Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is my latest in the series of Mi Bands that I have used in the last five years.
As a teacher who is also a parent, I want to know when someone wants to contact me. My phone is always set to silent when I am in class.
The mi Band 1 was just a series of lights that illuminated to indicate a variety of things, but the main one for me was that it vibrated when the phone rang or a message was received. At the time it cost £3.50.
So the mi Band 2 was a no brainer as it had a display that told me what type of notification I was receiving and it was a little bit more expensive at about £9.99.
Initially, my wife mocked me for using it and looked down from the lofty heights of an Apple Watch owner. Then a significant update came out that displayed who was calling. Now on my wrist, I had a device that gave me information concerning phone calls, notifications, fitness info and my heartbeat.
If only I could read a portion of the notifications on my wrist rather than having to grab my iPhone.
The Mi Band 3 (£30.00) now displays more information on the larger display than the bands before it. I can get the gist of most notifications. The downside is that the words get truncated and gives an unnatural break when words go over lines. So sometimes I still need to pull out my phone. I cannot reply to any message from the band so, I need my phone for that also.
Battery
The Mi Band 3 has a rechargeable battery, and I assume that it requires to be restored from time to time. The battery life is exceptional, and I only recharge it for a few minutes at a time when the time is convenient. It has only needed to indicate twice that the battery needs recharging in the year plus that I have owned it. I think from 100% to 0% with normal usage the battery should last a couple of weeks.
Synchronisation
The band syncs with the phone when the app starts. First, it says "Connecting ..." but this means searching, and it will do this for a few seconds. When found the display changes to "Syncing" and a percentage mark is also shown. Sometimes it doesn't sync until after 20 or 30 seconds, and there seems to be no reason for this.
Activity Tracker
To me, this is a humorous use of the Mi Band3, and this is how I use it. I will often walk to the town centre rather than wait and pay for public transport or drive the car to an expensive carpark. So I will save money and do the activity of walking. When leaving the house I set the Activity to Walking, and press GO. As I walk it records my steps, the distance travelled in the time taken and my heart rate. When I get home again, I stop the Activity and look at the information the device has recorded. It shows me a map of where I have travelled. So detailed that it will even show where I cross the road. This information is not a necessity or reassuring, but it is fun. It is nice to share with others and discuss the routes to various places.
Sleep
I find one of the handiest things about these sort of devices is the sleep tracking and alarm. I can gauge whether I have done enough activity and steps in a day or week.
However, I do appreciate and value the information this device allows me to see how I sleep.
The information on this that is displayed includes the total time slept and then breaks this down to heavy and light sleep. It can also discern when you awake during the night.
Conclusion
Wearable devices have got a lot more useful over the last couple of years. The Mi Band3 gives me the information I need and some information that I find entertaining like the activity tracker.