One Of The Best Fitness Tracker/smartwatch Hybrids Gets A New Model Next Week
On Thursday, Xiaomi took to Weibo to unveil its upcoming Smart Band 8 Pro.
It has a 1.74-inch AMOLED screen, 60 Hz refresh rate, 336 ppi pixel density and 16.7 million colors.
The Smart Band 7 Pro costs just £74.99 / $89.99, so we're looking forward to another sub-$100 fitness tracker.
Xiaomi will fully unveil the Smart Band 8 Pro, Mix Fold 3 and Pad 6 Max during a livestream on August 14.
At what point does a fitness tracker become a smartwatch? We asked this question with the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro, a 1.62-inch tracker with built-in GPS. Now, Xiaomi is confusing us even more with the 1.74-inch Smart Band 8 Pro, which will be launched next week.
By posting a picture of its new tracker on Weibo, Xiaomi gives us an updated look at the Smart Band 8 Pro. In addition to its larger size, it has 336 pixels per inch (10 more than the 7 Pro) and a 60Hz refresh rate, which is standard for most smartwatches like the Apple and Galaxy Watch.
Xiaomi hasn't specified the 7 Pro's refresh rate, so we can assume it's 30Hz or lower. The same goes for the Smart Band 8 Pro's new 16.7 million color display; we don't know how much it's improved over the last generation, but our 7 Pro reviewer said the display "looks pretty good," so we can only go further.
NotebookCheck, which reported and translated the Weibo post, notes that the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro will have smartwatch-like accessories; Advertisement image showing how to view music, heart rate and activity data at the same time. Xiaomi also promises different colors and styles for the straps.
On August 14, Xiaomi will unveil the Smart Band 8 Pro, along with the Mix Fold 3, its latest foldable device with an updated camera and the latest Snapdragon chipset.
Unlike the Mix Fold 3, which is expected to be sold only in China, Xiaomi will probably sell the Smart Band 8 Pro globally. You can now see the global version of the Smart Band 7 Pro available on Amazon.
The Smart Band 7 Pro is one of the rare fitness trackers that supports GPS tracking instead of using your phone's connected GPS. Although the Smart Band 8 Pro follows in its footsteps, we also have built-in GPS, at least 500 nit brightness, more than 100 sports modes, 5 ATM water resistance and heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep, stress and menstrual cycles.
On the other hand, we also suspect there won't be a built-in microphone or speaker for Bluetooth calls like the 7 Pro. This is a major missing feature that disappointed our reviewers.
The question is, do fitness tracker fans want a fake smartwatch when they can opt for a lighter and cheaper fitness tracker like the Mi Band 7 or Amazfit Band 7 for half the price, or pay more for a real smartwatch?
