A fitness bracelet with NFC has been dreamed of for a long time. They dreamed so actively that they even ordered Chinese versions (models with such a module have been sold on the Celestial market for more than a year) and tried to “make friends” with Google services in Russia. Xiaomi was the first to save lovers of contactless payments from torment. On June 16, sales of a new version of the Mi Band 4 NFC bracelet started. It costs almost twice as much as the regular Mi Band 4.
Actually, is there a need to overpay? For owners of smartphones without NFC, there probably is. Let’s not forget that famous gadget manufacturers resisted for a long time and even released middle-class models without this module. Apparently, not everyone needs it. Now it looks like they’ve given up.
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Accessories
Fitness bracelet rating 2020: the best models for men and women
Another category of likely users of NFC bracelets are girls. If men carry smartphones mainly in their pockets, and you can get it for payment without any problems, the fair sex usually has gadgets in their purses (in those rare moments when Instagram is not open). Together with two kilograms of cosmetics and a year’s supply of chocolates in case of a third world war. It’s not so easy to quickly get a smartphone, but with a bracelet you don’t even have to try — just raise your hand.
How to distinguish Xiaomi Mi Band 4 with and without NFC?
If you are assured that you can buy a regular Xiaomi Mi Band 4, upload some tricky firmware there and get the coveted NFC, do not believe it. For contactless payments, you need a physical module, and you can’t add this option to the bracelet with any firmware.
The main sign of Xiaomi Mi Band 4 with NFC (well, of course, except for the price) is a unique icon on the only touch button. For regular versions, a circle is applied to the button, for “contactless” ones, an inverted letter U.
Functions like in Xiaomi Mi Band 4?
Yes. Technically, this is the same Mi Band 4 with all its advantages and disadvantages (more on them in our test). If you are impatient to quickly switch to contactless payments, it is quite possible to buy the “fourth” mi band, but we would wait for the release of the fifth version.
At a minimum, the new bracelet will support contactless charging, which means that you won’t have to constantly pull out the capsule from the strap and put it in the original charger. The cost of Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is still unknown.
Connecting Xiaomi Mi Band 4 with NFC: a couple of nuances
Yes, you need to know about them if you are almost ready to buy.
- First, whileThe new bracelet only works with MasterCard. If you have a Visa, it’s worth the wait.
- Secondly, cards of not all banks can be used for contactless payment bracelet. Even if it’s MasterCard. At the moment, the cards of the following banks are precisely working with the application: VTB, Russian Standard, Otkritie Bank, Raiffeisenbank, Rosselkhozbank, Promsvyazbank, Moscow Credit Bank, Credit Europe Bank, Tinkoff Bank «. Their number will obviously grow.
How to set up Xiaomi Mi Band 4 with NFC?
Everything is very simple. You will need the Mi Fit application, which is already well known to the owners of Xiaomi bracelets.
- Go to tab «Profile».
- We connect the device or click on its name if it is already connected.
- The second item from the top will be “Bank card”. We open it, enter the card details (you can take a picture, but it is better to enter it manually). Actually, that’s all.
What about security?
Actual question: what if I lose the bracelet? Nothing bad will happen. At the time of the transaction, the bracelet must be connected to your phone via Bluetooth. If it is not connected, it is impossible to pay for purchases.
We, like you, are looking forward to the release of Mi Band 5. In the meantime, you can read our rating of fitness bracelets if NFC in them is not so important for you.
