Everything you need to know about the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro global edition

After many months of waiting, Xiaomi has now officially unveiled the global edition of the Smart Band 8 Pro.

It means the company's premium fitness tracker is now available to buy outside of China (after first arriving last summer), joining the standard Smart Band 8 global edition that arrived late last year.

Below, we've covered everything you need to know about the Smart Band 8 Pro - including how much it costs, where you can buy it, and what features have been confirmed.

Pricing and availability

Xiaomi

• Available to buy now
• £59.99 / €69.99 / $75

After launching in China back in August 2023, the Smart Band 8 Pro is available now through Xiaomi's official website if you're shopping in the UK or Europe. 

As ever, Xiaomi's wares continue to steer clear of the US, though you will no doubt be able to pick up the fitness tracker through third-party retailers like Amazon in no time.

This prolonged wait is actually out of step with the previous generation, the Smart Band Pro 7, which saw its Global Edition released in October 2022 (just a few months after the China release).

As announced by the company at MWC 2024 in Barcelona, the new tracker will also be available from £59.99 / €69.99 (with early bird pricing giving you a slight discount until mid-March).

This converts to around $70-75 for those in the US, though it's entirely possible it's also cheaper or more expensive through non-Xiaomi outlets, too.

All in all, the price is fairly true to the Chinese edition's 399 yuan tag, which converts to around $55 / £45 / €50.

We always see a slightly inflated price for the global edition, after all - the Smart Band 7 Pro, for example, launched in the UK for around £70.

Official specs and new features 

Xiaomi

The Band 8 Pro features the same fitness tracker-smartwatch hybrid design that's become increasingly popular in recent years. 

At first glance, it looks very similar to the Band 7 Pro. The sensor array (GPS, heart rate, and SpO2) also matches the previous generation, and there's still no support for music storage.

This isn't necessarily a surprise given Xiaomi's consistent history of providing minimal upgrades between generations, but there are a few key new features to be aware of. Let's explore them.

Bigger and better display

Xiaomi has boosted the display size through the Band 8 Pro, with it growing to 1.74 inches (up from 1.63 inches for the Band 7 Pro). 

While this is a welcome change, it's not necessarily a pure display upgrade. The overall size of the Band 8 Pro has also increased, coming in at 46 x 33.35 x 9.99mm. By comparison, the Band 7 Pro measured 44.7 x 28.8 x 11mm. 

So, we have a bigger display as a result of the slightly bigger body - and the device is also a bit thinner than the previous model. 

The resolution, according to Xiaomi's spec sheet, also scales up due to that bigger display size. The Band 8 Pro can pump out 336 x 448 pixels, a change from the 280 x 456 pixels we saw with the Band 7 Pro.

Really, the real display upgrade is in the improved refresh rate, which now runs at 60Hz. 

Revamped operating system and widgets

When announcing the Band 8 Pro, Xiaomi teased an improved UI and new widgets.

Given the fact we haven't had our hands on the device just yet, it's difficult to know the extent of this revamp, but it should make the tracker a bit easier to navigate around. 

With still no physical button present on the design, either, this is a welcome change. 

According to Xiaomi, there should be a new set of watch faces to choose from, as well as widgets for keeping tabs on daily activity tracking, launching contactless payments (only in China), music control, and more.

Improved battery life

The Band 8 Pro houses a larger battery than the previous generation - likely on account of that slightly bigger body. While the Band 7 Pro has a 235mAh unit, Xiaomi has installed a 285mAh battery for the latest generation. 

This naturally should translate to improved battery life. Xiaomi estimates that the device should manage up to 14 days in 'normal use', which is up from 12 days with the Band 7 Pro. If you prefer to use the always-on display, Xiaomi instead will grant you around six days of battery. 

We found the company's estimations to be pretty accurate when we tested the Band 7 Pro, though it will involve having a lot of features turned off. In reality, we think most people will find that tracker to last around 4-7 days, and we expect that to be repeated or slightly boosted for the Band 8 Pro.