Xiaomi has already released its impressive and very cheap Xiaomi Smart Band 9 globally and it looks like the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active will soon follow in its budget footsteps.
The Smart Band 9 Active was first spied via an Amazon France listing and has since appeared on the Amazon UK website, suggesting the fitness tracker will launch on November 18. Its predecessor, the Smart Band 8 Active, arrived in October 2023, about a year since its release.
Along with these listings, the budget tracker details are already available on the Xiaomi Malaysia website, giving us a clearer idea of what to expect and how the 9 Active will be an upgrade to the 8 Active .
Design-wise, we can probably expect three case colors, which is two fewer color options than the previous Active. The case will increase from 42mm to 45mm and measure the same 9.9mm thick frame as the 8 Active.
It will be paired with a replaceable TPU strap of the same size with an optional luminous strap among the options to activate. Overall, it will be waterproof up to 50 meters deep (5ATM).
Xiaomi
As the case gains momentum, it appears the screen won’t make it. According to Xiaomi’s website, it will stick to the same 1.47-inch, 172 x 320 TFT display. The Amazon listing, however, suggests that it will be an AMOLED display.
If it’s the former, it’s somewhat of a downgrade from the AMOLED screen featured on the thinner Smart Band 9 and the GPS-enabled Band 9 Pro.
As for the sensors, it has the same motion accelerometer and a PPG sensor equipped to provide all-day heart rate and blood oxygen saturation monitoring. You will also be able to track your sleep and stress. In terms of sports tracking, you have over 50 sports modes to choose from, as was the case on the 8 Active.
In smartwatch mode, you get notifications, music controls (with some phones), weather reports, a flashlight, and the ability to remotely take photos from a smartphone camera among notable features. It is compatible with iOS and Android and the listing suggests that a new chip has been added to deliver an improved display refresh rate and a smoother overall software experience.
Mike Sawh
Again, there is conflicting information about the battery life of the 9 Active. Xiaomi’s website suggests it will get better, with a larger capacity 300mAh battery nestled inside to provide up to 18 days of battery life or 9 days of heavy use. The Amazon listing suggests it will stick to the same 14 days as the 8 Active.
The price of the Smart Band 9 Active is listed at £25.13 on Amazon. The Band 8 Active cost £19.99 and has since dropped to £14.99, suggesting a slight increase in price, but it will still be a budget buy once again and will also cost less than the Smart Band 9.
With the Smart Band 9 and Band 9 Pro already available on a budget, the Band 8 Active would be an even cheaper alternative in Xiaomi’s lineup and once again undercut the competition.
It looks like you’ll have to compromise in areas like design and available intelligence, but if you like the idea of a fitness tracker and smartwatch mash-up with a big screen, the price is good Band 9 Active market might just please you.
Find out what won the Best Fitness Tracker of 2024 award.
