Mi Band 4 vs Mi Band 3: Is it worth spending Rs 300 extra?

If you've been waiting for the latest Mi Band, Xiaomi has finally launched it in India. Fitness enthusiasts will find this tiny, feature-packed tracker tempting as it is going to be available in India for Rs 2,299. The first sale kicks off at 12 noon on September 19 via Mi.com, Amazon and Mi Homes in the country.

There were rumours that the Mi Band 4 would be priced at Rs 1,999, continuing Xiaomi's tradition for the last two generations of Mi Bands. But the slight hike in price is to make up for the extra features that are offered in the fitness tracker. The biggest question now is whether Mi Band 4 worth spending Rs 300 extra or you're better off buying the Mi Band 3 for Rs 1,999.

Let's find out.

Mi Band 4 is largely identical to the Mi Band 3, but it comes with several upgrades. Let's first list out the similarities in both the fitness trackers and then move on to the upgrades in Mi Band 4 that make it worth the extra bucks.

Both smart bands are sleek and fairly comfortable to wear. They detect various activities including running, jogging, cycling and more. The 20-day battery life in the Mi Band 3 was one of the biggest highlights and it is intact in the Mi Band 4 as well. Both fitness trackers have integrated heart rate sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, sleep tracking, idle alert, weather forecast, find my phone and phone unlock features, calls and notification alerts and 5ATM swim-proof rating for up to 50m water resistance.

But things get interesting in the Mi Band 4 as we list out the upgrades. Firstly, Mi Band 4 gets a bigger 0.95-inch AMOLED colour touch display instead of a 0.78-inch OLED touchscreen. The resolution is also improved on the Mi Band 4 to 120x240 pixels, whereas the Mi Band 3 offered 128x80 pixels.

In addition to the 5ATM water resistance, the Mi Band 4 gets swim tracking with automatic detection of different swimming styles, including Freestyle, Backstroke, Butterfly and Medley. As for sensors, there's a 3-axis gyroscope in the Mi Band 4.

Xiaomi Mi Band 4 gets Bluetooth 5.0, an upgrade from Bluetooth 4.0, an all-new intuitive UI, unlimited watch faces and an option to set a custom wallpaper. At the event, Manu Kumar Jain's quirky photo was set as a display picture, but users can choose anything they want from the gallery as the wallpaper.

For fitness enthusiasts, there are 6 workout modes and music controls integrated within the Mi Band 4 for easy access to main controls. Even though we mentioned the 20-day battery life is the same in the Mi Band 4 and 3, considering these features, especially the colour AMOLED display, it seems like a huge improvement.

Final thoughts

If you're considering Mi Band 3, our recommendation is that you spend Rs 300 on the Mi Band 4 as it is worth every extra penny. The upgrades are commendable and by the industry-standard as well, the Mi Band 4 makes a winning argument. And, the new tracker comes in four attractive colours.

We haven't tested the Mi Band 4 and these recommendations are based on the on-paper specs. But stay tuned for a review soon.