Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Review: The Déjà Vu Fitness Tracker You Didn’t Ask For
Hello everyone. Today we have the delightful task of looking at yet another iteration of something you’ve already seen before – and probably bought once, maybe twice – the Xiaomi Smart Band 10. Strap in, because this is less of a breakthrough and more of a déjà vu experience, the wearable tech equivalent of watching season 10 of a TV series that should probably have ended five seasons ago.
Same Script, Different Day
Xiaomi seems to have adopted the philosophy of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” And that’s fair if the current formula is printing money. The Smart Band 10 is basically a carbon copy of its predecessor with a few minor refinements – like a chef deciding to sprinkle a bit more salt on an old recipe and trying to sell it as a new dish.
After a month of daily wear – including park workouts, home exercises, deskbound drudgery, and doing absolutely nothing – the overwhelming feeling is: “Haven’t I worn this before?” Spoiler alert: Yes, you have. The comfort is still there. It’s lightweight enough to vanish on your wrist, which is great… unless you want to actually read the data, because the tiny screen treats your eyes like a Dark Souls boss treats your stamina bar: with pure disdain.
Likes & Dislikes – The Tale of Two Columns
- Ultra-light – Disappears on your wrist, just like your dreams of onboard GPS.
- Tracking basics – Steps, calories, heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep. All there, all functional, all déjà vu.
- 150+ workout modes – Including a quirky “Running Course” with 10 variations. Good luck differentiating them without squinting through the display.
- No NFC or GPS – In 2024. Are we sure this isn’t the Band 7 with new packaging?
Battery Life: The Only Real Win
This is where Xiaomi flexes. Despite the same 233 mAh battery, the power management upgrade lets it last a solid 18 days with light use and around 10 days with everything cranked up. That’s impressive – like finding a rare loot drop after farming for hours. You can pretty much slap it on and forget it exists until you get a low-battery notification. That’s good device health for the user’s mental health (Doctor’s orders).
The one blemish? The magnetic charging cable is as finicky as ever, like a teammate in an MMO who refuses to learn mechanics no matter how many wipes you’ve had. Gets the job done, but oh boy, it could be better.
The Sequel Problem
After 30 days, it feels exactly like watching a movie you love – for the tenth time. You already know every plot beat, every twist, every line. And while that’s pleasant in a familiar way, it also means you’re not getting anything fresh. The price hike doesn’t help; paying more for the same experience isn’t exactly a consumer fantasy.
It’s solid, safe, reliable… and aggressively unexciting. If you own the Smart Band 8 or 9, you’re essentially farming the same dungeon again just to see if there’s a new cosmetic skin. Spoiler: there isn’t.
Verdict
The Xiaomi Smart Band 10 is the wearable equivalent of microwaveable leftovers: still tastes fine, but it’s not a meal to get excited about.
If you’re upgrading from something much older, great, you’ll be happy. If you’ve got the 8 or 9, this is basically the Director’s Cut of a film you already own. Better battery life is nice, but the lack of NFC, lack of GPS, and tiny screen make this a tough upsell unless you fundamentally enjoy buying the same thing repeatedly – and if that’s the case, we need to talk about your inventory management.
Overall impression? Solid tech, but creatively stagnant. More Pokémon Yellow than a brand-new generation.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is entirely my opinion.
Article source: La Smart Band 10 puede parecer más de lo mismo. Tras un mes en la muñeca, queda claro por qué Xiaomi ha optado por repetir, https://www.xataka.com/wearables/smart-band-10-puede-parecer-mes-muneca-queda-claro-que-xiaomi-ha-optado-repetir
