Xiaomi Smart Band has long ceased to be just an inexpensive fitness band for step counting. In the current generation, alongside the regular Smart Band 10, there is a Pro version: larger, more expensive, with built-in GPS and a more serious design. On paper the differences are enough to justify the Pro upgrade. But after a month of use, it turned out that some advantages are noticeable only in certain details, and even the ordinary Smart Band 10 can be more convenient in some small things.

What does the Pro version offer?

The Smart Band 10 Pro comes in aluminum and ceramic cases. The first version is available in

The maximum brightness increased from 1500 nits on the regular Smart Band 10 to 2000 nits on the Pro. However, the additional 500 nits cannot be called a critical advantage. The base model’s brightness was sufficient even in direct summer sunlight, so the Pro mainly adds a safety margin rather than solving a real problem.

But the larger screen unexpectedly highlighted another issue — the watch faces.

The official app offers plenty of attractive options, but finding a design that looks tidy, displays the necessary information, and works well with Always‑On Display proved difficult.

For many watch faces, switching to AOD changes not only the amount of information but also the layout itself. As a result, the active screen and the standby mode can look like two different watch faces.

The AOD itself also lacks high brightness. In bright sunlight, you often have to turn your wrist and activate the main display to read the time properly.

Similar watch faces exist on the regular Smart Band 10 as well, but a suitable option was found much faster for it.

Another nuance appeared when using the band with the Redmi Note 17. If a message from one contact arrives and the notification remains unread, the next one no longer appears on the screen as current. The band continues to show the old message until it is opened, and the number of new notifications does not affect this.

With an iPhone the behavior was different: there the band displayed the most recent notification. Likely this is a peculiarity or bug in the Android app’s pairing with the band, so this conclusion should not be generalized to all smartphones. But with the Redmi Note 17, notifications behaved exactly like that during the test.

The strap is more convenient on the regular version

Visually, the Smart Band 10 Pro is closer to a small watch than a classic fitness band, but the wider strap is more noticeable on the wrist.

However, the main complaint is the clasp. On the regular Smart Band 10 the strap simply slides through and locks, whereas on the Pro the free end must be tucked into a loop, from which it also slips a few times a day. Compared to the cheaper model, this is especially annoying: the base Band’s clasp is

If it’s important to log runs, walks, or bike rides without a smartphone, the Pro looks like a logical evolution of a standard bracelet. You also get a larger screen and higher‑quality construction materials. However, you pay more for these advantages, and in everyday use the difference from the base model is minimal.