Mi Band 5 India launch: Everything you need to know

Xiaomi is expected to price the non-NFC variant of the Mi Band 5 at Rs 2,299 and the company is also expected to launch an NFC variant in India for the first time.

Xiaomi launched the latest addition in its successful fitness band lineup - the Mi Band 5 in China a few weeks ago and rumors about its India launch have been circulating ever since. The band features a larger 1.1-inch AMOLED display, a new seamless charging system, and other new features but retains the cheap price tag that the lineup is known for.

Mi Band 5's India launch is not far and it is evident by the fact that the device has already received the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification. The XMSH10HM model number that has appeared on the database of BIS belongs to the Xiaomi Mi Band 5. The previous generation Mi Band 4 was launched in India in September while the Chinese market had it from June.

Xiaomi is expected to price the non-NFC variant of the Mi Band 5 at Rs 2,299 and the company is also expected to launch an NFC variant in India for the first time.

The Mi Band lineup has always been a hit in the India market and the company is expected to announce the launch of the Mi Band 5 in a few weeks.

Mi Band 5 specifications

In China, the non-NFC Mi Band 5 is priced at RMB 189, which is around Rs 2,000 in India or around $27. The NFC variant, on the other hand, sets one back by RMB 229 (approximately Rs 2,500 or $33). The Mi Band 5, however, is expected to cost a little higher in other markets including India but it is still likely to be priced aggressively to undercut the competition.

Some of the new exciting features in the Mi Band 5 include the ability to track menstrual cycles and features such as stress assessment that will tell the user when it’s a good time to relax. 

One of the biggest and most requested upgrades in the Mi Band 5 is the charging system which is much simpler than the clumsy process that users had to go through with the earlier generation of bands. The band's new magnetic charging dock automatically snaps onto the bottom of the band and the user doesn't have to take the device out of its strap.

Xiaomi has also added dozens of new watch faces including characters from TV series such as Spongebob Squarepants, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Detective Conan, and eight colorful straps, although this feature might not excite users as much because thousands of watch faces were available even in the Mi Band 4 through third-party apps.

Apart from that, Xiaomi has claimed that heart-rate monitoring in Mi Band 5 is now 50% more precise and it also carries the standard features like sleep tracking, step and activity monitoring, notifications, and weather.