Latest news with #wearables
GSM Arena
3 hours ago
- GSM Arena
Xiaomi Smart Band 10 review
It's been eleven years since Xiaomi launched its original Mi Band and the series has now entered its tenth generation. The Mi Band was the catalyst to Xiaomi's rise in the wearables market, managing to maintain its position as one of the best bang for your buck devices out there. With the Smart Band 10 now official, Xiaomi tried to refine its best-selling wearable with a few hardware upgrades and an ever-so-slightly higher starting price. Xiaomi Smart Band 10 specifications Display: 1.72' AMOLED touchscreen, 212 x 520 px resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, 1,500 nits HBM brightness 1.72' AMOLED touchscreen, 212 x 520 px resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, 1,500 nits HBM brightness Straps: Detachable proprietary straps, 135-210mm adjustable length Detachable proprietary straps, 135-210mm adjustable length Features: 5ATM rating, Real-time heart rate monitor, 24/7 Blood Oxygen level monitor, Sleep tracking, Stress monitoring, Sports tracking, Step Counter, Meditation, Notifications, Idle Alert, Phone Finder, Weather Forecast, Music and Camera Control, Alarm, Stopwatch, linear Vibration Motor, Flashlight. 5ATM rating, Real-time heart rate monitor, 24/7 Blood Oxygen level monitor, Sleep tracking, Stress monitoring, Sports tracking, Step Counter, Meditation, Notifications, Idle Alert, Phone Finder, Weather Forecast, Music and Camera Control, Alarm, Stopwatch, linear Vibration Motor, Flashlight. Sports Modes: Outdoor Run, Indoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Cycling, Hiking, Pool Swimming, Jump rope, Freestyle (150+ more in Mi Fitness app) Outdoor Run, Indoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Cycling, Hiking, Pool Swimming, Jump rope, Freestyle (150+ more in Mi Fitness app) Sensors: PPG optical heart rate sensor, SpO2 sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, electronic compass PPG optical heart rate sensor, SpO2 sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, electronic compass Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4, Compatible with Android 8.0 and iOS 12+ Bluetooth 5.4, Compatible with Android 8.0 and iOS 12+ Battery: 233mAh 233mAh Colors: Black, Silver, Rose, White Black, Silver, Rose, White Dimensions: 46.57 × 22.54 × 10.95mm (Metal), 47.74 × 23.94 × 10.95mm (Ceramic) 46.57 × 22.54 × 10.95mm (Metal), 47.74 × 23.94 × 10.95mm (Ceramic) Weight (without strap): 16g (Aluminium), 26g (Ceramic Edition) The main additions to this year's Band 10 are the slightly larger and brighter screen alongside claims of more accurate health and activity tracking. You're also getting an updated vibration motor in the same basic design that's practically unchanged since the Band 7 days. So, are the new additions worth the higher asking price? Design Xiaomi didn't change much with the Smart Band 10's design. It's still the same pebble-shaped puck with its long and narrow AMOLED display. The new model features a larger screen diagonal, measuring 1.72 inches, compared to 1.62 inches on its predecessor. The bezels are slimmer this time around at 2mm on each side and they are perfectly symmetrical. The other big addition is the updated max brightness. Band 10 now cranks out 1,500 nits HBM brightness, which tops the 1,200 nits on its predecessor. That's a nice upgrade that helps when using the Band 10 outdoors in these sunny summer days. You still get auto brightness, which is what we used during our review process, and Always-on display (AOD) when you just want to glance over at the time. Our review unit is the Ceramic Edition. This is not the first ceramic Xiaomi Smart Band, but it is the first one making its way to global markets. The side frame is made from ceramic, while the bottom, where we have the sensors, is still made from plastic. Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Ceramic Edition The Ceramic Edition Band 10 sports a sleek white color that gives off Stormtrooper armor vibes. The other immediately noticeable fact is how much heavier it feels compared to past Smart Bands. Our review unit weighs 26 grams on its own and 44 grams with its fluororubber strap. For context, the regular version of the Band 10, which features a metal shell, should weigh in at around 16 grams sans its strap. Despite the added heft, Band 10 feels that bit more premium in its ceramic finish. We'd like to go off on a tangent here as the lack of physical buttons on the last four generations of Xiaomi Smart Bands has been a recurring annoyance for this reviewer in particular. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: bring back the physical buttons! Or at least a capacitive back button? There's no way to turn the band on apart from attaching it to the magnetic charger. If you need to restart the band and you don't have the charger with you, you're out of luck. We're still not convinced that the all-swipe gesture navigation model is the best way to go on a wearable, especially when your hands are wet, so we'd urge Xiaomi to at least consider bringing back buttons for the Smart Band 11. The box contents are the usual Xiaomi Smart Band affair – a proprietary two-pin magnetic charging cable, a quick start guide and a warranty leaflet. Xiaomi Smart Band 10 pearl-chain pendant Xiaomi also sent out its new pearl-chain pendant, which transforms the Band 10 into a fashion accessory if you're into that. Features Smart bands made their mark as inexpensive activity trackers, and in recent years, they have been getting closer in feature parity to smartwatches. But a band always comes with its limitations when compared to fully-fledged smartwatches, and the Smart Band 10 is no exception. For one, it does not feature a speaker, so you can only receive notifications for incoming calls without the ability to answer them. For obvious (size) reasons, there's no on-screen keyboard, so you can't reply to incoming messages. Our global version does not feature NFC connectivity and Xiaomi has yet again omitted a GPS receiver so you need to bring your phone if you want to track runs and other aerobic exercises. Band 10 pairs over Bluetooth 5.4 and features a multitude of sensors. These include an accelerometer, gyroscope, optical heart rate sensor, pulse oximeter and ambient light sensor. The new addition this year is the electronic compass, which is a nice feature to have, but in our opinion, a dedicated GPS receiver would have been a more useful addition. Another new addition is the ability to broadcast heart rate data during workouts to third-party devices like a cycle speedometer. Band 10 also gets guided running courses and deeper integration with Xiaomi's AIoT device ecosystem, allowing you to control compatible Xiaomi devices and smart appliances. Smart Band 10 comes with a new linear motor with an upgraded algorithm and custom vibrations. You can assign different vibration patterns for incoming notifications, calls, and alarms. Xiaomi also added an option to buzz your wrist when you swipe to go back in the menus, which is a nice addition, but as we said previously, a physical or even a capacitive back button would have been a better option. Band 10 gets an upgraded vibration motor Band 10 is 5ATM waterproof, which lets you take it to the pool and it can survive dives in fresh water up to 50 meters. Xiaomi is also advertising an upgraded activity tracking sensor with an enhanced sports tracking algorithm. For more details, refer to the health and activity tracking section. Software and performance Band 10 boots Xiaomi HyperOS 2.0, which looks and feels just like previous generations of Xiaomi Smart Bands. It's a real-time operating system (RTOS) operated via swipes with a handful of first-party apps and card-based widgets. We'd again like to emphasize the lack of physical buttons here, which makes navigating the UI on this small and narrow screen challenging in more ways than one. The 60Hz screen leaves little to be desired in terms of smoothness, everything works as you'd expect without any delays or hiccups. Band 10 now offers a total of 26 pre-installed apps, including the new running course app, a compass app, tasks and focus mode. One notable addition on the Band 10 is the ability to add widgets directly from the Band itself without going into the Mi Fitness app. Another positive is that Xiaomi made text on the Band 10's display slightly larger compared to the Band 9 which makes it easier to read incoming messages and system UI elements. As with any Xiaomi wearable, you'll need to install the Mi Fitness app on your phone to get started. This is your one-stop shop for accessing your health and activity data as well as tweaking, managing watch faces, and installing updates. Mi Fitness app on iOS The Mi Fitness companion app stores a month's worth of health-tracking and also brings access to a seemingly endless list of watch faces. There are numerous options that are bound to suit your style. From classical analog to minimalist electronic modes and even animated versions with animals and simple games, Band 10 brings arguably the best selection of watch faces to date. A few of the watch faces available inside the Mi Fitness app Nearly all watch faces bring an AOD option with varying degrees of additional information displayed at all times. Some AOD options also add glanceable details like battery status, weather info, and steps counter. Xiaomi allows you to store up to a month's worth of health and workout data, and you can sync it to Apple Health, Google Fit as well as Strava and Suunto. Some irks we had with the software include the lack of emoji support and the inability to use the band for anything else after you start a timer. For some odd reason Xiaomi is still using the US date format (mm/dd) which is not particularly useful for users in other regions. Connectivity was great during our review period with the Band 10 paired to an iPhone 15 Pro. We did not experience missed notifications or connection interruptions. Health and activity tracking With the Band 10, Xiaomi is also offering its most up-to-date optical heart rate sensor alongside blood oxygen saturation, sleep, stress metrics. In our testing, we found heart rate readings from the Band 10 to be much more accurate than previous Smart Band models in both resting mode and during workouts. We compared results with a Huawei Watch Fit 3, and both devices showed similar values. Previous Xiaomi Smart Bands had a tendency to overreport heart rate data, especially early on in workouts but that seems to be fixed with the Band 10. SpO2 readings were generally accurate with a minor deviation from what we measured with a dedicated pulse oximeter. Sleep tracking is still not as accurate as offerings from other brands. Band 10 consistently reported inaccurate sleep times, randomized rapid eye movement (REM) sleep readings and deep sleep readings which were not true. Sleep tracking: Xiaomi Band 10 (left) vs Huawei Watch Fit 3 (right) On the activity tracking side, Band 10 performed just as well as our reference Huawei Watch Fit 3. The two showed nearly identical heart rate readings during our sample workouts, which included a combination of treadmill running and weightlifting. This is a great improvement over past Xiaomi Smart Bands, which had a tendency to overreport heart rate data. Fitness tracking: Xiaomi Band 10 (left) vs Huawei Watch Fit 3 (right) Band 10 also gets on-device guided running courses with basic and advanced options with interval breakdowns. These are also adapted for walking, jogging and sprint running with beginner and advanced options. These training sessions can help you reach specific goals like improving running endurance, sprint times and lung capacity. Battery Life Band 10 features a 233mAh battery – just like the Band 9 and Xiaomi claims can deliver up to 21 days in typical usage, or 9 days with AOD. In our testing, we found the Band 10 to last for 10 days on a single charge with all of the health tracking features turned on alongside AOD mode and notifications. Truly impressive endurance from such a small activity tracker. When you do need to recharge, it takes around 50 minutes to get back to 100%. Verdict Smart Band 10 is Xiaomi's best entry in the series. The updated AMOLED touchscreen gets noticeably brighter than its predecessors, and text is easier on the eyes thanks to its larger display diagonal. The improved vibration motor is another nice addition, and we're finally seeing accurate heart rate readings, which deserves praise. The build quality is top-notch, and the new Ceramic Edition is absolutely stunning. Battery life comfortably lasts for over a week and the endless options of watch faces coupled with the large pool of fitness tracking options should be enough for most users. Sleep tracking accuracy leaves a lot to be desired and we'd like to see better management of notifications with the ability to reply to incoming messages. Xiaomi Smart Band 10 €49.99 at Amazon DE £39.99 at Amazon UK There are several great smartband alternatives from Huawei and Honor that offer nearly identical specs and the ability to take calls for around the same price as the Band 10. But if you're looking for a more compact device that gives you accurate heart rate readings, a bright AMOLED display and a week's plus battery life, then the Band 10 should be on your shortlist. Pros Bright AMOLED display with excellent outdoor legibility Great build, especially on the Ceramic Edition Improved heart rate accuracy Stellar battery life Cons Lacks GPS receiver Inaccurate REM and deep sleep readings Doesn't do voice calls No physical buttons We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
Digital Trends
4 days ago
- Digital Trends
Your next smartwatch could be more powerful than you were expecting
Qualcomm is tipped to be creating a new, dedicated smartwatch chip to create more powerful and longer lasting wearables, codenamed SW6100 or 'Aspena', highlighting a renewed interest in the space. The chips will reportedly use a 1x Arm Cortex-A78 + 4x Arm Cortex-A55 CPU configuration for the CPU, a huge increase in power from previous versions. Why this matters: The news, revealed by Android Authority, means we're set to get faster and longer-lasting user experience as smartwatches pack in more sensors and greater ability to be used independently from your phone. Recommended Videos It could also entice more brands to enter the smartwatch space, bringing competition for your wrist. What you need to know Smartwatches have traditionally had converted chips made for smartphones, but this sees Qualcomm making a dedicated chip for the first time. The new chipset, set to be launched in 2026, will use a far more powerful CPU configuration than the Arm Cortex A53 structure used on the previous model from 2022. Support for a better RAM controller (LLDDR5X) will help enable improved battery efficiency, leading to longer time between charges. The new chipset will be created using a TMSC process node – using production from the Taiwanese brand signals the new Aspena chip will be one of the most powerful on the market. Why should I care? The main takeaway here is that it's proof that wearables are set to grow in popularity – the launch of new devices (such as the Samsung Galaxy 8 series) shows that brands see this as a key battleground. As more sensors get packed into smartwatches, to enable things like deeper health tracking, offline maps use or media streaming or more impressive user interfaces, greater levels of power are needed to keep up. The promise of longer battery life, although not huge, will also be beneficial to users looking to wear the device longer to gain more accurate health insight, and the increased speed under the finger will allow more impressive and intuitive animations.
Android Authority
4 days ago
- Android Authority
Galaxy Watch users might want to stay away from testing QPR1 betas
Ryan Haines / Android Authority TL;DR Galaxy Watch owners are reporting problems when using Samsung's wearables with Android 16 QPR1 beta releases. Issues include failure to pair, connections dropping, and Samsung apps repeatedly crashing. For the moment, the only permanent solution seems to be going back to Android 16 stable. Getting early access to in-development software can be a lot of fun. Plenty of us participate in testing programs for some of our favorite apps, both in the interest of helping to make them better and getting to enjoy a sneak preview of new features before everybody else. That extends to software platforms, as well, with Google offering its Android Beta for Pixel program — and as of just a week ago, a new Canary program for even earlier access. But this kind of testing doesn't happen without some level of risk, and that's something that wearable fans might want to keep in mind. Any time you're testing a new version of Android, there's the potential that things are going to break. Sometimes, those failures can reasonably be expected, like issues with Wallet tap-to-pay not operating properly on beta builds. And while we tend to go into trying out software like this reasonably well informed of the potential pitfalls, apparently there's always still going to be room to surprise us. The latest problem we're hearing about concerns Samsung's Galaxy Watch wearables and users running Android 16 QPR betas. Over on Reddit, a thread started earlier this month by user Ecstatic_Estate_6625 has only been growing and growing, with users reporting pairing failures across a number of different Galaxy Watch models (via 9to5Google). Some users seem to get pairing to work, but then run into trouble with their connection dropping, or Samsung software crashing. 9to5Google reports that in its testing the connected phone got into a loop of trying to download Samsung's Watch Manager plugin, failing, and — you guessed it — crashing. While we wish we had a fix to share that could keep you testing QPR1, for the moment the only real solution seems to be going back to stable Android 16. If you're thinking about picking up a new Galaxy Watch 8, maybe put off the Android beta testing until you're able to find a second phone to use for that. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
National Post
4 days ago
- Health
- National Post
Keenan: Is RFK Jr. 'bonkers' or is it time for a wearable?
'We're about to launch one of the biggest advertising campaigns in HHS history, to encourage people to use wearables. It's a way that they can take control of their own health.' With those words, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. gave a boost to wearable fitness devices comparable to what his boss did when he parked a Tesla on the White House lawn. Both may live to regret these decisions. Article content Article content The always-entertaining U.K. Daily Mail newspaper promptly called the plan 'bonkers.' Their senior health reporter, Luke Andrews, also pointed out the delicious contradiction between hanging a health tracker on every American and RFK Jr.'s longstanding opposition to surveillance and exposing people to electromagnetic radiation. Article content Putting aside all this craziness, if you have avoided donning a wearable, as I have until recently, this might be a good time to consider getting one. A report from Statista shows that Canadian smartwatch ownership 'will be 13.39 per cent in 2025 and is expected to hit 17.76 per cent by 2029.' They don't have a gender breakdown for Canada, but U.S. data show that more women than men are using these devices, primarily for fitness tracking. As new features come out, I suspect men will catch up. We do love our gadgets, and there are even life-saving reasons to use a smartwatch. Article content Fitness trackers have a long history. Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Perrelet created a rudimentary pedometer back in 1780. He also built a human-powered self-winder that could run a watch for eight days after 15 minutes of walking. Article content Modern electronic devices date to the 2009 introduction of the Fitbit Tracker for $99. Today, you can pay well over $1,000 for a watch that measures multiple bodily parameters and can even guide you back out if you get lost on a hiking trail. Article content After going for about a decade with nothing on my wrist, I recently bought a mid-range smartwatch for around $300. You can go a lot higher and can also find something that calls itself a smartwatch online for $20. Reviews of those warn that they make up data. One person reported that the watch said they were asleep at totally wrong times. More troubling is that some people have awakened with serious wrist burns from overheating cheapie devices. Article content Are the good ones really accurate? You'd certainly expect a smartwatch to count your steps properly since that problem was solved in 1780. What about more subtle parameters like peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (Sp02 )? This is what they measure in a hospital or doctor's office by putting a device similar to a clothespin on your finger. A drop can indicate circulatory or breathing problems. It can also help detect sleep apnea, a condition where breathing stops for 10 seconds or more. Article content A study published in Digital Health in 2022 found that 'Apple Watch Series 6 can reliably detect states of reduced blood oxygen saturation with SpO2 below 90 per cent when compared to a medical-grade pulse oximeter.' Article content Smartwatches vary in what other medical parameters they can measure. The higher-end models feature electrocardiogram functionality, and this capability is improving as artificial intelligence is integrated. Several studies show that they can play a role in detecting serious conditions, such as atrial fibrillation (AFib). A recent article by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine concluded that 'AI-enhanced wearable and portable devices represent a transformative force in cardiovascular care by enabling efficient, equitable, and accessible care directly in the communities.' Article content Closer to home, a beloved University of Calgary professor had some cardiac problems. His class passed the hat to buy him an end-of-term gift. It was a large class, so they were able to get him an Apple Watch, which he still wears. Article content Article content Sleep tracking was a major appeal of a smartwatch for me. Mine produces a daily sleep score, which can range from 0 to 100. I made it to 79 last night, which pleased me greatly. The manufacturer's website, explains the calculation, saying 'It includes how much time you spent in, and the patterns formed between, the light, deep and REM sleep stages. Experts say these affect your mental and physical recovery. Deep sleep, for example, helps with muscle recovery.' Article content Critics of health trackers note that some people become obsessed with their numbers in an unhealthy manner. Also, we may be sending intimate information to a company that might not respect our privacy. At the very least, I recommend using a newly created email address that's not linked to your name when you sign up for a fitness tracking website. Article content If you need another reason, consider my all-time favourite headline from Gizmodo, 'Your fuelband knows when you're having sex.' As author Adam Clark Estes wrote back in 2013, 'How else do you explain getting a half hour of exercise late at night without taking a single step?' Article content
Phone Arena
4 days ago
- Phone Arena
Pixel Watch 4 specs reportedly show good news for the batteries, bad news for a key component
Considering that Google advertised up to 24-hour battery life for the Pixel Watch 3 with the Always-on Display (AOD) feature enabled, the increase in battery capacity for both Pixel Watch 4 sizes bodes well for continued all day battery life for the latest Pixel timepiece. Charging speeds are supposed to rise with for this year's two sizes. Last year's Pixel Watch 3 had the following charging speeds: Pixel Watch 3 -41mm 0% to 50%: Approximately 24 minutes 0% to 80%: Approximately 35 minutes 0% to 100%: Approximately 60 minutes (1 hour) 0% to 50%: Approximately 28 minutes 0% to 80%: Approximately 50 minutes 0% to 100%: Approximately 80 minutes With the Pixel 4 watches supposedly getting faster charging speeds, these numbers should be reduced this year, although battery capacities are rising as well. Larger batteries typically take longer to fully charge although the hope is that the bigger battery capacities are more than offset by the faster charging speeds. Despite the improvement in battery capacity and charging speed, one important component is staying the same for the third consecutive year. Ever since the Pixel Watch 2 was released, the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 has been the processor powering the device. This might be a disappointing move for consumers who always like to see a newer, more powerful processor on a device they buy. You really can't blame Google for this. Qualcomm is believed to still be working on the next-generation chip for wearables, the "sw6100." With Qualcomm continuing to work on launching this component, there isn't much that Google could do but keep using the W5 Gen 1. The latter has held its own for two years, but now, in its third year, Pixel Watch 4 buyers can only hope that the component doesn't start showing its age. The Pixel Watch 4 could be introduced alongside the new Pixel 10 series ( Pixel 10 , Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 10 Pro Fold) on August 20th. The devices introduced during the event might be released on August 28th. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase This offer is not available in your area.
