This story was originally published 2020/09/18
7:00am PDTon Sep 18, 2020 and last updated 2020/09/28
3:20pm PDTon Sep 28, 2020. 

• Update
  The review has been updated to reflect that the Mi Band 5 got automatic workout tracking with firmware update version 1.0.32.

Xiaomi's Mi Band series has won fans by offering a lot of fitness features for not a lot of money. That formula isn't changing with the latest entry, the Mi Band 5. It looks almost identical to its predecessors but makes some notable improvements: There's finally magnetic charging so you don't have to pry the device out of the band anymore, the screen is a little bigger, and the tracking is a bit more accurate.

The Mi Band 5 might not compete with high-end trackers and smartwatches from Garmin or Fitbit, but it doesn’t have to.