Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active in for review

Xiaomi has diversified its Smart Band lineup (formerly Mi Band) over the years, and it now comes in three distinct variations, with the Active being the most affordable one at €30/£20 – cheaper than the vanilla Smart Band 9.

Band 9 Active comes with a smaller 1.47-inch TFT display (60Hz) that boasts some thick bezels, and it's noticeably dimmer than the OLED panels on its siblings. This little nugget is entirely made from plastic, and it’s just 16.5 grams and 9.99mm thick, making it comfortable to wear 24/7.

There’s no shortage of watch faces here, with 100+ options from the Mi Fitness app. Our review unit comes in Black with a matching TPU strap and we also received the flashy black and green option.

Smart Band 9 Active boasts a PPG sensor for heart rate and blood oxygen tracking. You also get the usual sleep and stress tracking too and activity tracking for over 50 sports modes. There’s no built-in GPS sensor here, but the device is still 5ATM water resistant, so you can take it to the pool without worries.

The retail package includes a proprietary two-in magnetic charger, which looks like the ones on previous Smart Bands.

Xiaomi added a 300mAh battery, which it claims can last up to 18 days with normal use. We’ll make sure to test those claims in our review alongside our usual set of tests.