The race to dominate the wearable market is on and even more intense. Just a day after Huawei released the Huawei Band 8, Xiaomi followed up with the release of the Mi Band 8. These two smartbands come in awesomely comfortable designs and are very fitness-focused. The Huawei Band and Mi Band series are some of the most popular series and over the years we have witnessed upgrades from previous generations. This year, these two also welcome slight upgrades from their respective predecessors. And considering their relatively similar prices, it’s a dicey call between the Huawei Band 8 and Mi Band 8. However, don’t worry, this post takes a look at what each of these has to offer. Hopefully, I can help you decide.
Huawei Band 8 vs Mi Band 8 Full Specifications
| Product Info |
 Huawei Band 8 Full Specifications and Features |
 Mi Band 8 Full Specifications, Features and Prices |
|---|---|---|
| Price | - | - |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Huawei Band 8 | Mi Band 8 |
| Device type | Fitness smartband | Fitness smartband |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | April, 2023 | April, 2023 |
| Predecessor | Huawei Band 7 | Mi Band 7 |
| Successor | — | — |
| Versions | — | — |
| BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 43.45 × 24.54 × 8.99 mm | 48 x 22.5 x 10.99 mm |
| Weight | (excluding straps), 14g | (Including straps), 27g |
| Shape | Rectangular | Curved, Rectangular |
| Case material | Polymer | NCVM metallic frame |
| Strap material | Silicone | Leather, Nylon, TPU |
| Bezel material | Bezeless | 2.5D Tempered Glass, Bezeless |
| Strap size | 135 – 210mm, 16mm | 135 – 210mm |
| Interchangeable strap | Yes, 16mm | Yes |
| Screen protection | Anti-scracth glass | Anti-scracth glass |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Durability test | — | — |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Color | Pink, Emerald green, Midnight black, Vibrant orange | Black, Light-gold |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.47 inches | 1.62 inches |
| Display type | AMOLED, Full color | AMOLED, Full color, 600nits |
| Display resolution | 194 x 368 pixels | 192 x 490 pixels |
| Pixel density | 282.8 PPI | 326 ppi |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 1 Physical button, Touchscreen | Touchscreen |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth v5.0 | Bluetooth v5.2 |
| Bluetooth calling | No | No |
| GPS | (connected GPS), No | (connected GPS), No |
| NFC | (China only), Yes | (China only), (special edition), Yes |
| Wi-Fi | No | No |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | — | 0.5MB |
| ROM | — | 16MB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | None |
| Band | — | — |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps alert | Yes | Yes |
| Reply to Notifications | Yes (preset replies) | Yes (preset replies) |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | No | No |
| Bluetooth music | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | No | No |
| Microphone | No | No |
| Camera | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | No | No |
| Ambient light | No | Yes |
| Barometer | No | No |
| Compass | No | No |
| ECG | No | No |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| HRM | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse oximeter (SpO2) | Yes | Yes |
| Temperature | No | No |
| Other sensors | — | — |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | Yes |
| Blood Pressure | No | No |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | No | No |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | No | No |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Fall detection | No | No |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater heart rate tracking | — | — |
| On-screen workout | No | No |
| Sport modes | 100 | 150+ |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery capacity | — | 190mAh |
| Battery life | Heavy usage: Up to 9 days, Regular: Up to 14 days | Regular: Up to 14 days |
| Charging type | Magnetic charger | Magnetic charger |
| Charging time | 30min-1hr | 30min-1hr |
| Solar charging | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Chipset | — | — |
| CPU | — | — |
| GPU | — | — |
| Operating system | HarmonyOS 2 | Proprietary OS |
| MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Huawei Health App | Mi Fitness app |
| Compatibility | Android 6.0+, iOS 9.0+, Harmony OS 2.0+ | Android 6.0+, iOS 12.0+ |
| Payment system | Alipay | Alipay |
| Voice command | No | No |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Manual, Straps, Huawei Band 8 | Charger, Manual, Straps, Mi Band 8 |
Difference Between Huawei Band 8 vs Mi Band 8
- Design – Mi band 8 is a more refined and durable build
- Display – Huawei Band 8 has a bigger display
- Activity Tracking – Too close to call
- Battery Life – Mi Band 8 lasts longer
- Notifications – Too close to call
The Huawei Band 8 and Mi Band 8 can perform very similar functions and the battery life is almost the same. Where the main difference lies between these two is in the design, and without mincing words, the Mi Band 8 has a better design.
Although the Huawei Band 8 has a bigger case that leaves it with a bigger footprint, the Mi Band 8 looks more attractive and stylish. It spots an NCVM-coated frame that results in a metal texture appearance. In contrast, the Huawei Band 8 has a polycarbonate frame which is also very durable but the Mi Band 8 is more attractive.
Nonetheless, coming from the Huawei Band 7, the Huawei Band 8 has a flattened case. This actually makes it finer than its predecessor.
The shape is different, the Huawei Band 8 comes in the regular rectangular form while Mi Band 8 retains its pill shape.
The Huawei Band 8 comes in at 8.99 mm thick which makes it one of the slimmest wearable. In contrast, the Mi Band 8 is 10.99mm, yet still very slim.
Coming from their respective predecessors, both smartbands also welcome redesigned straps hooks. Unlike the Mi Band 7 and older Mi Band models where you have the straps encircling the Band, the Mi Band 8 has a quick-release design that makes it easy to swap the straps. Similarly, unlike Huawei Band 7 where you have to push down a pin, the Huawei Band 8 has a quick-release design that makes swapping the straps very easy.
Furthermore, while the Huawei Band 8 can only be worn on the wrist, Xiaomi for the first time has designed the Mi Band 8 to be worn in different ways. There’s a pendant form that can be worn as a necklace. For avid runners, the Mi Band 8 can also be attached to your shoes. Moreover, the straps come in leather, silicone, nylon, and the metal/leather bracelet combo. The unit that comes with silicone straps is the basic model, and it’s the cheapest.
In addition, both wearables are rated 5ATM which translates to being water resistant up to 50 meters. It’s safe to wear any of these to the shower or even to the swimming pool.
Overall, in terms of design, Xiaomi actually got innovative with the Mi Band 8. This has resulted in a finer and more classy Band that’s already trending.
Like their respective predecessors, AMOLED powers the display of both bands. The display of these two is very bright and can easily be seen. Though, Xiaomi has added an ambient light sensor to the Mi Band 8 which Huawei Band 8 lacks. This sensor means that the brightness of the Mi Band 8 will automatically adjust depending on the prevailing ambient light. This also means you don’t have to manually adjust the display brightness especially when you’re outdoors.
The display size is also different. While Huawei Band 8 has a 1.47 inches display Mi Band 8 has a 1.62 inches display. However, in reality, the rectangular shape of the Huawei Band 8 leaves it with a bigger aspect ratio that will allow you to see more at a glance.
Both watches have a touch-sensitive screen, and in addition, Huawei Band 8 has a physical button by the side. The watch face of both smartbands can be changed, and you get loads of watch faces on the respective companion apps. It’s the Mi Fitness app for Mi Band 8 and the Huawei Health app for the Huawei Band 8.
As per activity tracking, these two share a lot of similarities. Each of these two is equipped with a heart rate sensor, accelerometer and gyroscope. These sensors enable these bands to track your steps, calories, sleep, heart rate, blood oxygen and stress. These two also feature menstrual cycle logging.
And like their respective predecessors, the Huawei Band 8 and Mi Band 8 also lack inbuilt GPS. However, these two can still map your routes as long as you carry your phone along.
From my experiences with Mi Band 7 and Huawei Band 7, the Mi Band 7 was more consistent and smarter in mapping my routes. I just need to start the workout on the device and it will automatically be recorded in the Mi Fitness app. In contrast, Huawei Band 7 had problems connecting to my phone’s GPS, I had to start the workout on my phone before my route was mapped. I don’t know if that’s still the case with Huawei Band 8, I’ll update this post once I get my hands on the two Bands.
In terms of sports modes, each of these two comes with loads of preloaded sports modes. Though the Mi Band 8 features over 150 sports modes While Huawei Band 8 features 100 sports modes.
Overall, in terms of activity tracking, the Mi Band 8 can track the same activities as Huawei Band 8, though it has more sports modes.
Considering their smaller displays, smartbands normally have long battery life, and the Huawei Band 8 and Mi Band 8 are no exception. These two have battery life spanning weeks from a single charge.
Xiaomi claims that in typical usage you can get up to 16 days battery life with Mi Band 8. This is slightly longer than the Huawei Band 8 which offers up to 14 days of battery life.
Both watches support fast charging just like their respective models. It should take less than an hour to charge any of these two.
Smartwatches and smartbands are designed to work with your phone and will inform you when you receive a notification. While Huawei Band 8 can be paired with the Huawei Health app, Mi Band 8 can be paired with the Mi Fitness app. Once paired to their respective companion apps and notifications is enabled for your preferred apps, you should get notifications every time a message arrives on your phone. And you have the option to reply to messages with quick replies.
Huawei Band 8 vs Mi Band 8 – My Verdict
Although I have ordered both smartbands, if I were to choose, I will go with the Mi Band 8. I’m really fascinated by its new design. The more attractive design is the main reason why I would choose Mi Band 8 over Huawei Band 8.
On the hand, the Huawei Band 8 is still an adorable piece. It’s a comprehensive activity tracker with a slightly bigger display and a long battery life that lets you go long from a single charge.