Those who know me know that standard, round-face smartwatches aren’t my thing. I have petite wrists and get distracted easily, so a larger watch face just isn’t for me. A little over a year ago, Xiaomi released a watch that was the perfect fit for me, and now they’re back with the Xiaomi Smart Band 9, and I’m pleased to say it is just as perfect as the previous model.
I’ll be honest: I would have no idea what the difference between the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 and 8 are just from everyday use. At one point while taking photos, I almost mixed them up, and if it hadn’t been for different watch faces, it would have taken me some time to notice. The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 features an always crystal clear 1.62-inch AMOLED display sitting at 46.5×21.6×10.95mm and 192×490 resolution. This is smaller than most circular watches but perfect for someone my size. Even with less screen real estate, I could still read texts, email subject lines, and track various health settings. I never felt like I was sacrificing features for size with the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 smartwatch.
With a peak brightness of 1200 nits, I also never had an issue seeing the display, and if anything, during TIFF 2024, I had to be sure to turn my display off, as it was quite bright in a dark movie theatre. The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 allows for Raise to Wake, which can be turned on, off or scheduled. You can also swap on Always on Display if you prefer, but it will take a toll on your battery. In the settings, you can control how long the band stays on and whether or not you want to activate Cover to Sleep, which is quite literally the opposite of Raise to Wake.
“The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 was consistently responsive, even when damp from rain and moisture.”
Other display settings include Auto Brightness and Auto Lock. I was impressed with the display settings on the Xiaomi Smart Band 9, as there are ways to tinker with them for every occasion. The controls on the Smart Band 9 are also simple to understand and master. A series of taps and swipes is all that is needed, and the device is always responsive.
The touch controls I used most were Tap to Wake, Cover to Sleep, a long press to change the display and various left, right, up and down swipes to make my way through menus. The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 was consistently responsive, even when damp from rain and moisture. The smartwatch also features 5ATM water resistance, which means it can withstand water pressure up to 50 meters, making it safe for showers, rain, handwashing, etc.
Of course, my favourite feature of the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 has to be its 233 mAh battery, which can last up to 21 days on a single charge. Depending on your display, vibrate, and notification settings, the Smart Band 9 can last weeks without issue. With Always on Display off, Auto Brightness on, and constant notifications on and consistent use, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 was still sitting at 51% battery after eight days, and it stated another seven days were possible at its current settings. With devices like the Google Pixel Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch lasting mere days, if that, and at a much larger price point, I don’t know how people accept that as good enough.
This is especially true when wanting to track your exercise and sleep. The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 allows you to track your sleep, heart rate, steps, and so much more consistently, and battery life is a big part of what makes its tracking great. What good is a smartwatch for tracking sleep if you have to charge it nightly, and how accurate can your stats be if it can barely stay on a day? The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 requires charging maybe once every two weeks, one week if you’re really pushing it, and it charges at about 2% per minute, giving you a full charge in under an hour. You’re never stuck waiting on it, keeping your stats up to date and accurate.
For a smartwatch that is half the size of more common models, resembling more of the Fitbit Inspire, I was never at a loss for things to track. On the watch directly, you can cycle through various exercise modes with options anywhere from running (including training programs) to swimming and more. When you go deeper into the settings, you can find 16 “water” workouts like sailing and paddle boarding, 40 “Training” items like HIIT, Pilates and specific machine workouts, and even 14 “Dance” items, which include Belly Dancing and Square Dancing. There is even a section dedicated to board games like chess – I guess working the brain is a workout too!
“Of course, my favourite feature of the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 has to be its 233 mAh battery, which can last up to 21 days on a single charge.”
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 also gives you access to a slew of other features directly on the watch, like a SpO2 measurement, stress tests, menstrual cycle tracking, stopwatch, timer, flashlight, breathing training and then some. There are also some controls for your smartphone built right into the Xiaomi Smart Band 9. I am paired with the OnePlus 12 smartphone and am able to check my calendar, find my phone, control the camera shutter and silence my phone all from the Smart Band 9.
Pairing the two was a breeze thanks to Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity and I haven’t looked back, even when travelling and changing time zones, it was all set and forget. The Mi Fitness map allows you to customize your notifications, and which ones make it to your device and under what circumstances. You can also check out more details about your stats, including charts and graphs that track your progress over time. Here is where you can find a map of your routes, number of steps, sleep, and so much more.
I think the only issue I ever saw with the Smart Band 9 was not tracking some of my wakeups at night. My daughter often wakes at night, and one night specifically, I checked my stats in the morning and noticed it counted me as sleeping when I was very clearly awake, though groggy. This was the only instance I caught a discrepancy, though. I am also unsure that Xiaomi has added enough to the Smart Band to warrant an upgrade from the 8 to the 9. Both smartwatches are outstanding devices, but if you already have the 8, I don’t see a reason to hop up to the 9. As I mentioned earlier, they are hard to distinguish between and perform equally.
My last caveat with the Smart Band 9 – and this goes for last year’s model, too – is that the bands that come with the Smart Band line. Though bands from the 8 series still fit the 9, the default silicon band stains so easily. I had the Mystic Rose version, and because I wear a lot of black sweaters, it was stained very early on in testing, I’m talking days, and not even a Magic Eraser will take it off. I had the same issue with the Smart Band 8, but it was white.
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 comes in Glacier Silver, Midnight Black, Arctic Blue, Mystic Rose with Titan Gray, coming soon. You can pick up various accessories like dressier bands, other colours and even parts that allow you to wear the Smart Band 9 as a necklace or shoe clip.
With the right accessories, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is hands-down my favourite smartwatch on the market right now. With outstanding battery life, a small footprint, and all of it without sacrificing display quality and features, it is a hard watch to beat. The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is everything you could need in a smartwatch or fitness tracker.
