Xiaomi Mi Band 5 vs. Mi Band 4: What's the difference and which should you buy?

Xiaomi Mi Band 5

If you want access to more sport modes, detailed sleep tracking, and more precise heart-rate monitoring, you'll love the Xiaomi Mi Band 5. You also get two weeks of battery life, 5 ATM water resistance, and a bright AMOLED display. It hasn't changed much on the exterior from its predecessor, but the other improvements make it a worthy upgrade.

Xiaomi Mi Band 4

Xiaomi has always been committed to offering affordable products that cover the basics and the Mi Band 4 certainly accomplishes that. This fitness tracker will monitor your heart-rate, sleep, and activities. You get six sport modes along with 5 ATM water resistance and 20-day battery life. For the low price tag, you can't go wrong.

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 vs. Mi Band 4 What's new?

One year after the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 was released, we already have a new successor. The Mi Band 5 builds on existing features by expanding on important details and adding more perks to the mix. The previous version paved the way for this new model, with a 20-day battery life, 5 ATM water resistance, activity tracking, heart-rate monitoring, and sleep tracking, and it was worth the wait.

Perhaps you have first-hand experience with the Mi Band 4. Maybe you like what you've learned about it so far, but you want to level up to more in-depth tracking. The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 does all of that and more. You get some new sport modes, better accuracy, and more detailed sleep tracking. If these improvements interest you, then you should consider upgrading to the new model.

You get more with the Xiaomi Mi Band 5

There aren't any major changes to the physical look and feel of the fitness tracker. You still get a polycarbonate case with a TPU strap. The display area, however, is about 20% larger on the Mi Band 5 with a 1.1-inch AMOLED display.

If you own the predecessor, you've probably had your share of charging frustrations. Previously, you had to remove the tracker from its strap to attach it to the Pogo charger. Fortunately, Xiaomi removed this headache from the Mi Band 5. You can leave your tracker inside of the strap when using the new magnetic charger.

Speaking of charging, the Mi Band 5 promises up to 14 days of battery life. This is slightly less than the previous model, but keep in mind that you can take advantage of power-saving mode to extend its battery life. Of course, you'll lose access to some key features when using this mode but it's helpful if you want to prevent your device from dying. If you get the NFC version, which is supported in China, you can expect the battery to drain faster.

Now, on to the good stuff. One of the most noteworthy changes is that you'll have more sport modes to choose from. The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 adds jump rope, elliptical, rowing, and yoga. On the Mi Band 4, you had to rely on the freestyle exercise mode as a catch-all for any other type of workout. This mode is still present on the new model, but at least now there are additional options to choose from. It also has a dedicated mode for both indoor and outdoor cycling. On the predecessor, there was just one standard cycling mode.

Previously, the sleep monitoring feature would let you know when you were in light sleep, deep sleep, or awake. The Mi Band 5 now tracks REM sleep stages as well, which are essential in helping your body recover while resting. You can even record the quality of your naps.

According to Xiaomi, the accuracy of heart-rate monitoring has also been improved by up to 50 percent. Other improvements include female health tracking that records the user's menstrual cycle and ovulation phases as well as stress monitoring with suggestions for how to ease and recover from stress. The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 also offers guided breathing exercises that are designed to ease your mind and body with sessions that last anywhere from 1-5 minutes.

The Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is best for beginners

Even with all of the upgrades you get on the Mi Band 5, there's no arguing that the Mi Band 4 is still a solid pick for beginners who are just starting to track their health and fitness. If you don't need to track menstrual cycles or stress levels and you don't mind the fewer sport modes, you might find the Mi Band 4 to be more appealing.

It's hard to see a difference between the two versions. Look closer and you'll notice that the display area is not as big on the Mi Band 4. No matter which one you choose, the display is small compared to what you'd get on smartwatches, so this might not have a huge impact on your decision.

It's worth noting that the price difference is almost non-existent and you'll have nearly an extra week of battery life when you choose the predecessor (without having to turn off essential features). You'll still have to remove the tracker from the band to charge the Mi Band 4, though. As we already mentioned, sleep tracking is a bit basic on the Mi Band 4 when compared to the REM stages offered by the Xiaomi Mi Band 5.

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 vs. Mi Band 4 Should you upgrade?

Sometimes, a successor can be hit or miss. This time around, the Xiaomi MI Band 5 is bringing the heat. This fitness tracker can monitor your stress levels and offer guided breathing exercises. It also has female health tracking, improved sleep monitoring with REM stages, new sport modes, and better accuracy for heart-rate monitoring. These are just a few of the reasons that it's one of the best fitness trackers you can buy right now. Given that the price tags are so similar, it makes sense to upgrade to the Xiaomi MI Band 5 for all the new features you get.

If these updates don't mean much to you, then you'd probably prefer a more basic tracking experience. Those who want a standard device with heart-rate monitoring, activity tracking, and sleep monitoring will appreciate the simplicity of the Xiaomi Mi Band 4. It's got everything that beginners need to start tracking their progress. Both of these fitness trackers are affordable, so your decision will come down to just how much tracking you want to do with your device.