During the company’s 8th-anniversary celebration event, Xiaomi announced 3 new smartphones along with a series of new gadgets. One of the major attractions during the product launch event was the latest variant from the hit Mi Band series, Mi 3. The new band model, Mi 3 comes with an OLED capacitive touchscreen just like its predecessor Mi 2.
Mi Band 3: Price, Availability
The Mi Band 3 will sell for a price of CNY 169, which is approximately Rs. 1,800. Xiaomi has announced two variants for the Mi Band 3, one with NFC and one without it. The NFC version of the Mi Band will be available at a price ticket of CNY 199, which is approximately Rs. 2,100. This variant will be available sometime in September. The price details and availability of the latest Mi Band in the global markets is still under the wraps.
Mi Band 3: Major Highlights
As mentioned earlier, the Mi 3 Band sports a capacitive touchscreen panel and is also water resistant up to 5 ATM. The new band is tested to deliver a battery life of up to 20 days on a single charge. Xiamo has offered three color options for the band. The Mi band 3 provides a screen space of 0.78-inches, making it easier for the user to view call notifications or messages on the Mi Band itself. The Mi Band 3 has an integrated microphone, allowing the users to answer the calls directly from the Mi Band. The band is armed with a motion tracking sensor and health management systems and weighs 20 grams The latest Mi Band 3 supports devices running Android 4.4 and above or iOS 9.0 and above.
Mi Band 3 vs Mi Band 2: Should you Consider Upgrading?
Mi Band 2 was launched at the same time last year. Most of the feature from Mi Band 2 make it to the Mi Band 3. One of the major features of the Mi Band that remains unchanged is the functionality of receiving app and call notifications. Both Mi Band 2 and Mi Band 3 feature motion tracking along with health management features. The Mi Band 3 has a water-resistant build. The Chinese company claims that their new band can withstand submerging in water as deep as 50 meters. So, you can now wear a wristband while swimming! Well, probably not a good idea. Besides, Xiaomi has not specified any IP rating beyond the 5 ATM rating. Similar to the Mi Band 2, the wristband can also auto-unlock connected MIUI smartphones for the wearer. Xiaomi claims the pedometer for this version has been improved. If that’s actually the case, the motion tracker integrated into the device should perform better as well. The Mi Band 3 also comes caller ID/ reject feature with an auto-reminder feature if you have been sitting for a long time.
The biggest noticeable difference between Mi Band 2 and Mi Band 3 is the screen size. The Mi Band 2 sports a 0.42-inch OLED panel while the latter features a much larger, 0.78-inch capacitive OLED display. Despite the large screen display, the battery of Xiaomi Mi Band 3 impresses. This new display panel shows text message alerts and incoming call. The screen is also shared by the current time, steps taken, and heart rate count. The display comes with 128×80 pixel resolution. The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 also includes a heart-rate (PPG) sensor and carries a triaxial acceleration sensor. There are embedded sleep monitoring features. Further, the wearable is fuelled by a 110mAh battery, nearly double the capacity of the battery of Mi 2, which happens to be 70 mAh. The Mi Band 3 is claimed to last for 20 days and same is said regarding Mi Band 2, which isn’t always the case. So, who is to say? For connectivity, there is Bluetooth 4.2 LE that makes the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 compatible with most of the Android and iOS devices. One major thing that is missing from Mi Band 2 is the NFC version which has been introduced by Xiaomi for the first time. This will help the users connect their smartphones with the wearable more conveniently. Now, this feature is something to root for.
The Mi Band 3 is not available in the global markets yet. So, there is too less information on the performance of the new wearable. Hence, waiting and sticking to your current Mi 2 wearable seems like a good and kind of the only option as of now.
