A few days ago, Xiaomi, in its regular tradition, announced the successor to the popular Mi Band 9. The new Mi Band 10 is the 10th edition of one of the most popular smartbands on the market. As always, the new band comes with a few additions, which include a brighter display, a compass, and more activity tracking features. Moreover, it is now available in aluminum and ceramic builds. But, there is still no inbuilt GPS. After 10 years, I think it is high time the Mi Band gets built-in GPS.
Mi Band 9 vs 10
Alright, the big question, of course, is, what is the difference between the Mi Band 9 and 10?? Should you upgrade?
Mi Band 9 vs 10: Design
Well, looking at the design, nothing much has changed. The Mi Band 10 looks very similar to its predecessor. It is the same pill shape which has now become a sort of trademark of the Mi band series. However, unlike the Band 9 that was only available in aluminum build, the Band 10 is available in aluminum and a more premium ceramic build. Meanwhile, it is a TPU strap for the aluminum model, and a fluoroelastomer strap for the Ceramic build.
In terms of available colors, the aluminum build comes in Midnight Black, Glacier Silver, and Mystic Rose, while the Ceramic build comes in only a pearl white color.
Mi Band 9 vs 10: Display
Beyond the new ceramic build, Xiaomi has also improved the display of the Band 10. It is now 25% brighter, moving from 1200nits of the Band 9 to 1500nits. The display is also slightly bigger. The Band 10 boasts a 1.72-inch AMOLED display which represents a 6.17% increase.
The interesting thing here is that despite the increase in the display size, the Band 10 still has almost the same dimensions as the Band 9, this is thanks to the slimmer bezel which resulted in a higher screen-to-body ratio.
Mi Band 9 vs 10: Health Tracking
In the activity tracking department, a few additions have been introduced to the Band 10. It now has a compass for better orientation awareness. Moreover, thanks to the improved sensors, the Mi Band 10 will now track your sleep more accurately and will provide personalized recommendations and solutions to optimize your sleep quality in collaboration with international authorities. Even more, is that, the running coach that was first introduced to the Mi Band 8 has also been improved. Additionally, the Mi Band 10 can now track your heart rate underwater. It can also count laps during swimming activity which makes it a great deal for swimming enthusiasts. The Mi Band 10 also welcomes heart rate broadcasting which will allow it to share your heart rate data with compatible devices.
So, as per activity tracking, the Mi Band 10 is better equipped than its predecessor.
Mi Band 9 vs 10: Battery Life
In the battery department, nothing much has changed. Though the Mi Band 10, despite having a slightly bigger display, still has the same battery life as its predecessor. You can get up to 21 days in typical usage, it is up to 9 days when always-on is enabled. And just like the Mi Band 9, the Band 10 will also take about 1hour to fully charge.
You can get the Mi Band 10 aluminum build for $39, meanwhile, it is $52 for the Ceramic model.
Mi Band 9 vs 10: Should You Upgrade?
So, should you Upgrade? Well, personally, I will say YES.
The new additions are not all that much, But, I think the bigger and brighter display, more activity tracking features and the availability of two models is a significant leap forward.