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dimanche 3 juillet 2022

TCL Stylus 5G Review: A budget phone with a stylus that gets you exactly what you pay for

So let’s be clear here. This is not a Samsung Galaxy Note. This is not the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The TCL Stylus 5G has a garaged stylus built into the body of the phone and that is exactly where the similarities end. But the most important way that these phones differentiate is the TCL Stylus 5G costs almost one-fifth of the others. That is what we need to focus on here.

The TCL Stylus 5G is not a great phone; it’s certainly not on par with the other phones you can buy with a garaged stylus. But it’s also not a bad phone. It’s exactly a $258 phone with a great screen, nice software, and a stylus and that is what I really like about it.

Even when you compare it to the Moto G Stylus 5G, you’ll note that Moto’s offering is almost double the price. So when you put together all that the TCL Stylus 5G is, and add in the things it’s not (because of course it’s not), you get a pretty compelling offering. But you have to know what you’re buying. So let’s find out what you’re buying. I’ve spent 10 days with the TCL Stylus 5G running on T-Mobile’s network and this is what I’ve found.

    TCL Stylus 5G
    The TCL Stylus 5G is a budget smartphone with a garaged stylus. It also has a nice screen, great software, and a decent camera. It is exactly $258 of smartphone.

      Features:

      Pros:

      Cons:

TCL Stylus 5G: Specifications

Specification TCL Stylus 5G
Dimensions & Weight
  • 8.98mm
  • 213g
Display
  • 6.81-inch LCD
  • FHD+ (1080 x 2460)
  • 500 nits max brightness
SoC
  • MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G
    • 2x ARM Cortex-A76 @ 2.2GHz
    • 6x ARM Cortex-A55 @ 2GHz
  • ARM Mali-G57 MC2
RAM & Storage
  • 4GB RAM
  • 128GB
  • microSD up to 2TB
Battery & Charging
  • 4,000mAh
  • 18W wired charger in the box
Fingerprint sensor Side-mounted
Rear Camera(s)
  • Primary: 50MP
  • Ultra-wide: 5MP, 115° FoV
  • Macro: 2MP
  • Depth: 2MP
Sensor Pixel Size
  • 0.64μm(50MP)/1.28μm(4in1, 12.5MP)
  • 1.12μm(5MP)
  • 1.75μm(2MP)
  • 1.75μm(2MP)
Front Camera(s) 13MP
Max video capture (All cameras) 1080p @ 30 fps
Port(s) USB Type-C
Software Android 12, one-year OS upgrade
Color Lunar Black

About this review: TCL sent us the TCL Stylus 5G for review. The company had no input into the contents of this review.


TCL Stylus 5G: The Stylus

  • Comes bundled with companion apps
  • Passive stylus doesn’t need to be charged
  • No Bluetooth functionality

The headlining feature of this phone is obviously the stylus. It’s simply a great way to interact with your phone. Plus, TCL did it “the right way” by building the stylus into the device, rather than making it an accessory. As great a stylus is, people simply won’t use it if it’s an extra item in their pocket. TCL also made a somewhat controversial decision to go with a passive stylus; there’s no battery, nor is there Bluetooth functionality.

While I understand this shatters your dreams of remote camera shutter capability, I can assure you that it’s ok. The stylus works well with minimal latency when writing and taking notes. The TCL Stylus 5G does the Samsung Galaxy trick, allowing you to start a quick note without first unlocking the phone.

TCL Stylus 5G on a table.

Adding to that, TCL is bundling in the apps Nebo for TCL and MyScript Calculator 2. Nebo is a handwriting recognition tool that can transcribe your notes into copyable text. This is most handy for jotting down notes or phone numbers. MyScript Calculator 2 is an app that takes your handwritten calculations and computes them on the fly. Write 16 + 43 and MyScript will fill in 59. You can then drag that number to the next line and continue with another calculation.

TCL is bundling in the apps Nebo for TCL and MyScript Calculator 2.

Anecdotally speaking, these two functions probably encompass the bulk of actions that people will use a stylus for. I carry a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra regularly, and that’s the bulk of the functionality that I use. Samsung has built-in a few neat features like converting handwriting to text on the fly in the Notes app, which is nice, but not necessary on a $258 phone.

What’s not here are the aforementioned Bluetooth functionality and any kind of useable palm rejection. The TCL Stylus 5G has a toggle you can turn on for palm rejection, but it doesn’t work very well. But again, this is a sub-$300 phone with a stylus in it. It’s very nice to have when you need it and not surprisingly, it’s not as good as Samsung’s. I don’t think that’s exactly breaking news.


TCL Stylus 5G: Display

  • Not very bright LCD panel
  • Looks great with Nxtvision enhancements

Disney Plus's Kenobi plays on a TCL Stylus 5G.

The other top-notch specification you’ll find on this phone is in the 6.81-inch “Dotch” display. As in previous generations, TCL has optimized the display with its Nxtvision technology with optimizes the colors and clarity of the display. It’s an LCD panel, so you don’t get the darkest blacks that you’ll see on AMOLED panels, nor do you get an always-on display. Finally, the screen maxes out at 500 nits which in certain situations makes it hard to read the display in full sunlight.

There's no shortage of enhancements you can turn on including video, image, and game enhancement.

But TCL is certainly no slouch when it comes to displays; its main business is TVs after all. You get that here. The Nxtvision optimization can be turned off (though I don’t recommend that) or tuned to your liking. There’s no shortage of enhancements you can turn on including video, image, and game enhancement. There’s also a reading mode, blue light filter, and darker display mode for something like reading a night.

Finally, you can adjust the temperature of the screen to make it vivid, natural, or you can use a color wheel to fine-tune the display so it’s exactly how you want it. I left it on vivid, but the versatility is nice to have.


Hardware, Performance, and Battery

  • Can’t run Call of Duty: Mobile
  • Puzzle games run fine.
  • The battery will get you through a day and that’s it

TCL Stylus 5G on a table with a Lego figure.

The TCL Stylus 5G is powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 700 SoC and 4GB of RAM. It has 128GB of internal storage and a 4,000mAh battery. In terms of performance, the phone is just ok. On Geekbench, its 548/1727 scores align with flagships from years past. I normally use Call of Duty: Mobile as a benchmark for performance, but this phone could not open it without the game crashing right away. This is a pretty serious issue and we reached out to TCL about it. According to TCL, it was “aware that the TCL STYLUS 5G smartphone…is affected by a software bug that limited the use of memory-heavy mobile applications. TCL engineers have identified the issue and will be pushing out a forthcoming software update. In the meantime, a factory reset of the device will fix the problem.” I factory reset my device, and sure enough, the game loaded properly. But please, TCL, hurry up on that update. I don’t want to have to create my folders…again.

In terms of everyday tasks like launching apps, and moving between them, there is some lag as well. Put simply, the Dimensity 700 from 2020 is not a powerful chip. That being said, other games like Sudoku, Knotwords, and Flow Free work pretty well. If you’re a puzzle gamer, this phone is just fine. If you’re more of an Asphalt 9 kind of person, you’ll have trouble for sure.

CPU Test on the TCL Stylus 5G. Geekbench scores on the TCL Stylus 5G.

The battery life for this phone is in the ok-but-not great category. My work-from-home lifestyle means that phones will always last a day or more. However, that same lifestyle generally allows me to leave the phone off the charger for a night and get through a respectable portion of the following day. That was not the case here.

On the most stressful day, I drove to and from a theme park listening to a podcast (60 minutes in each direction), spent around five hours at the park, listening to a downloaded podcast or reading while in line, and made a few phone calls. That evening, my battery crossed the 10:00 p.m. finish line at about 10%. It did last the day, but only just barely.

If you work from home, this phone will definitely get you through a day and a little into the next one. But if you commute for work, or spend the day away from Wi-Fi, your mileage will certainly vary.


TCL Stylus 5G: Software

  • TCL has fun software with neat little tricks
  • Only comes with one OS upgrade (Android 13)
  • Folder creation is not so much fun

TCL Stylus 5G on a table next to Pixel 6.

In all honesty, I’ve always liked TCL software. But let’s start with two downsides in the software department. The TCL Stylus ships with Android 12 with one year of OS upgrades and two years of security updates promised. That’s not awesome. The other issue is a relatively minor one, but creating folders on the TCL Stylus 5G is a chore.

My organizational structure on a phone boils down to folders – Communications, Entertainment, Control, Money, and a few others. Each of those folders contains at least a dozen (in some cases almost two dozen) apps. It’s great because I don’t have more than one home page and I always know where everything is. But every now and then I’ll run into a phone like this one that simply makes folder creation and population laborious.

Screenshot of Nxtvision settings. Screenshot of the settings menu on the TCL Stylus 5G. Screenshot of the full screen notification shade on the TCL Stylus 5G. Screenshot of the notification shade on the TCL Stylus 5G. Screenshot of the appl launcher.

On the TCL Stylus, I found the easiest way to do it was to create folders inside the app launcher, dragging apps in one-by-one until they were all where I needed them to be. Then, I could drag the folder onto my home screen. The downside is that by creating folders that way, all the apps in the app launcher are also in those same folders and no longer alphabetical or in a huge list. That seems redundant.

To add insult to injury after I set up the phone initially, I woke up the next morning and found all my folders gone and everything back to the way it was. That was not awesome. That has not happened again, I’m relieved to say.

One neat thing about TCL folders is the ability to scroll in between them. Apps are laid out in vertical columns in a folder, but you can also scroll side to side to move between folders. This comes in handy if you accidentally open the wrong folder and I’m here for it.

I also like the quick toggles in the notification shade...they exude a cool tech vibe

I also like the quick toggles in the notification shade. It’s hard to describe why I like them, except that they exude a cool tech vibe. The best way I’ve thought to describe it is it’s a little like a modern Tron interface. It’s definitely Android 12, but with a little more squared circle execution. At the same time, the brightness and media quick toggles are sliders that can be adjusted. I just like the aesthetic.

One last little perk that TCL offers is called Smart App Recommend. When you connect headphones to the phone, a little box pops up recommending your music or podcast player. That’s all it does, and I really dig it. That feature has worked more reliably in the past on devices like the TCL 20 Pro, but it’s here too and worked 75% of the time.


TCL Stylus 5G: Camera

  • Decent camera that’s good for Instagram
  • Surprisingly good low-light performance

The camera module on the TCL Stylus 5G.

The TCL Stylus 5G is a $258 phone and it comes with a $258 camera setup. There are four sensors in the back and one in the front. On the back, you get a 50MP PDAF sensor, 5MP wide-angle sensor (at 114.9 degrees), 2MP macro sensor, and 2MP depth sensor. To put it bluntly, the main sensor is really the only one worth writing about. While the macro lens can produce some decent stills, the ultra-wide sensor is generally bad and really shouldn’t be used.

The main camera sensor is capable of capturing some good stills in good lighting, which is about average these days. When you blow them up to full resolution, they’re not bad, though dark areas get pixelated very quickly. On the whole, the camera is good enough for social media, but that’s really the extent to which I would have confidence.

You can get surprisingly decent photos taken in burst mode. I grabbed a few shots of a roller coaster whizzing by. I would not under any circumstances blow any of these photos up to poster size and print them out, but for posting on Instagram, they’re pretty decent.

TCL Stylus 5G

At night, the results are surprisingly the same. That’s a good thing because, at this price level, cameras are usually pretty terrible. In the case of the TCL Stylus, as long as your subject is stationary, you can achieve some decent results. Highlights are not blown out, darks are a bit grainy, and focus is soft across the board, but overall, considering the price, I can’t complain too much. The video performance at night is fairly terrible though.

During the day, video capture is pretty decent, and the selfie camera is capable of surprisingly smooth walking shots. When it comes to the rear camera, walk-and-talk videos are pretty good, and the transition from bright areas into dark is smooth and quick. What’s a bummer here is that the camera tops out at 1080p/30fps.

Overall, I have little to complain about in the camera setup, considering the price tag. We have gotten to a point where just about every phone has a camera that can perform well in broad daylight, but finding a camera that performs decently at night at this price point is rare, so kudos to TCL for that one.


Should you buy the TCL Stylus 5G?

This is one of my favorite budget phones on the market right now. It’s not powerful, so for someone like me who likes the occasional game of Call of Duty: Mobile, this phone simply will not work. This phone is mostly for a specific subset of people who:

  • want a stylus
  • are on a tight budget
  • are on T-Mobile or Metro by T-Mobile

That’s a pretty specific set of people, especially the T-Mobile part because this phone was launched exclusively on T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile. That being said, if you do fall into that category, this is a great value. It can’t be said enough that this is a $258 phone if you buy it at full retail. At the time of this writing, you can have the phone for free if you stay with T-Mobile for two years. If that’s too much of a commitment, drop a couple of Benjamins, and you’ve got yourself a new phone.

Plus, the phone comes with a stylus, which is making a comeback. It’s an awesome way to control and write on your smartphone. With smartphones taking up more and more of the computing power you need these days, a stylus is a great addition for taking notes and signing documents. When school is in session, I use my stylus daily to help my daughter with math problems. The closest competition you can get is the Moto G Stylus 5G which costs almost double the price. When you put all that together, this is a pretty great deal.

    TCL Stylus 5G
    The TCL Stylus 5G is a budget smartphone with a garaged stylus. It also has a nice screen, great software, and a decent camera. It is exactly $258 of smartphone.

The TCL Stylus 5G is available from T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile for $258 or free with a 2-year agreement.

The post TCL Stylus 5G Review: A budget phone with a stylus that gets you exactly what you pay for appeared first on XDA.



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These are the Best Cases for your Kindle Paperwhite in 2022

The Kindle Paperwhite is the most popular and best-selling e-book reader in Amazon’s Kindle lineup. It offers a bigger and better display than the base Kindle while also borrowing some of the premium features from the top-of-the-shelf Kindle Oasis. Last year, Amazon introduced the Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen, bringing a revamped design, a bigger display, USB-C port, and faster performance.

Whether you pick up the newer model or, the older one, we highly recommend putting your precious Paperwhite in a protective case. While the Paperwhite is more durable than the base model due to its IPX8 rating, its plastic body and display can still pick up scratches fairly easily.

The best Kindle Paperwhite cases are lightweight, made from durable material, and feature cool designs. Most cases offer a smart wake/sleep feature, while some also have a built-in stand for hands-free reading. Here are the best cases for the Paperwhite 11th Gen and Paperwhite 10th Gen.

The Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen and it’s predecessor 10th Gen have different dimensions, and hence, use different cases. Please ensure you pick the case that matches your product.

Best cases for Kindle Paperwhite 10th Gen

    Kindle Paperwhite 10th Gen
    The Kindle Paperwhite 10th Gen features a 6-inch glrare-free dislay, front light, and IPX8 water protection.
    Fintie Slimshell

    Slim and lightweight

    A lightweight fabric cover that features soft interior to protect display. The magnetic clasp keeps the lid securely closed, while precise cutouts let you charge the device without taking off the cover. Comes in a range of bright and fun colors.
    CoBak

    Waterproof leather exterior

    This case from CoBak has waterproof PU leather exterior and anti-scratch microfiber interior. It also adds a smart wake/sleep feature and comes in a wide selection of colors, designs and finishes
    MoKo

    Origami stand

    This case comes with a built-in origami stand that lets you prop up your Paperwhite into landscape or portrait orientation for hands-free viewing. It has textured outer shell and comes in multiple color options
    CoBak

    With a kickstand

    This lightweight case features splash-prooof PU leather and microfiber interior. It als offers a built-in kickstand and a hand strap for secure and comfortable hand grip.
    Dteck clear case

    A clear case

    If you don’t like bulky folio cases, perhaps this clear silicone case might interest you. While not as robust as other cases, It will protect your Kindle against drops and falls and keep the back panel scratch-free. Note that this cover doesn’t protect the front/display
    Kindle Fabric Cover

    Official fabric cover

    The official fabric case for the Paperwhite is slim and lightweight and feels nice to touch. It provides ample protection against scratches and drops and has a magnetic lock to keep the lid securely closed.

Best cases for Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen

    Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen
    The Kindle Paperwhite 11th Gen packs a 6.8-inch E-ink display with adjustable Warm Light and USB-C port.
    Kindle Paperwhite Leather cover

    Leather case

    Amazon’s official leather case features textured natural leather cover that feels great in hand. It has magnetic clasp and supports the auto wake/sleep feature.
    Finite Stand

    Retro look

    Give your Paperwhite 11th Gen a vintage look with the Fintie stand case. The case is made out of premium synthetic leather and features a soft microfiber interior. It also has an auto wake/sleep feature, a built-in kickstand and a hand strap.
    Huasiru

    Stylish look

    This case form Huarisu comes in a variety of cool prints and features durable faux leather. It doesnt add unnecessary weight and provides full body protection against drops and scratches.

These are the best cases for the Kindle Paperwhite 10th Gen and Paperwhite 11tth Gen. If you want full-body protection, go for the official fabric case or Fintie Slimshell case. The CoBack case is also a great option, and it comes with a waterproof exterior. For a basic level of protection, Deteck’s clear case should be sufficient. We also have some fancy options in the form of Huasiru and MoKo. Before you hit the buy button, be sure you check the compatibility with your model as the Paperwhite 10th and 11th Gen have different dimensions, and thus a case made for one model won’t fit the other.

We have also rounded up the best cases for the Kindle 10th Gen and Kindle Oasis. Looking to upgrade your Kindle? These are the best Kindle e-readers to buy in 2022.

The post These are the Best Cases for your Kindle Paperwhite in 2022 appeared first on XDA.



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Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Review: This $60 fitness tracker continues to uphold Xiaomi’s value proposition

Xiaomi’s line of fitness trackers has gone through several minor name changes over the years, from Mi Smart Band to Mi Band, to now, Smart Band, but the appeal remains the same — it’s a very affordable fitness tracker that can provide accurate fitness and health tracking, with data immediately viewable on a screen that, in recent years, has gotten larger and more vibrant. We now have the Xiaomi Smart Band 7, and it promises to do more of the same.

XDA Best Award
Considering that these bands can do almost the same fitness tracking as an Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch at a fraction of the price, it’s no wonder that these have been selling very well. This newest model sees a slight price hike — it’s $60 now — but it’s still a far cheaper option than say a Fitbit Charge 5. While it may not be as flashy or attention-grabbing as a smartwatch or a large-display fitness tracker, the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is proof that a practical product will still find itself a market when it is priced right. It does what it says on the box, and most people buying this will be happy with that.
    Xiaomi Smart Band 7
      The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is an affordable fitness tracker that does a good job of keeping track of steps, heart rate and sleep, with a large and vibrant screen too.

        Pros:

        Cons:

    Xiaomi smart Band 7 worn on wrist with a white watchface

    Xiaomi Smart Band 7: Pricing and Availability

    The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is available now worldwide — including the elusive North American market — via Amazon and other online retailers. It will also be sold in Xiaomi’s physical stores for those who live near one. The official price is $62, but on Amazon, the price varies between $58 to $66.


    Xiaomi Smart Band 7: Specifications

    Specs Xiaomi Smart Band 7
    Size and weight
    • 46.5 x 20.7 x 12.25mm
    • 13.5g
    Materials Polycarbonate
    Wristband Silicone
    Compatibility Android, iPhone
    Display 1.62-inch AMOLED (152 x 486)
    500 nits brightness
    Connectivity Bluetooth 5.2
    GPS No
    Sensors
    • PPG Heart rate sensor
    • 3-axis accelerometer
    • 3-axis gyroscope
    • Barometer
    • Proximity sensor
    NFC payments No
    Battery 180 mAh
    Water resistance 5ATM or 50m up to 10 minutes

    About this review: Xiaomi sent me a Smart Band 7 for review. This article was written after nine days of wearing the device. Xiaomi did not have any input in this review.


    Xiaomi Smart Band 7: Hardware and Design

    Like its Mi Band 6 predecessor, the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is in fact a tiny oval-shaped device that is entirely detachable from its rubbery band. The little pod-shaped core measures just a hair more than 12.2 mm thick (thinner than the Band 6’s 12.7mm) and weighs an inconsequential 13g. Even with the strap, the weight jumps to 16g only. It’s so dainty and petite that I’ve had the device (without the strap) in my pant pocket and forgot it was there for an entire day.

    Xiaomi Smart Band 7 detached from its band.

    The 1.62-inch OLED screen is the largest it's ever been

    The 1.62-inch OLED screen is the largest it’s ever been, a small bump from last year’s 1.56-inch and a huge jump from the 1.1-inch from the Xiaomi Band 5. The display size increase mostly stretches horizontally, which means the Smart Band 7 has a wider screen (instead of longer) than last year’s Band 6. Maximum screen brightness has been bumped up to 500 nits, still not quite enough to see easily in direct harsh sunlight, but the screen looks great everywhere else.

    Xiaomi Smart Band 7 side

    On the back of the device are sensors for heart rate and blood-oxygen levels, along with a magnetic pin space for the proprietary charger. I can confirm the Band 6’s charger still works with the Smart Band 7, though I am not sure the Band 5’s charger will (because I don’t have one to test).

    Xiaomi Smart Band 7

    This little pod slips into the rubber strap snugly. There are no switches or buttons to deal with, the rubber strap just wraps around it like a rubber band and the fit is secure.

    Xiaomi Band 7 with rubbers trap

    One of the selling points of Xiaomi’s band series is the replacement bands, which Xiaomi sells in vibrant colors such as “neon green,” “khacki green,” and orange. If you find these options lacking, third-party sellers will soon pop up, giving access to many more options in different styles and colors. There will be a bit of a dearth of “premium” bands, but considering what this fitness tracker lineup has been historically, you will be very content at the selection of bands.

    Personally, I am not a fan of rubber straps, they feel sticky and “slimy” when I sweat (I always buy a third-party leather strap if available). But considering its two-digit pricing, I have no issue with the rubber strap being the included band. This isn’t like Apple or Samsung giving us rubbery straps for wearables that cost over $300. At this price, this is great, and you can always plop down a few dollars and get something else if you need to.

    Xiaomi Smart band 7

    The strap fits comfortably around my wrist, with enough notches for incremental size adjustments. The wearable is rated 5ATM, which means it can be submerged in water up to 50 meters for up to 10 minutes. This number is a safe estimate — I’ve worn the Band 6 (also rated 5ATM) underwater for well over 20 minutes without issues.

    There’s a 180 mAh battery inside, which is enough to power the Smart Band 7 for up to two full weeks depending on settings. More on battery performance in the performance section. While the China version of this band features NFC, the global version (the one I’m reviewing) does not. There’s also no GPS so you need to have your phone with you to track runs. Again, these are acceptable compromises for the price in my opinion.


    Xiaomi Smart Band 7: Software and Features

    Navigating through the Xiaomi Band 7 is done entirely via swipes and taps, as there is no physical button. This is fine for the most part, but sometimes when the display screen is wet, or if my finger is wet, it may take more than one tap to get the desired action. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes I’d try to wake the screen, and it takes two to three taps. Perhaps a physical button would be helpful. There is a raise-to-wake feature that works well, by the way. I’d say 98% of the time I have been able to navigate through the band’s UI fine.

    The UX is pretty standard for wearables: swipe down from the top to see notifications, swipe up from the bottom to access a set of features that you can customize in the companion app. Horizontal swipes cycle through all the various features like music player, exercise tracking, etc.

    There’s virtually no app ecosystem to speak of, meaning everything you can do with the band is already present out of the box, and you can’t go and download more things to do. While this sounds like a shortcoming compared to other Android smartwatches, the reality is all non-Apple Watch smartwatch platforms, whether it’s Google’s own WearOS, Samsung’s Tizen, Huawei’s HarmonyOS, or Fitbit’s OS, have anemic third-party app support anyway. If we compared the Smart Band 7 to an Apple Watch, sure, then the Apple Watch can do a lot more things, like access a digital assistant or control Spotify playlists or open up a digital boarding pass (for North American airlines, at least). But compared to, say, a Huawei Watch GT 3 or Fitbit Sense? The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 can do virtually everything those pricier smartwatches can do.

    Xiaomi Smart Band 7 with a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

    The band pairs to your smartphone via Xiaomi’s Mi Fitness app which is available for Android and iOS. I paired my Smart Band 7 with a Xiaomi smartphone, and then with a Galaxy S22 Ultra, and everything worked fine. There are no features exclusive and limited to Xiaomi smartphones like there are with Huawei’s wearables, so you can use this very flexibly across Android without any OEM lock-in.

    You can check your current day’s health data — steps walked, heart rate, workouts completed, sleep time — directly on the wearable. But if you want to check older data you have to jump into the Mi Fitness app which offers a rather typical overview. By typical, I mean it’s fine, it isn’t any more or less insightful than what a Fitbit or Apple Watch shows me. For workouts, for example, I can see a detailed map of my heart rate during the entire session. For sleep, I can see when I was in deep sleep or REM.

    mi fitness app screenshot mi fitness app screenshot mi fitness app screenshot

    The Mi Fitness app also has dozens of watch faces to choose from, and they’re quite aesthetically pleasing — much better than the options in Samsung’s or Huawei’s wearable store, in my opinion. The community has figured out ways to create custom watch faces too, so there’s plenty of room to explore here.

    Changing watch faces also takes just 10-30 seconds (you have to download the watch face first), unlike Fitbit, which almost always takes five to ten minutes (this is a bug of Fitbit’s app, one that hasn’t been fixed for years).

    Some of these watch faces even support complications, though it’s quite limited (you can assign a complication to show you heart rate or steps or weather, for example). This is nowhere close to the variety of useful complications you get on an Apple Watch watch face, but still much better than, again, any Fitbit or Huawei watch faces that support zero complications.

    Xiaomi Smart Band 7 in the hand over a brown table Xiaomi Smart Band 7 in the hand

    Have you noticed the trend in this review yet? Any shortcoming or nitpick I have with this $60 band is when I compare it against the Apple Watch which costs a minimum of $199. Otherwise, this band often keeps up or even surpasses the performance of other wearables from everyone else.


    Xiaomi Smart Band 7: Performance and Battery Life

    As a fitness tracker, the Smart Band 7 gets the job done. I wore the band alongside an Apple Watch 7 for a series of walks and workouts, and the numbers were comparable. Sleep tracking also seemed reasonably accurate, as the band was smart enough to not think of my constant tossing and turning was me “waking up.”

    xiaomi smart band 7 detached from the band in the hand showing a black screen

    In addition to tracking expected things like blood-oxygen level, and heart rate, the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 can also track menstruation cycles, and breathing, though the latter is in beta stage.

    I wore the band alongside an Apple Watch 7 and for a series of walks and workouts, and the numbers were comparable

    The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 doesn’t automatically detect workouts and begins tracking the way pricier fitness trackers do, so you will have to manually log the exercise. There are an overwhelming number of workout modes, ranging from the basics like cycling to yoga to the obscure like fishing and parkour. I always take these fitness modes with a grain of salt — I mean, can a wrist-worn device really accurately tell the difference between badminton and tennis? Fishing or tai chi? This isn’t a Xiaomi problem, I’m skeptical about whether the Apple Watch can tell too. My advice is to just pick a workout close enough to what you’re doing. When I’m at the gym, I can just pick “freestyle workout,” or “strength training,” I don’t need to differentiate between walking on an inclined treadmill or on the stair climber. It’s a waste of time in my opinion.

    working out with the Smart Band 7

    One gripe I have with the band is that the band can only mirror notifications from my smartphone in static form. I can’t interact with the notifications at all. But again, this problem exists on virtually 99% of fitness bands and most Android smartwatches too. So I’m not even sure if this is a reasonable complaint if $300 Android smartwatches also won’t let me respond to notifications.

    Battery life is very good. If you leave the always-on display off, you can get up to 14-day battery life. I haven’t used this band for 14 days yet, but after nine days of use at the time of this writing, my band still has 38% battery left so it seems like it will surpass the 14-day mark. If you leave the always-on display on, Xiaomi says battery life drops down to about a week. That’s still pretty good.


    Should you buy the Xiaomi Smart Band 7?

    Xiaomi Smart band 7

    You should buy the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 if:

    • You want an affordable fitness band to keep track of fitness data
    • You want a thin and lightweight wearable that won’t get in the way of long-sleeved shirts, sleeping, or other activities

    You should not buy the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 if:

    • You already own the Xiaomi Smart Band 6
    • You don’t mind paying much more for a more capable overall wearable like the Galaxy Watch 4 or Apple Watch

    Even with a slight price bump, the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is an easy recommendation for those looking for a good value fitness tracker. At $60, the product more than lives up to what it claims to do, and offers a larger, more vibrant screen and better watch faces than other trackers at this price range. However, the Smart Band 7 just isn’t a big step up from the Band 6 (the only improvements are better battery life and a larger screen), so those who own last year’s wearable already need not upgrade.

      Xiaomi Smart Band 7
      The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 is a $60 tracker with a large, vibrant screen and accurate fitness tracking

    The post Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Review: This $60 fitness tracker continues to uphold Xiaomi’s value proposition appeared first on XDA.



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