Xiaomi has already taken its impressive and very cheap Xiaomi Smart Band 9 global and it looks the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active will follow in its budget footsteps soon.
The Smart Band 9 Active was first spied through an Amazon France listing and has since popped up on the Amazon UK website suggesting the fitness tracker will launch on 18 November. Its predecessor the Smart Band 8 Active arrived in October 2023 making it roughly a year since its release.
Along with those listings details of the budget tracker 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 on the 8 Active.
On the design front, we can likely expect three case colours, which is two less colour options than the previous Active. The case will grow from 42mm to 45mm, and will measure in with the same 9.9mm thick frame as the 8 Active.
That’ll be matched up with a same-sized replaceable TPU strap with an optional luminous strap among the the options to switch in. As a package it’s going to be waterproof up to 50 metres depth (5ATM).
Xiaomi
While the case is growing, it seems the screen won’t. According to Xiaomi’s website it will stick to the same 1.47-inch, 172 x 320 TFT display. The Amazon listing however suggest it will be an AMOLED display.
If it’s the former, that’s something of a downgrade on the AMOLED screen featured on the slimmer Smart Band 9 and the GPS-packing Band 9 Pro.
Sensors-wise, it’s got the same accelerometer motion one and a PPG sensor that’s equipped to deliver all-day heart rate and blood oxygen saturation monitoring. You’ll also be able to track your sleep and stress. In terms of sports tracking, there’s your pick of over 50 sports modes just like there was on the 8 Active.
In smartwatch mode, you’re getting notifications, music controls (with some phones), weather reports, a flashlight and the ability to remotely take smartphone camera pictures among the notable features. It’s compatible with iOS and Android and the listing suggests a new chip has been added to offer an improved display refresh rate and an overall smoother software experience.
Mike Sawh
Again, there’s conflicting information about battery life on the 9 Active. Xiaomi’s website suggests it will improve, with a larger capacity 300mAh battery nestled inside to deliver up to 18 days battery life or 9 days in heavy usage. The Amazon listing suggests it will stick to the same 14 days as the 8 Active.
Pricing of the Smart Band 9 Active is listed as £25.13 on Amazon. The Band 8 Active cost £19.99 and has since dropped to £14.99, so that would suggest a small jump in price yet will still be a budget buy once again and also come in less than the Smart Band 9.
With the Smart Band 9 and the Band 9 Pro already available on a budget, the Band 8 Active would be an even cheaper alternative in the Xiaomi range and would undercut the competition once again.
It looks like you’ll have to make some compromises in areas like design and the smarts available, but if you like the idea of a fitness tracker and smartwatch mash-up with a big display, the Band 9 Active’s cheap price may just appeal.
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Author: Mike Sawh, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Mike has been testing and reviewing consumer technology for over 10 years, specialising in wearable and fitness technology. He's a keen swimmer and runner and co-founder of YouTube channel, The Run Testers.