Xiaomi Mi Band 4: What can a budget fitness bracelet in 2026?

The Xiaomi Mi Band 4 fitness bracelet, released in 2019, is still one of the most popular wearables thanks to its combination of affordable price and wide-ranging functionality. Despite the advent of new models (Mi Band 5, 6, 7 and 8), the fourth version continues to be in demand – especially among those looking for a reliable, no-frills gadget.

But what exactly does this bracelet do in 2026? Should you buy it today, or should you consider more modern ones? In this guide, we'll take a look at all the key features of the Mi Band 4, including hidden features, compare it to new versions, and give you practical tips on how to customize it, learn how to use the bracelet for training, sleep monitoring, music management, and even how to bypass the limit of 50 notifications a day through informal firmware.

Technical characteristics: what is under the hood of the Mi Band 4

At first glance, the Mi Band 4 looks like a typical fitness tracker, but its “stuffing” allows you to compete with devices 2-3 times more expensive.

• 📱 Display: 0.95" AMOLED (120×240 pixel, 24-Bit color – brighter and more contrasting than the Mi Band 3.
• 🔋 Battery: 135 mAh (up to 20 days of operation without recharging with moderate use).
• 🚀 Sensors: 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor PPG, pedometer.
• 🌐 Compatibility: Android 4.4+/iOS 9.0+, Bluetooth connection 5.0 BLE.
• 💧 Defense: 5 ATM (It can withstand immersion up to 50 meters, you can swim).

Important: Mi Band 4 was released in two versions - standard and NFC (only for the Chinese market), the latter supports contactless payments via AliPay, but in Russia and Europe this feature is useless due to the lack of compatible terminals.

Despite its modest performance, the Mi Band 4 performs the main tasks as well as the new models, such as the accuracy of measuring heart rate and steps is almost equal to the Mi Band 6, and the autonomy is even higher.

Health monitoring: pulse, sleep and activity

Measuring your heart rate is one of the key features of the Mi Band 4. The bracelet automatically tracks your heart rate (HR) every 5 to 30 minutes (set up in the Mi Fit app) and alerts you to go beyond the limits, for example, if your heart rate exceeds 120 beats per minute while you sleep, the bracelet vibrates and will show a warning.

For manual measurement, just touch the touch button on the screen and select an icon. ❤️. The results are stored in history and synchronized with Mi Fit or Zepp Life (the new name of the Xiaomi bracelet app). ±5% compared to medical devices – enough for household use, but not for the diagnosis of diseases.

Sleep tracking

The bracelet automatically recognizes the phases of sleep.

• 🌙 Deep sleep (recovery of the body).
• 🌃 Light sleep (surface, with possible awakenings).
• 😴 REM-Phase (rapid eye movement, dreaming).
• ⏰ Wake up (how many times you wake up at night).

Based on these findings, Mi Fit provides recommendations for improving sleep, such as going to bed earlier or avoiding caffeine after 15:00.

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To improve sleep tracking accuracy, wear a wristband 2-3 fingers above your wrist and tighten the strap tighter than usual, which will reduce artifacts from hand movements.

Stepmer and calories

Mi Band 4 counts steps, distance and calories burned with a margin of error of ~10%.

1. Include in the Mi Fit profile the real weight, height and age.
2. Calibrate the pedometer: walk 50 steps with the bracelet and count them manually, then adjust the coefficient in the settings.
3. Wear the bracelet on the non-dominant hand (for right-handed - on the left, for left-handed - on the right).

Notification management: calls, SMS and instant messengers

The bracelet can show notifications from the phone, but with important limitations:

• 📱 All incoming calls are supported (with the ability to drop a call directly from the bracelet).
• 💬 SMS and notifications from messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, etc.).
• ⚠️ Limit: no more than 50 notifications per day (no new notifications are received after that).
• 🔕 Length limit: Only the first 120 characters of the message are displayed.

To set up notifications:

1. Open Mi Fit → Profile → Mi Band 4 → Notifications
2. Enable the option to “Show notifications”.
3. Select the apps you want to see on your bracelet.
4. Set up vibration (short/long) and repeat alerts (up to 10 times).

Enable Developer Mode in Mi Fit| Install Modify Wear (for Android)| Disable Battery Optimization for Mi Fit|Reboot the bracelet-->

⚠️ Note: On iPhone, notifications perform worse due to iOS restrictions.For example, Mi Band 4 doesn't show notifications from Instagram or Facebook Messenger if they come via the web version rather than through the official app.

Sports modes: what training bracelet tracks

Mi Band 4 supports 6 sports modes:

• 🏃 Running (outside/treadmill).
• 🚶 Walking (including Scandinavian walking).
• 🚴 Cycling (requires connection to the GPS phone).
• 🏊 Swimming (recognizes styles: crawl, breaststroke, butterfly).
• 🏋️ Gym (general mode without detailing exercises).
• ⛷️ Other types (yoga, elliptical trainer, etc.) are added manually).

During the training, the bracelet records the time, pulse, steps, calories and route (if the phone's GPS is connected), and after the session is over, the data is synchronized with the Mi Fit, where you can view the load schedules and compare the results with previous workouts.

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For accurate tracking of your running or bike, always bring your phone with you -- the bracelet uses its GPS to plot the route. Without GPS, the distance is calculated by steps, which gives you an error of up to 20 percent.

⚠️ Note: In swimming mode, Mi Band 4 does not automatically take into account the turns in the pool. To correctly calculate the length of the swim, after each turn, touch the pool wall with your hand with a bracelet (this will work as a “baseline»).

Additional features: music, alarm clock, phone search

In addition to fitness features, the Mi Band 4 can:

• 🎵 Manage music: switch tracks, adjust volume (works with Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music and the standard player).
• ⏰ Up to 10 repetitive vibration alarms (you can set a smart alarm clock to wake you up in light sleep).
• 🔍 Phone search: If the phone is in Bluetooth range, the bracelet will make it ring (even if the sound is off).
• 🔋 Charge level: shows the percentage of the phone’s battery (requires Android 6.0)+).
• 🌦️ Weather: displays current temperature and forecast for 3 days (data taken from the phone).

Interesting life hack: if you have Android, you can use Mi Band 4 as a presentation console, and install the Mi Band Master app and set up a double-touch gesture to flip slides into PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Mi Band 5 and 6: Should I Overpay?

If you’re choosing between the Mi Band 4 and the newer models, here are the key differences:

When to choose Mi Band 4:

• You need maximum autonomy (20 days vs 14 days for new models).
• You don't use the measurement. SpO₂ or PAI.
• Budget limited (price difference) ~1 000 ₽).
• The compact size is important (the bracelet is lighter and smaller than the Mi Band 6).

When to take Mi Band 5/6:

• You need a large screen for easy reading of notifications.
• It is important to monitor oxygen saturation (SpO₂).
• You want more sports modes (the Mi Band 6 has 30 vs. 6 for the Mi Band 4).
• Plan to use the bracelet for payments (NFC in Mi Band 6 works in Russia through Mir Pay).

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If you only need basic features (stepper, pulse, notifications, sleep), the Mi Band 4 in 2026 remains the best choice in terms of price / quality. SpO₂ big screen.

What Mi Band 4 can do, but not everyone knows

The bracelet hides a few non-obvious features that can be activated through third-party apps or settings:

1. Castomy dials: There are ~20 standard dials available in Mi Fit, but thousands of custom (including animated) dials can be installed through apps like Amazfit Watchfaces or Notify & Fitness.
2. Turning off the 50 notification limit: With Modify Wear (Android) or Mi Band Master, you can increase the limit to 200 notifications per day.
3. Use as a camera remote: Some firmware has a remote control function for the smartphone shutter (useful for selfies or group photos).
4. Hidden Do Not Disturb Mode: Press the button on the bracelet screen for 3 seconds to turn off all notifications and vibrations.
5. Export data to Google Fit: In the Mi Fit settings, you can enable synchronization with Google Fit, Apple Health or Strava.

⚠️ Note: Installing unofficial firmware (e.g. Custom Mi Band 4) may result in:

• Lose the warranty.
• Sensor malfunction.
• Problems with synchronization with Mi Fit.

If you decide on custom firmware, make the backup original through Mi Band 4 Tools.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions