Wyze Band vs. Xiaomi Mi Band 4: Which should you buy?

Xiaomi Mi Band 4

As with its phones, Xiaomi has set an example of how to offer a compelling fitness band at a competitive price. It brings multi-sport modes and long battery life that let it match up against trackers two-three times its price. As good as it is with fitness, it is lacking in other smart features.

Wyze Band

The Wyze Band is a fantastic first attempt at a smart fitness wearable by the upstart home automation brand. It can do all of the basics, and it has some great bonus features. Unfortunately, a lack of app integration and a dearth of social competitions may leave a bit to be desired.

It's an amazing time to be looking for a quality fitness tracker at an affordable price. Not only do you have some Fitbit models coming down in price, but you've got a plethora of lesser-known manufacturers putting out really impressive devices at costs you probably wouldn't believe. Case in point are two of the recent offerings from global smartphone powerhouse Xiaomi and upstart smart home company Wyze. Let's see how they compare to help you decide which is the best fitness band for you!

Wyze Band vs. Xiaomi Mi Band 4 Spec showdown

These two fitness bands are evenly matched across many of the most important spec areas. They're both inexpensive, track all of the basics, have gorgeous customizable AMOLED screens, and are water-resistant. What are the significant areas they differ in, and why would you choose one over the other?

Wyze Band vs. Xiaomi Mi Band 4 Xiaomi steps up

Where the Mi Band 4 sets itself apart from the Wyze Band the most as a fitness tracker is in its fitness modes. Whereas the Wyze Band only has a dedicated running mode, the Mi Band 4 can track indoor (treadmill) or outdoor running, walking, cycling, swimming, and "other" exercise, which could be yoga, HIIT, or cross-fit.

The Mi Band 4 has more options for customizing your watch face than the Wyze Band, and it allows for wrist-based music controls. This is perfect for when you're on a run and don't want to fiddle with your phone while changing tracks. Like the Wyze Band, you can also track down your phone with just a few taps from the Mi Band 4, and you can triage notifications from your wrist.

In the Mi Fit app, you can add friends who are also using Xiaomi products by sharing a personalized QR code, adding them via ID, or just inviting them through the app. Once you have a few friends, you can compete against each other or send them messages to encourage or antagonize them. This is similar to, but not quite as robust as, the way Fitbit handles friendly competitions, so if you've ever participated in those before, you'll know what I'm talking about.

The Mi Fit app does sync with Google Fit, but in order to connect to apps like Strava or MapMyRun, you'll need some clever workarounds. According to a post on the Strava website, the best way to do this was to connect your Mi Band 4 to the Amazfit app, which can be synced with those other apps.

Finally, we come to battery life and the charging experience. The Mi Band 4 gets over 20 days of battery life — which is great — but the charging experience isn't optimal. For one, you have to pop the watch module out of the band to attach it to the charging cradle. The charging cradle has a comically short cord, so unless you're charging it with your computer or you have a beside USB hub, it's going to be almost hugging the wall outlet.

Once you navigate the charging experience (which granted, you'll only have to do once a month or so), you may or may not like the way it pops in and out of the band. Needless to say that this can make for an easy way to swap bands, but it's a bit unconventional if you're not used to it.

Wyze Band vs. Xiaomi Mi Band 4 Wyze branches out

Wyze might have learned from Xiaomi's example of how to cram a bunch of great features into an affordable fitness band, but it also has a few surprises of its own. The company that made a name for itself for its high-quality and low-price smart home devices like lights, plugs, and cameras, has come up with a pretty ingenious way to tie its ecosystem products together, and you to them, through the Wyze Band.

What do I mean by that? The Wyze Band has a Shortcuts app that allows you to control your Wyze smart lights, cameras, or smart plugs with just a tap of a virtual button on your wrist. You simply set up what you want the shortcuts to do in the Wyze app, and then those shortcuts will sync with your Band. These can be as simple as turning a bulb off to starting a bedtime routine.

In addition to that device integration, the Wyze Band has an app on the device that lets you locate a misplaced phone, as well as a way to summon Amazon's Alexa smart voice assistant. There are no speakers on the band for you to hear Alexa's reply, but you can get a visual cue, as well as trigger actions and automations with your other Alexa smart home products this way.

As far as fitness features go, the Wyze Band can do a lot of what the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 can, but it can't do everything. The Wyze Band only currently supports one exercise mode (running) compared to the Mi Band 4's six modes, and it doesn't have any direct hooks into other fitness apps. While the two devices share similar screens and customization options, the Wyze Band lasts up to a week less on a charge than the Mi Band 4.

The Wyze Band is a great, low-cost fitness band option, and while it has some special extras that the Mi Band 4 does not, it may not measure up for you as a dedicated athletics tracker.

Wyze Band vs. Xiaomi Mi Band 4 Which should you buy?

While I like the Wyze Band and I think that it is absolutely the right option for some people, if you're looking for an affordable fitness band with the most fitness features, then you have to go with the Xiaomi Mi Band 4.

The Mi Band 4 has a battery that up to a week longer (or more) than the Wyze Band, five more exercise modes, and at least some ability to connect to third-party fitness apps and services. Plus, with the launch of the Mi Band 5, the Band 4 is discounted on many sites to be the same price, or even cheaper, than the insanely affordable Wyze Band.

If you're looking for a solid first start in the smart fitness band world and you have $40 or less to spend, you can't go wrong with either of these devices. It just comes down to how important it is for you to be able to track more kinds of activities, and how important it is for you to have more smartwatch and smart home functionality on your wrist. You answer those questions, and you've made your own decision!