Xiaomi Smart Band 8 vs Garmin Descent G1
🗓️ Release Year
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: 2023
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: 2022
🏃 Activity
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 is a versatile fitness tracker offering comprehensive activity monitoring for everyday health and fitness. It precisely tracks steps, calories burned, distance, and provides real-time heart rate data during activities. With support for a vast number of workout modes, it caters to a wide range of physical pursuits, offering detailed insights into daily activity and exercise performance.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: The Garmin Descent G1 is a robust dive computer and outdoor GPS smartwatch designed for recreational divers and active individuals, built for durability and reliable tracking. It offers precise tracking for dive-specific metrics, alongside comprehensive tracking for steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes. Its activity profiles cater to both underwater and topside sports, providing essential data for monitoring performance in various environments.
❤️ Health Monitoring
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: This device provides continuous heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking for detailed analysis of sleep stages and quality, and stress tracking to help users manage daily tension. The integrated SpO2 sensor allows for blood oxygen level monitoring, contributing to a more complete picture of overall health and well-being.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: This device provides continuous wrist-based heart rate monitoring, stress tracking, and detailed sleep analysis for insights into daily well-being and recovery. The integrated Pulse Ox sensor allows for blood oxygen saturation monitoring, useful for assessing acclimatization at altitude and contributing to dive planning and safety.
🔋 Battery Life
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 is known for its impressive battery life, offering up to 14 days on a single charge under typical usage. This extended battery duration minimizes the need for frequent recharging, ensuring consistent tracking of daily activity and sleep without interruption.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: The Descent G1 offers strong battery life, providing up to 25 hours in dive mode and up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, ensuring sufficient power for multiple dives and consistent daily tracking without frequent recharging.
😴 Sleep Tracking
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: Advanced sleep tracking on the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 monitors sleep stages (light, deep, and REM sleep) and provides detailed insights into sleep duration, quality, and consistency through the companion app. It helps users understand their sleep patterns and make adjustments for better rest and recovery.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: Sleep tracking on the Descent G1 monitors sleep stages and provides valuable insights into sleep quality, contributing to a better understanding of recovery essential for both athletic performance and dive readiness.
📍 GPS Tracking
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 does not have built-in GPS. It relies on connected GPS via a paired smartphone to accurately track outdoor activities like running, walking, and cycling, providing pace and distance data when your phone is with you.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: Equipped with built-in GPS, the Descent G1 provides accurate outdoor activity tracking and basic mapping capabilities on the surface. This GPS functionality is also integrated into dive logging for recording entry and exit points, enhancing the utility for documenting dive locations.
🏋️ Workout Modes
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: With support for over 150 workout modes, the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 is exceptionally versatile for a fitness band. It covers activities ranging from running and cycling to swimming, yoga, and various sports, allowing users to track a wide array of exercises with relevant metrics.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: The Descent G1 supports a variety of multisport and individual workout modes, including dedicated profiles for diving (single-gas, multi-gas, freediving), swimming, running, biking, hiking, and strength training, providing relevant metrics for each activity.
💫 Exercise Recognition
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: The device features automatic workout detection for common activities such as walking, running, and cycling. This ensures that exercises are logged even if the user forgets to manually start tracking, providing a more complete and effortless record of physical activity.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: The device includes automatic exercise detection for common activities such as swimming, running, and cycling through its Move IQ feature, ensuring these basic movements are captured in your activity log alongside detailed dive data.
🍎 Compatibility
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 is compatible with both iOS and Android devices, connecting via Bluetooth to the Mi Fit or Zepp app for seamless data synchronization and smart notifications.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: The Descent G1 is compatible with both iOS and Android smartphones, connecting via Bluetooth for seamless data synchronization, dive log management, and smart notifications.
📲 App Support
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: Synchronization with the Mi Fit or Zepp app is essential for the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 experience, providing a centralized platform for reviewing detailed data on activity, sleep, heart rate, stress, and SpO2. The app offers historical trends, insights, and customization options for the band.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: Synchronization with the comprehensive Garmin Connect app is central for topside activity and health tracking, while the Garmin Dive app is specifically designed for detailed dive log management, analysis, and sharing, providing a complete ecosystem for both fitness and diving data.
💡 Smart Features
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: Beyond its comprehensive fitness tracking, the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 includes practical smart functionalities such as on-wrist notifications for calls, messages, emails, and app alerts. It also offers music controls, weather updates, and alarm clock functions, enhancing daily convenience.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: Beyond its primary focus on diving and sports, the Descent G1 includes practical smart functionalities such as on-wrist notifications for calls, texts, and calendar alerts. It also features essential utilities like a compass, barometric altimeter, and thermometer, valuable for outdoor navigation and environmental awareness.
💦 Water Resistance
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: With a water resistance rating of 50 meters (5 ATM), the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 is suitable for swimming and showering, making it a durable companion for everyday wear and aquatic activities. It can track swimming workouts, including duration and estimated calories burned.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: With a robust water resistance rating to 100 meters (10 ATM) and built-in dive computer functionality, the Descent G1 is specifically designed for scuba diving, freediving, and other underwater activities, providing essential dive data and safety features for recreational use.
⌚ Display Quality
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 features a 1.62-inch AMOLED touchscreen display with a resolution of 192 x 490 pixels. This vibrant color display offers sharp visuals and excellent brightness, ensuring clear readability even under direct sunlight, making it easy to view stats and notifications.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: The Descent G1 features a sunlight-readable, monochrome display with good contrast, optimized for visibility in various lighting conditions, including underwater and bright sunlight. While not a color screen, it provides clear and easy-to-read data.
👌 Ease of Use
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: The device utilizes a user-friendly touchscreen interface complemented by a capacitive button for navigation. The intuitive design and seamless integration with the Mi Fit or Zepp app provide a straightforward experience for tracking and managing health and fitness data.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: The device utilizes a user-friendly interface with a combination of buttons, designed for easy navigation and access to features both on land and underwater, prioritizing reliable operation in challenging conditions over touchscreen complexity.
✨ Design and Comfort
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 features a lightweight and ergonomic design, making it comfortable for all-day wear and sleep tracking. Its sleek appearance and variety of interchangeable band options allow for personalization, balancing functional tracking with personal style.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: The Descent G1 features a rugged and durable design built for the demands of outdoor activities and diving. It maintains a comfortable fit for all-day wear and dives, balancing robust construction with practical wearability.
🩸 SpO2 Monitoring
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: Equipped with an SpO2 sensor, the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 allows for monitoring blood oxygen saturation levels, particularly emphasized during sleep and physical activities. This feature provides valuable data for assessing respiratory health and overall well-being.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: An integrated Pulse Ox sensor is a key feature, allowing for monitoring blood oxygen saturation levels during sleep and at altitude, providing crucial data for assessing physiological status and contributing to dive safety considerations.
💖 ECG Functionality
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: It is important to note that the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 does not support ECG (Electrocardiogram) functionality.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: It is important to note that the Garmin Descent G1 does not support ECG (Electrocardiogram) functionality.
🧘 Stress Tracking
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 tracks stress levels throughout the day based on heart rate variability and offers guided breathing exercises to help users manage stress and promote relaxation.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: The Descent G1 tracks stress levels throughout the day based on heart rate variability and offers guided breathing exercises to help users manage stress, contributing to overall well-being and focus, important for both athletic and diving performance.
🩹 Recovery Tracking
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: While not providing a dedicated recovery score, the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 contributes to recovery insights through its detailed sleep tracking, heart rate data, and activity analysis, helping users understand the impact of their activities and rest on their body's state.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: The Body Battery energy monitoring feature provides insights into the body's energy reserves based on activity, stress, and sleep data, helping users understand their physiological readiness for training or the need for rest. This is a key feature for optimizing recovery, essential for demanding sports and diving activities.
💳 Subscription
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: No subscription is required to access the core features and data tracked by the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 through the Mi Fit or Zepp app. All essential functionalities and historical data are available for free, providing excellent value at an affordable price point.
2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: A significant benefit of the Garmin platform is that all core features and data tracked by the Descent G1, including its dive computer functionalities and access to the Garmin Connect and Garmin Dive apps, are available without an additional subscription fee, providing comprehensive value for a capable and rugged dive-focused smartwatch.
🏷️️ Price
1️⃣ Xiaomi Smart Band 8: $50.00
Check Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Price *2️⃣ Garmin Descent G1: $799.99
Check Garmin Descent G1 Price ** If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you