Redmi Smart Band Pro review: A superior Mi Smart Band 6 avatar

The Redmi Smart Band Pro is follow-up gadget after the Redmi Smart Band, which was released in 2020. The new model has taken a big step forward in what it offers as a fitness band. Dubbed as ‘SportsWatch’, Redmi Smart Band Pro was launched on February 13 and it is priced at Rs. 3,999, which puts it in the mid-range fitness band category and makes it compete directly with Honor Band 6, GOQii Vital 4.0, Oppo Band and, to an extent, its own flagship Mi Smart Band 6.

Considering that the Redmi Smart Band Pro is the latest offering that comes after a 2-year gap or so, it does offer a superior performance to not only its predecessor but most of the competing devices available today in the segment including, notably, Mi Smart Band 6. It is the superior Mi Smart Band 6 for me at least. Having said that, the lack of GPS does make it stop short. That may be something the company should have taken a re-look at. So, should you be buying it? Let’s find out.

To set the mood for the review, right from the start, let me say that I have been wearing this fitness band for over two weeks now, and based on its performance, I'm impressed.

Redmi Smart Band Pro design and build

The Redmi Smart Band Pro comes with a standard rectangular polycarbonate module with curved edges, which gives it a sleeker look. The band comes in all black, which is something I prefer but could be a little disappointing for people who like their smart bands to match their favorite color. The slim silicone straps are generally comfortable.

The display is a 1.47-inch large AMOLED display with 283 ppi density, which makes for a vibrant appearance, even under sunlight. The display is a bit smaller than the 1.56-inch Mi Smart Band 6 but given the rectangular shape, it appears bigger and the information is nicely spread out for a comfortable glance.

Redmi Smart Band Pro smart features

Dubbed as ‘SportsWatch’, it does come with some smart features that were missing in its predecessor which makes it a great delight. First is a notification panel which can display up to 20 notifications on your smartphone. You can also pick and choose the apps that you want a notification from. Second is the control center. Both of these features are missing in the Mi Smart Band 6. It has easy access to apps on swiping left or right and a detailed view on swiping up and opening the menu.

The operating system is intuitive and fluid and does give the feel of using a sports watch. It can be paired with both Android and iOS using the Xiaomi Wear/Xiaomi Wear Lite app. It has all the general purpose smart features including weather, flashlight, music control, find your phone, remote shutter for camera and more. You can also reject calls on it, however you cannot accept calls. Probably a feature for the next iteration.

While you can view basic details from the phone itself, the app is essential to check highly detailed view of your activities, steps, sleep and other such features. Also, one flaw for me was lack of in-built GPS, which means you have to pretty much carry your smartphone whenever outdoors. However, in this price range, no other smart band offers an in-build GPS functionality.

Redmi Smart Band Pro fitness

It is the fitness features that made me fall in love with the device. Upgrading on Redmi Smart Band, it has added the SpO2 functionality. It also takes the measurement in a single go, unlike most other smart bands in the market. It matches most devices either in its own range or far above when it comes to fitness tracking. It has heart monitoring, stress tracking, step count, sleep tracking, menstrual cycle tracking and 110 fitness modes (compared to 30 on Mi Smart Band 6) which cover more or less all kinds of workout.

The band does instruct you to strap it tighter when calculating heart rate or blood oxygen level, which is a slight inconvenience but the measures were more or less accurate. I ended up measuring my heart rate using a heart rate monitoring (HRM) device at a hospital and to my surprise, it was actually accurate with an error margin of +/- 2. I could not measure my blood oxygen level from a medical grade device but the band did give me a rough idea of it. However, no matter how accurate the readings are, I would strongly recommend against using these health tracking features as an indication of illness or as a substitute for a medical device because the scope of error is always there. Do seek the help of a medical professional in case of any doubt.

Sleep monitoring is another interesting feature and the supporting app can track sleep into light, deep and REM (rapid eye movement) levels, which makes it compete with higher end FitBit devices. While the sleep tracking was generally accurate, on a few occasions, it failed to account for the fact that I was awake for upto 30 mins.

When it comes to workout tracking, it offers a wide range of workout modules which make it for a fun analysis later on. It also has two fitness tracking modes, VO2 max and PAI, which for me became a source of extra motivation to push my workouts.

Redmi Smart Band Pro battery life

For any fitness band, the battery is the most important aspect. You would not want to be caught outdoors on an adventure trip with a dying battery just because you forgot to charge it last night. Thankfully, that is not the case with this fitness band. It comes equipped with a 200 mAh battery, which lasted 14 days easily. Mind you, for a large part of the first week I also had Bluetooth connected and had turned on all the health and sleep tracking features which are supposed to drain the battery faster. The battery life is definitely impressive.

The device comes with a magnetic charging cable which completely charges the band in 90 minutes, much faster than Mi Smart Band 6, which takes around 2 hours for a full charge.

Verdict

A large display, a sleek design, comfortable enough straps and a reliable fitness tracker, all at the price of Rs. 3,999 makes it one of the best smart bands in not only its price range but even at higher ones. The Redmi Smart Band Pro has not only proven itself to be one of the top band among its competing brands. In fact, it is even giving its parent company’s flagship Mi Smart Band 6 a run for its money. It is a superior Mi Smart Band 6 for me. What’s more? Redmi has an introductory offer where you can buy it for just Rs. 3,499.