Xiaomi Mi Band 3 vs Mi Band 4: Is it time to upgrade?

While the sales of Mi Band 3 in India are still dynamic, Xiaomi unveiled the Mi Band 4 in China on Tuesday. The company claims to have sold more than 1 million units of the Mi Band 3 in the country by April 2019, and with improved features, the next generation Xiaomi wearable might see an even better response in India.

The Mi Band 4 goes on sale in China on June 14. While the company has not revealed anything about the arrival of the device in India, there is no reason to believe that it will not launch it in the country. So, while Xiaomi prepares for the launch of fourth-generation Xiaomi wearable and fitness tracker in India, here is a comparison between the Mi Band 3 and Mi Band 4.

Mi Band 3 vs Mi Band 4: Display

The Mi Band 3 sports a 0.78-inch OLED touchscreen display with 80×128 pixels resolution, the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 features a 0.95-inch colour AMOLED display with 120×240 pixels resolution and 2.5D glass protection on top. With a coloured AMOLED display, the Mi Band 4 comes allows 77 colourful watch faces whereas the Mi Band 3 only supports only three watch faces.

While the touchscreen of Mi Band 3 works fine, I did not like the over embossed style of the display. Going by the images of Mi Band 4 on Xiaomi China website, looks like Xiaomi ditched the previous screen design in favour of a more sleek one.

Mi Band 3 vs Mi Band 4: Voice commands

While the Mi Band 3 lacks voice command features, the Mi Band 4 comes with Xiao AI voice assistant that can control almost all the features of the fitness tracker using voice commands like setting schedules, play music, find phone, check heart rate and more. The AI assistant can be turned on by lifting the wrist, the same way you lift the wrist to view time on Mi Band 3.

Mi Band 3 vs Mi Band 4: Fitness tracking features

Both the bands are able to view SMS, calls and app notifications, track activity in real-time, locate the phone, vibrating alarm, phone locator, track steps, track sleep quality, idle alert and monitor heart rate. Both the bands are also water resistant up to 50 metres, however, the Mi Band 4 comes with an improved sensor that can not only identify different types of activities but also different swimming styles.

Mi Band 3 vs Mi Band 4: Battery, NFC

Xiaomi Mi Band 3 sports a 110mAh battery whereas the fourth generation Mi Band features a bigger 135mAh battery. The battery of the Mi Band lasts 15 to 20 days on moderate usage and Xiaomi says that Mi Band 4 will also last close to 20 days on moderate use.

Notably, the capsule of Mi Band 3 needs to be pulled out of the wrist strap to plug it into charging. It was reported before the launch of Mi Band 4 that users will be able to charge the new device without having to remove the wrist strap. However, the information could not be verified even after the launch. We’ll have to wait until the device is launched in India.

Mi Band 4 comes in two models, one of which has NFC, while the Mi Band 3 has no such model. With the NFC support, Mi Band 4 can be used to makes payments along with other tasks.

Mi Band 3 vs Mi Band 4: Price

Coming to the price, the Mi Band 3 is priced at Rs 1,999 in India. The Mi Band 4 has been launched for Yuan 169 (around Rs 1700) for non-NFC model and the NFC model is priced at Yuan 229 (around Rs 2,300). The prices of Mi Band 4 might fluctuate a little because of taxes and other charges.

Should you buy the Mi Band 4?

Mi Band 4 clearly outscores the Mi Band 3 in terms of specifications and features. The Xiaomi wearable promises a lot and its price range make it a fitness tracker that is too good for its price range. But we cannot say anything for sure until we get our hands on the device and review its performance. However, for those who are using Mi Band 2 or older wearable, it is definitely the time to upgrade.