base on the other.
The contours and materials
Sight back to the product. The Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro continues the rectangular design of the Pro series, with the watch mirror/screen as a whole being a slender rectangle, which is somewhat recognizable compared to many square smartwatches.
The screen part of the bracelet is a flat design, the edge of the screen is very flat, the chamfer is similar to the design of the current standard version of the Xiaomi 13, visually sharp. Meanwhile, the center frame of the "Coconut Gray" version of the bracelet is glossy silver, similar to stainless steel.
A look at the front side of the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro. The front and back sides of the bracelet are Xiaomi's quick release structure, which makes it easy to insert the wristband directly to install it, and press the button to remove it.
A microphone opening is set on the left side of the bracelet.
A glance at the back of the bracelet, which is made of frosted plastic and is set with heart rate and blood oxygen sensors.
Wristband
As for the wristband, the basic version of the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro is equipped with a TPU material wristband by default, which is made of frosted texture and coated with hydrophobic and sweat-eliminating coating, and the overall touch is good.
The wristband of the "Coconut Gray" version of the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro is a neutral gray with a hint of cool color, which is gentle to the eye.
In terms of the fixed structure, the official strap adopts the common "press buckle" type single-row buckle program, which is more convenient to wear and take. Moreover, there is also a fixed and movable buckle storage structure, which is convenient for storing a long strap.
Wristband disassembly interface, millet Mi Band 8 Pro for millet self-research quick release structure, the wristband can be installed by directly inserting the wristband, press the button on the case can be directly popped out of the wristband, is the most easy to install in the smartwatch, bracelet in a class, worthy of praise.
Screen
In the factory state, connect the charger to turn the bracelet on, and the screen will light up with it.
Screen-wise, the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro gets a 'big iteration' in terms of screen size. The screen of the bracelet is a diagonal 1.74-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 336*480, and the screen font elements are very fine under the daily use scenario sight distance. On the other hand, the refresh rate of the screen also reached 60Hz, this we will further experience in the system smoothness.
The addition of the OLED screen also allows the screen to be "pure black", so in most black backgrounds, the screen and bezel visually blend better, giving the front of the bracelet a stronger sense of unity.
In terms of brightness, the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro has a peak brightness of 600 nits, which is in the middle of the range of smartwatches and bracelets. 600 nits is very clear indoors, outdoors on cloudy days or at night, but you'll need to get close to see the screen in fierce sunlight outdoors on a sunny day in the middle of the afternoon.
Weight and wearability
After weighing the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro with a high-precision scale by Wisdom Research, we found that with the official TPU strap, the total weight of the bracelet is 38.4g.
The Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro belongs to the larger category in terms of weight and volume in the smart bracelet category, but it is one of the lighter ones among smart wear (including smartwatches) of the same volume.
The effect after wearing the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro is as above.
Because the bracelet's larger screen also brings a larger volume, its wearing feeling and visual perception is actually more like a "light smartwatch", more substantial than the standard form of the bracelet (such as the Xiaomi Mi Band 8), but lighter than a full smartwatch (such as the Xiaomi Watch series), and overall still quite comfortable.
Pairing and interaction with your phone
The Xiaomi Band 8 Pro belongs to Xiaomi's smart wearable ecosystem, and the companion app is naturally Xiaomi's "Xiaomi Sports & Health" app. This app is called "Sports Health" in MIUI, but in other systems, including iOS phones, you can download and install it through the app market.
After powering up and turning the bracelet on, the bracelet will display a pairing tutorial on the screen and provide a QR code for pairing. Together with the App, the entire pairing process of the bracelet can be completed in a minute or two, without the lengthy "data transfer" process on some brand watch bracelets, which is very convenient and fast.
After the pairing is completed, you will be able to see the status of the bracelet in the "Xiaomi Sports and Health" App on your phone, and set up various applications for the bracelet.
Moreover, this "App" is also quite Xiaomi's style - "everything can be customized", whether it is as big as widgets, application order, or as small as notification settings, sedentary reminder and other functions, can be completed through the cell phone App, the functionality can be said to be the first echelon of the bracelet world.
Xiaomi's watchword - traffic card and door card simulation is also standard, and the cities supported are also very rich.
In terms of the dial, the dial mall is set up in the App, and the square screen form also allows the hand ring to have a wealth of possibilities in the dial design, which can meet the user's personalized needs.
Watch system interaction
In terms of the watch system, the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro adopts the light intelligent bracelet system of the Xiaomi bracelet series, taking into account the functionality and longevity, although it is not like the watch series that can install third-party Apps, but it still has very rich functions.
In terms of operation logic, the system operation of the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro is similar to that of mainstream large-screen bracelet watches, with the same operation logic of left-sliding to return, sliding to browse the content, and covering the screen to hibernate.
However, due to the positioning of the product "bracelet", there is no physical buttons, the operation of the millet Mi Band 8 Pro is completely dependent on the screen, in the main screen of the dial slide to enter the App list, to return to the previous level is required to multi-layer left slide to return, if you are used to the physical buttons (such as the crown button) of the watch bracelet in the past, then it will take a certain amount of time to get used to it.
In terms of the resting screen display, the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro closes the AOD resting screen display by default, but in the settings you can turn on the resting screen display of the "smart on" and "timed on", and when it is turned on, the bracelet will continue to display the time even in the sleep state, and the form will be changed according to the dial.
Finally, in terms of smoothness, the system of the bracelet has been adapted to the new 60Hz screen, and most of the operations on the bracelet can guarantee a 60-frames experience, and with the rich system animation like MIUI, the overall operation process is "silky smooth", which is better than many similar bracelets in terms of smoothness.
Health Detection and Exercise Follow-up Measurement
In terms of health and exercise functions, the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro has been strengthened in the standard version of the Xiaomi Mi Band 8.
In terms of health detection, the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro supports two basic data items, including heart rate and blood oxygen, as well as four advanced data items, such as sleep, stress, breathing, and female physiological period, to meet the daily health monitoring needs of most users.
It is worth mentioning that in the two basic data of heart rate and blood oxygen, Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro adopts a "watch-level" dual-channel detection module, which, together with a new generation of data algorithms, allows the monitoring accuracy of the bracelet to be further improved.
In terms of exercise follow-up, Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro supports 150+ types of exercise follow-up, in addition to common running and walking, popular HIIT, physical games (fitness ring, etc.) and other items can also be followed, the same as the standard version of Xiaomi Mi Band 8, the range of items supported is very wide.
Moreover, as a "Pro-level" bracelet, Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro is equipped with independent GNSS five-star positioning on top of that, which makes the monitoring of outdoor track sports (running, cycling, etc.) more accurate.
At the same time, the iterative sensor also gives the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro the ability to "body detection", in the Xiaomi Sports and Health APP you can enter the "body course" to carry out, the experience is similar to the physical game on the Switch, but without the handle constraints, in the experience is more free.
However, it is a pity that, probably due to the size of the bracelet, the "Running Bean" mode that appears in the standard version of the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 does not appear on the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro.
Charging and battery life
In terms of battery life, as a "bracelet", the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro has a long battery life of the bracelet level - typical mode battery life of up to 14 days, the screen is always on, the battery life can also reach 6 days, "a week a charge" or even "two weeks a charge" is not a problem.
In terms of charging, CHARGERLAB POWER-Z professional tester was used to test the wired charging of Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro, and found that the wired magnetic charging power of the bracelet is 1.48W, and it takes about 80 minutes to fully charge the bracelet from depletion to full power.
Summary
As a representative series of smart bracelets, the new-generation Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro further blurs the boundaries between "bracelet" and "watch" through a larger screen, richer functions and more powerful "watch-grade" performance, bringing a smartwatch-grade experience in the form of a smart bracelet.
In terms of appearance and experience, the 1.74-inch large screen provides a rich space for personalized customization of the dial, and the silky smoothness of 60Hz/60 frames greatly improves the experience of the bracelet during operation.
In terms of health and exercise, the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro has perfect health monitoring including blood oxygen, heart rate, sleep, and up to 150+ kinds of rich exercise follow-up measurement, and the newly introduced "body feeling" function also brings more possibilities for exercise.
Overall, the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro is a smart bracelet with excellent overall product power, functions close to a light smartwatch, and an outstanding cost-effective smart bracelet. If you're looking for a full-featured bracelet/light smartwatch, then the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro is an option worth considering.
