Unveiled to the world just last week, the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 is set to land in Malaysia this Friday on 24 July. Packed with some neat upgrades over its predecessor, the fitness band is now more attractive than ever. To top it off, its affordable price tag is retained as well.

Unfortunately, local pricing of the Mi Smart Band 5 has not been revealed yet, though we imagine it wouldn’t cost considerably more than the Mi Smart Band 4; the latter retailed at RM149 when it was first launched here. To estimate how much the Smart Band 5 could cost locally, it starts at only 189 Chinese yuan in China, which comes up to about RM115.

Of course, the new fitness band won’t retail at the same price point here, though we do hope it won’t be markedly more expensive than its predecessor’s local pricing.

Compared to the previous model, the Mi Smart Band 5 comes with a few upgrades. For one, its AMOLED display has been increased to 1.1-inch with a 294 x 126 resolution; its predecessor had a smaller 0.95-inch 240 x 120 AMOLED screen. Given that the new wearable still features an AMOLED panel, you can expect to get vibrant colours and deep blacks.

Besides that, the Mi Smart Band 5 is far easier to charge now. There are two contact points beneath the heart rate sensor of the fitness band for a magnetic charger to connect to, which makes for a much more seamless charging experience. Previously, the whole housing of the Mi Smart Band 4 had to be removed from the strap to place it into a charger.

Also worth a mention is the Mi Smart Band 5’s PPG heart rate sensor: it is said to be 50% more accurate. On top of that, it can warn users of any abnormality with their heart rate now. Its sleep monitoring capability has been improved as well, with the added ability to measure REM sleep and even short naps.

Other specifications of the Mi Smart Band 5 include a 14-day battery life – it can be extended up to 20 days in power-saving mode – 5 ATM water resistance rating, and the ability to track 11 different sports activities, including jump rope, rowing machine, treadmill, and even yoga.

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 will be arriving in Malaysia on 24 July this Friday. We’ll find out then just how much it will cost locally.