Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro review: GPS for less

Xiaomi may not officially have a U.S. presence, but its budget fitness trackers are a regular presence on Amazon and are understandably popular, given how much they offer for the price. The Smart Band 8 Pro is no exception. It may be double the cost of the regular Smart Band 8, but it’s still pretty cheap — and that extra $50 nets you a much larger display, more sophisticated software, and, most importantly, a built-in GPS.

Price and availability

Available and affordable

If you’re in the U.S., Amazon is your best bet for buying the Band 8 Pro. It’ll set you back $100, though at the time of writing, it’s down to $90.

Xiaomi doesn’t officially sell the watch itself in the U.S., but Amazon stocks imports of the international model. This model runs English-language software and will work perfectly in the States. However, your options regarding customer support or warranty coverage may be limited compared to buying from a brand like Fitbit.

What’s good about the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro?

GPS tracking on a budget

The built-in GPS is the best reason to pick up the Band 8 Pro — especially compared to the regular Band 8. That means you can head out on a run or cycle without grabbing your phone, giving you one less thing to carry (or break). GPS is unusual at this price – plenty of dedicated smartwatches lack it – and if you hate lugging your phone around on every workout, this will be the key appeal.

Of course, if you’re going to leave your phone behind, you need a little extra functionality from the watch itself. That’s where the bigger display comes in: the rectangular 1.74-inch AMOLED panel here gives off the Apple Watch look and the space you need to do a little more with the display.

The AOD dents battery life a little, but this is impressive enough anyway.

The key addition is an array of widgets accessed by swiping to the side. These give you immediate access to things like your heart rate, sleep score, the weather, or just the option to start a workout quickly. Well over 100 exercises are included, as well as automatic walking or running detection support. It’s easy enough to check notifications, control basic settings, and access an array of mini-apps from the band, so you shouldn’t often feel the need to switch to your phone — except when you want to actually reply to a message, which isn’t supported on the tracker. There’s also an array of watch faces so you can set your style.

The dedicated Mi Fitness phone app gives you access to more detailed data when you need it. This is a slightly basic app — it definitely lags behind the software for the Withings watch I normally use — but the layout is clear, and you can access all of your core tracking and device settings.

The display is bright, too, up to 600 nits — enough that I found it easy to read even in bright, direct sunlight, except for the always-on display (AOD). Naturally, that runs dimmer and is legible in most lighting but too dim to see in the sun.

The AOD dents battery life a little, but this is impressive enough anyway. Xiaomi predicts a full two weeks of use with the AOD off, which drops to six days with it on. I kept it on alongside the more advanced sleep tracking (which brings its own battery warning) and found I needed to charge the tracker every four to five days. A full charge takes about 90 minutes, so it’s convenient enough anyway.

I’m also mostly a fan of the simple design. Yes, the Apple influence is obvious, but there’s a refreshing minimalism here. The smooth metal chassis is comfortable to wear, and it is 5ATM water-resistant for swimming and showering. Straps are also quick and easy to swap out. I’m even a fan of not including a button: the software works well enough to get away with simply swiping.

What’s bad about the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro?

Not ready to go Pro

The main problem with the Band 8 Pro is that the regular Band 8 exists, and there are plenty of reasons to prefer the cheaper model.

While the bigger screen makes the software easier to navigate, the truth is that this will only matter much if you intend to use this lots of phone notifications – most other tasks are easy enough on the smaller screen anyway. There’s also no real difference between tracking on the two devices. Set aside the GPS, and both feature the same suite of basic features: step count, heart rate, SpO2, and sleep tracking. No extras or exclusives are built into the Pro, though I will say that I’ve found the tracking pretty reliable.

And while the Chinese version of the Band 8 Pro includes NFC support, enabling contactless payments, that’s not included in the international model. That could have been a key point of differentiation from the base model, and it’s a shame it’s missing here.

The bigger annoyance for me is the lack of independent music playback. While you can use the Band 8 Pro to control music on your phone, you can’t send files over to play directly from the tracker. That significantly dents the appeal of the GPS: yes, I can track a run without my phone, but only if I’m prepared to jog in silence. That might suit you, but for me, it’s a non-starter.

Should you buy it?

The Band 8 Pro is a great, simple fitness tracker with a big, bright display and straightforward software. It would be a good buy if you want a tracker with a larger display, but don’t mistake this for a proper smartwatch.

Be careful if the standalone GPS is the big draw for you: it works fine, but without music playback, its appeal might be limited. If you’d be happy with a smaller screen and don’t fancy running to the sound of silence, consider the regular Band 8 Pro for half the price, or look to rivals like Amazfit or Fitbit for more options.