Since the product’s launch in 2014, Xiaomi’s Mi Band activity tracker has sold extremely well every year. Not only has the device challenged Apple year after year for the lead in connected wristband shipments, but it’s also a prime example of Xiaomi’s value-for-money philosophy.
According to Magical Unicorn, which has a “decent” track record when it comes to predicting the specs of upcoming Mi Band models, the Mi Band 7 is expected to have a larger screen than the Mi Band 6’s 1.56-inch display and have a resolution of 192 x 490 pixels (up from 152 x 486 pixels last year). We could see the device equipped with an Always on Display, native GPS, and more.
Last year, the device featured a larger, more colorful screen and a pulse oximeter. The latter measures the amount of oxygen in your blood and is generally in the 95% to 100% range. Anything less means there’s a problem getting oxygen into your body and could indicate a medical problem with your lungs or circulation.
The Mi Band 6 also offered more workout modes and was powered by a larger battery than the one used in the Mi Band 5. The Mi Band 7 will reportedly be codenamed L66 and will have two model numbers: M2129B1 and M2130B1. It will also support more workout modes, supposedly ranging from aerobics to Zumba, and will also support over 100 watch faces.
An interesting new feature is called Smart Alarm, which is supposed to wake you up from a light sleep 30 minutes before your usual alarm goes off. The Mi Band 7 will include a power saving mode to save the device’s battery, which last year took five days between charges when using all functions and 30 days between charges when using functions sparingly.
A very popular brand
If the past is an asset, we could see the Mi Band 7 released later this month. The Mi Band 6 is still available on Amazon and offers over 100 watch faces to choose from. The device shipped over a million units worldwide in its first month of availability last year. The combination of its many features and low price makes the Mi Band one of the most popular wrist-worn wearables every year.
The Mi Band 7 should continue to support both iOS and Android. So far, all we’re getting from Xiaomi about the Mi Band 7 is radio silence. The company seems determined not to repeat the mistakes made in the past when huge leaks revealed the Mi Band’s specifications and design before the product was introduced.