The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro smart watch just schooled the Apple Watch

Three Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro's with classic watch faces and Green, White and Orange bands, respectively — (Image credit: Xiaomi)

With all the talk of the Apple Watch Ultra and the Google Pixel Watch dominating the smart watch space, you'd be forgiven for missing the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro's release yesterday.

Nestled amongst the Xiaomi Redmi Pad and the Xiaomi 12T Pro, Xiaomi's update to their smart watch line is more Apple Watch than Fitbit. The overall case dimensions are larger, though the rectangular shape remains, with 84% more screen real estate than the previous generation.

Let's take a closer look at some of the key features.

Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro: key features

As mentioned, the display on the Smart Band 7 Pro gets a big upgrade. The 1.64" AMOLED screen has a resolution of 280x486 pixels at 326PPI. There's up to 500 nits of brightness on offer, making light work of viewing in direct sunlight. This smart watch also has an Always-On Display, which is configurable in the app.

Battery life is rated at a whopping 12 days, though features like the Always-On Display could see that drop drastically. Still, it's a giant leap more than the Apple Watch Series 8, which you'll need to top up every day. You'll also get 50 metres of water resistance and and built-in GNSS for location tracking.

The sensors in the Smart Band 7 Pro allow for heart rate and blood oxygen tracking. That's a substantial feature to find on a budget smart watch. I'm wearing an Apple Watch SE at the moment, and even that can't compete at more than twice the cost.

There's over 150 watch faces to choose from – my personal favourite is the moon phase day-date shown above – and more than 110 different activities are supported by the fitness tracking facilities.

The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro will start from £84.99 in the UK.

Apple Watch users should be interested

As someone who uses an Apple Watch SE regularly, this is an extremely good offering from Xiaomi. In three key areas – battery life, blood oxygen monitoring and Always-On Display – the SE just got annihilated by a watch that will retail at less than £100.

Even owners of the Apple Watch Series 7 or Series 8 should be keeping a close eye here. Sure, you might find Apple's offering more trendy in its design, but at four times the price, it should be!

Brand allegiances aside, I can't see why anyone contemplating an Apple Watch SE right now wouldn't save some cash and try the Xiaomi instead. Pound-for-pound, this could shape up to be the best smartwatch on the market this year.

Can't wait for the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro?

Sam Cross is an award-winning journalist, with nine years of experience in the media industry. His work can be found in publications as diverse as Oracle Time, Metro and Last Word on Sports.

Here at T3, Sam is best known as the brand’s go-to guy for all things luxurious – from exquisite watches to fine fragrances; the latest performance vehicles to intricate audio equipment, and more.

He’s often found travelling around the world to test new launches, complete with high-end backpacks and suitcases in tow. And when he’s not adding to his air miles, Sam can be found in front of a video camera, bringing his distinctive brand of storytelling to T3’s social media channels.

Sam also loves all things analogue including listening to music on vinyl or cassette, and photography on vintage film cameras.