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I reviewed the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 back in September, which costs just £35. If you want something a bit more premium-looking or need GPS for improved fitness tracking, then the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro could be an ideal choice.
As a fitness enthusiast, I don’t think there are many GPS-equipped wearables that integrate with Strava for under £80. The ultra-basic Garmin Vivosmart 5 will set you back almost £70, and this is a glorified step counter. You’d have to fork out £120 for the Forerunner 55 for this sort of functionality.
Xiaomi has built a reputation for delivering feature-packed wearables at budget-friendly prices, and the Smart Band 9 Pro continues this tradition. Positioned as the premium option in Xiaomi’s latest fitness tracker lineup, it offers a larger display and built-in GPS compared to its siblings, the standard Smart Band 9 and the Smart Band 9 Active.
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 9 Pro Smartwatch One Size |
£62.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Specification / Features
| Specification | Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro |
| Dimensions | 43.27 × 32.49 × 10.8 mm (without heart rate sensor) |
| Net Weight | Approx. 24.5 g (without strap) |
| Color Options | Obsidian Black, Rose Gold, Moonlight Silver, Cream White |
| Display Size & Type | 1.74-inch AMOLED Touch Display |
| Display Resolution | 336 × 480 pixels |
| Screen Brightness | Max 1200 nits with auto brightness adjustment |
| Cover Material | 2.5D reinforced glass |
| Shell Material | Aluminum alloy frame & high-strength fiber polymer |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Electronic Compass, Optical Heart Rate & Pulse Oximeter, Ambient Light Sensor |
| Water Resistance Rating | 5ATM (up to 50 meters; not suitable for hot showers, saunas, diving, or high-pressure water activities) |
| Data Connection | GNSS (BeiDou, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS), Bluetooth® 5.4 |
| Haptic Motor | Linear motor |
| Battery Capacity | 350mAh |
| Charging Type | Magnetic charging |
| Charging Time | Approx. 75 minutes |
| Wrist Circumference | Compatible with 135–205 mm wrists |
| Band Strap Material | TPU / Calfskin |
| Operating System Support | Android 8.0 or iOS 12.0 and above |
| Compatible Apps | Mi Fitness app |
| Package Contents | Crown × 1, Strap × 1, Charging Cable × 1, User Manual × 1 |
Design
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro adopts a square design that bears a striking resemblance to the Apple Watch. This is a departure from the traditional pill-shaped design of previous Xiaomi bands and the standard Smart Band 9. The square form factor allows for more screen real estate, making it easier to interact with the device during activities.
The aluminium alloy frame gives the Smart Band 9 Pro a premium feel that belies its budget price tag. At just 24.5g without the strap, it’s remarkably lightweight and comfortable for all-day wear. The device comes with a TPU rubber strap as standard, which I found comfortable and suitable for workout sessions. For those seeking a more refined look, Xiaomi offers premium leather straps separately.
Available in four colour options—Obsidian Black, Rose Gold, Moonlight Silver, and Cream White—there’s a style to suit most preferences. I tested the Rose Gold variant, which offers a subtle, elegant appearance that doesn’t scream “fitness tracker” when worn in professional settings.
The 2.5D reinforced glass covering the display adds to the premium feel and provides decent protection against scratches. The device features a 5ATM water resistance rating, making it suitable for swimming in shallow water, though Xiaomi advises against wearing it in hot showers, saunas, or during high-pressure water activities.
One notable design choice is the absence of physical buttons. The Smart Band 9 Pro relies entirely on touch navigation, which might present a learning curve for those accustomed to devices with physical controls. This buttonless design contributes to the clean aesthetic but can occasionally make interaction less intuitive, particularly during workouts when your fingers might be sweaty.
The quick-release mechanism for the straps is well-implemented, allowing for easy swapping between different bands to match your outfit or activity. This is a thoughtful touch that enhances the versatility of the device.
Xiaomi App
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro pairs with the Mi Fitness app (formerly known as Xiaomi Wear), which serves as the control centre for the device. The app provides a comprehensive overview of your health and fitness data, allowing you to track trends over time.
Setting up the Smart Band 9 Pro through the app is straightforward. After downloading the app and creating an account, the pairing process is quick and intuitive. The app interface is clean and user-friendly, with a home screen that displays your daily activity metrics, including steps, calories burned, and active minutes.
The Mi Fitness app presents your data in a visually appealing format, using a rainbow-style progress indicator similar to Apple’s activity rings. This makes it easy to see at a glance how close you are to meeting your daily goals. The app also provides detailed breakdowns of your sleep patterns, heart rate data, and workout history.
One of the strengths of the Mi Fitness app is its customisation options. You can personalise your Smart Band 9 Pro by choosing from a wide selection of watch faces, including the option to use your own photos. The app also allows you to configure which notifications you receive on your wrist and adjust various device settings.
Integration with third-party services is somewhat limited compared to more premium fitness ecosystems. However, the app does support syncing with Strava, which is a significant advantage for runners and cyclists who want to share their activities with a broader community.
The app occasionally exhibits some minor bugs and translation issues, which can detract from the overall user experience. Additionally, some features mentioned in the app are only available on Xiaomi smartphones, which might disappoint users of other Android devices or iPhones.
Despite these limitations, the Mi Fitness app provides a solid foundation for managing your Smart Band 9 Pro and tracking your health and fitness data. It strikes a good balance between simplicity and functionality, making it accessible to users of all technical abilities.
Smart Watch Features
the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro offers several smartwatch-like features that enhance its utility beyond exercise tracking.
Notification handling is one of the device’s strengths. The Smart Band 9 Pro can display notifications from various apps, including calls, messages, emails, and social media alerts. The large display makes reading these notifications easier than on smaller fitness bands, though responding to them is limited to predefined quick replies for messages.
Music control is another useful feature, allowing you to play, pause, and skip tracks on your connected smartphone directly from your wrist. This is particularly handy during workouts when your phone might be tucked away in a pocket or armband.
The Smart Band 9 Pro includes several practical tools such as a timer, stopwatch, alarm, weather forecast, and a find my phone feature. There’s also a flashlight function that turns the screen bright white, which can be useful in a pinch, though it’s not a replacement for a proper torch.
One limitation is the lack of NFC for contactless payments, which is available on the Chinese version of the device but omitted from the global variant. This is a missed opportunity, as the ability to make payments from your wrist would have added significant value to the device.
The Smart Band 9 Pro doesn’t support third-party apps, which is a notable difference compared to full-fledged smartwatches. This means you’re limited to the features Xiaomi has included, with no option to expand functionality through an app store.
Voice assistant support is also absent from the global version, unlike the Chinese model which includes Xiaomi’s own assistant. This might disappoint users who rely on voice commands for quick interactions with their wearable devices.
Despite these limitations, the Smart Band 9 Pro offers a decent set of smart features for its price point. It strikes a balance between fitness tracking and everyday utility, making it a versatile companion for daily use.
Health Tracking
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro offers a comprehensive suite of health tracking features that cover most bases for the average user.
Heart rate monitoring is continuous and, according to Xiaomi, has seen a 15% improvement in accuracy compared to the previous generation. The device uses an optical heart rate sensor that takes readings throughout the day and during workouts. In my testing, the heart rate data generally aligned with my Garmin watch, though it occasionally reported higher peak heart rates during intense exercise.
Sleep tracking is another area where the Smart Band 9 Pro performs well. It automatically detects when you fall asleep and wake up, providing a breakdown of your sleep stages (deep sleep, light sleep, REM, and awake time). After wearing the device for seven consecutive nights, it assigns you a “Sleep Animal” based on your patterns—a quirky but engaging way to categorise your sleep habits.
The sleep tracking isn’t perfect, occasionally missing brief wake-ups during the night, but it provides a good general overview of your sleep quality and duration. The Mi Fitness app offers sleep improvement suggestions based on your data, which can be helpful for those looking to optimise their rest.
Blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring is included, allowing you to check your oxygen saturation levels on demand or during sleep. This feature has become increasingly common in fitness trackers and can provide useful insights, particularly for those with respiratory conditions or who exercise at high altitudes.
Stress monitoring is available through the band’s heart rate variability (HRV) measurements. The device provides a stress score throughout the day, though the practical utility of this feature is somewhat limited without more context or actionable insights.
Female health tracking is supported through the Mi Fitness app, allowing users to log and predict menstrual cycles. This integration with other health metrics can provide a more holistic view of overall wellbeing.
The Smart Band 9 Pro also calculates a “Vitality Score” based on your recent activity, sleep, and other metrics. This provides a simplified overview of your current health status, though it’s more of a general indicator than a precise measurement.
While the health tracking features are comprehensive for a device in this price range, they lack the depth and accuracy of more premium health wearables. The data provided is useful for general awareness and tracking trends over time, but shouldn’t be relied upon for medical purposes.
Fitness Tracking
Fitness tracking is where the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro truly shines, offering capabilities that are rare at this price point.
The standout feature is built-in GPS, which allows you to track outdoor activities like running, cycling, and hiking without needing to carry your phone. This is a significant advantage over many budget fitness trackers that rely on connected GPS from your smartphone. In my testing, the GPS accuracy was surprisingly good, with only minor deviations from the routes tracked by my Garmin watch.
The Smart Band 9 Pro supports over 150 sport modes, covering everything from common activities like running, cycling, and swimming to more niche pursuits like fencing, tug of war, and even board games. Most of these modes track basic metrics like duration, heart rate, and calories burned, while the more common activities provide additional relevant data.
Running tracking is particularly well-implemented, with metrics including pace, distance, cadence, and heart rate zones. The device can also estimate your VO2 max and recovery time after runs, though these estimates should be taken as rough guidelines rather than precise measurements.
Swimming is supported with the 5ATM water resistance, tracking laps, distance, and stroke type. However, Xiaomi advises against using the device in hot water or during high-pressure water activities, which limits its versatility for water sports.
Strength training tracking is basic, counting reps for some exercises but lacking the comprehensive exercise recognition found in more expensive fitness watches. You’ll need to manually edit your workouts in the app if you want to record specific exercises.
The automatic workout detection works for six activities: running, cycling, walking, jump rope, elliptical, and rowing. In my experience, this feature was somewhat inconsistent, sometimes failing to detect the start of a run or detecting it several minutes late.
Integration with Strava is a significant advantage for serious fitness enthusiasts, allowing you to share your workouts with a broader community and maintain a consistent training log if you switch between different devices.
The Smart Band 9 Pro also includes 10 different running courses for various fitness levels, from endurance to interval training. These guided workouts can be valuable for those looking to improve their running performance without designing their own training plans.
Overall, the fitness tracking capabilities of the Smart Band 9 Pro are impressive for its price range, offering features that are typically found in devices costing significantly more. While it lacks the advanced metrics and training analysis of premium sports watches, it provides more than enough data for casual exercisers and even many serious fitness enthusiasts.
Battery Life
Battery performance is a significant strength of the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro. Equipped with a 350 mAh battery (up from the 289 mAh in the Smart Band 8 Pro), Xiaomi claims the device can last up to 21 days on a single charge with typical use.
In real-world testing, the battery life is indeed impressive. With regular use, including continuous heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and 3-4 GPS-tracked workouts per week, I consistently achieved around 14-16 days between charges. This is significantly better than most smartwatches and even many fitness trackers, which typically require charging every few days.
The battery life does vary depending on your usage patterns. Factors that drain the battery more quickly include:
- Frequent GPS use for outdoor activities
- Higher screen brightness settings
- Always-on display mode
- Continuous SpO2 monitoring during sleep
- Frequent notifications
Even with heavy use, including daily GPS-tracked workouts, the Smart Band 9 Pro should comfortably last a week between charges, which is still excellent compared to many competitors.
Charging is handled via a proprietary magnetic charger that attaches to the back of the device. The charging process is relatively quick, taking approximately 75 minutes to go from empty to full. This is faster than the Smart Band 9 Active, which takes around two hours to charge despite having a smaller battery.
One minor annoyance with the charging system is that the magnetic connector must be aligned correctly to charge properly. Unlike some devices that can connect in any orientation, the Smart Band 9 Pro’s charger has a specific alignment, which can be slightly fiddly in low light conditions.
The excellent battery life of the Smart Band 9 Pro is one of its most compelling features, allowing you to wear it continuously for extended periods without worrying about running out of power. This is particularly valuable for sleep tracking, as you don’t need to remove the device for charging every night.
Price and Alternative Options
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 9 Pro Smartwatch One Size |
£62.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro has an RRP of £72.99 and is available on Amazon for around £65.
The previous generation Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro is available for around £56.
Xiaomi then has various other options to suit different tastes:
- Xiaomi Watch S4 for £130 for a more premium-looking device
- Xiaomi Watch S3 for £100
- Xiaomi Watch 2 for £130 which uses WearOS providing significantly improved functionality but at the cost of battery life.
- Redmi Watch 4 for £60
The Amazfit Bip 5 could be a good alternative. It is only £58 and has GPS with Strava support, but in my opinion, it is not very attractive.
The Huawei Band 10 was launched recently and is priced at £60 but is available from Amazon for £48 but lacks built in GPS.
The Google Fitbit Charge 6 is available for £139, and this requires a subscription to make the most of it.
The Samsung Galaxy Fit3 is affordable at £49 but lacks a built-in GPS.
Overall
Xiaomi consistently excels at producing great, feature-rich, affordable wearables, and the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro is no different.
Apart from Amazfit, I don’t think any other brand is producing a decent wearable with GPS that can integrate with Strava at this price point. That may sound like a very specific compliment, but there are a huge number of people that want to track fitness and be able to share it on Strava, or integrate it with other fitness apps.
After spending several weeks with the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro, it’s clear that it represents a thoughtful evolution of the company’s fitness tracker lineup. It successfully addresses one of the main limitations of traditional fitness bands—screen size—while maintaining the affordability and battery life that have made Xiaomi’s wearables popular.
The large 1.74-inch AMOLED display is the star of the show, offering excellent visibility and making interaction significantly easier compared to smaller fitness trackers. Combined with built-in GPS, this makes the Smart Band 9 Pro particularly well-suited for fitness enthusiasts who want to track their outdoor activities without carrying a phone.
The comprehensive health and fitness tracking features cover most bases for the average user, from sleep and heart rate monitoring to tracking a wide variety of sports. While the depth of analysis doesn’t match premium fitness watches, the data provided is more than sufficient for general health awareness and fitness tracking.
Battery life is another standout feature, with the device easily lasting two weeks or more with typical use. This long endurance means you can wear it continuously without frequent charging interruptions, which is particularly valuable for consistent health monitoring.
The Smart Band 9 Pro isn’t without its flaws. The software occasionally exhibits bugs, particularly with notification handling and raise-to-wake reliability. The lack of physical buttons might frustrate some users, and the absence of NFC payments in the global version is disappointing.
The price point also puts the Smart Band 9 Pro in a somewhat awkward position. At nearly twice the cost of the standard Smart Band 9, potential buyers need to carefully consider whether the larger display and built-in GPS justify the premium. For many, especially those who primarily exercise outdoors, the answer will be yes.
For users seeking a capable fitness tracker with a smartwatch-like display and built-in GPS without venturing into triple-digit pricing, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro offers excellent value. It strikes a good balance between features, usability, and affordability, making it a worthy contender in the budget fitness wear
Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro Review
Summary
The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro is an excellent addition to Xiaomi’s fitness tracker lineup, blending a premium design with practical fitness features at an affordable price. Its standout 1.74-inch AMOLED display and built-in GPS give it an edge over most other budget wearables, especially for users who want to track outdoor workouts without carrying a phone.
Health and fitness tracking is comprehensive enough for casual users and fitness enthusiasts alike, while battery life is excellent—lasting well over a week even with regular GPS use. The Mi Fitness app, although not perfect, is easy to use and supports Strava integration, a feature rare at this price point.
Overall
90%-
Overall - 90%90%
Pros
✅ Built-in GPS with support for multiple satellite systems
✅ Strava integration for fitness enthusiasts
✅ Excellent battery life (up to 2 weeks with regular use)
✅ Lightweight and premium design with swappable straps
✅ Over 150 workout modes, including guided running plans
✅ Comprehensive health tracking (heart rate, SpO2, sleep, stress)
✅ Good notification handling and music controls
✅ Affordable price point for the feature set
Cons
❌ No NFC support on the global version (no contactless payments)
❌ No voice assistant or third-party app support
❌ Touch-only interface can be tricky during workouts
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
Last update on 2025-05-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
