Xiaomi Smart Band 11 NFC real-world tests are in, and there’s a problem

The first real-world tests of the Xiaomi Smart Band 11 NFC are starting to come in internationally, and the main takeaway is pretty clear. Payments work, but the NFC range may be weaker than expected.

Payments work, but the range looks weak

One early owner has now used the global Smart Band 11 NFC for payments in Hungary. The transaction worked, but the band had to be brought very close to the payment terminal before it registered.

Another owner reported a more frustrating experience. In that case, the band often needed to be almost touching the terminal, with failed reads happening more often than expected. The owner initially suspected a faulty unit. He then bought a second Smart Band 11 NFC directly from Xiaomi, but the replacement reportedly behaved in much the same way.

That same owner compared it with the older Smart Band 7 NFC, Redmi Watch 6 and Xiaomi Watch 2. Those devices could apparently trigger terminals from several centimetres away, while the Band 11 needed much more careful positioning.

Two owners are not enough to prove a wider hardware problem, but the reports point in the same direction. The NFC system works, but its effective range appears fairly short.

Xiaomi’s own instructions are interesting in that context. The company recommends holding the band around 1 to 3 cm from the reader. The display should face the sensing area, and you need to keep it there for one or two seconds. That suggests close positioning is expected, although the comparison with older Xiaomi wearables still raises questions about whether the Band 11 antenna is simply weaker.

How payments work

The payment setup is fairly straightforward. Cards are added through Xiaomi Pay in the Mi Fitness app, rather than through Google Wallet or Apple Pay. As to what banks are supported, that depends on region. There’s a full list on Xiaomi’s website.

So for example, if you live in the UK – these are your options.

Once a supported card is added, you open the Cards section on the band. You then select the bank card and activate it before holding the tracker near the terminal. Support still depends on the country, bank and card issuer, so buying the NFC model does not automatically mean every Visa or Mastercard will work.

The important part from these early tests is that the international version is now doing what Xiaomi promised. People are actually using it at normal payment terminals outside China, rather than simply seeing NFC listed on a spec sheet.

NFC payments return after Band 7

The last regular Xiaomi Smart Band with comparable international payment support was the Smart Band 7 NFC. The following generations still had NFC variants in some markets, but they were largely focused on China and did not give international buyers the same straightforward Visa and Mastercard payment option.

That changed with Band 11. At the moment, availability is still uneven. Xiaomi has not launched the NFC model everywhere, but it is starting to roll out region by region. Spain is one of the markets where it is already officially on sale, while buyers elsewhere are still relying on imports from neighbouring European countries.

So far, the verdict is mixed. International payments on the Smart Band 11 NFC do work, which is the important bit after the long gap since Band 7. The early warning is that you may need to hold it noticeably closer to the terminal than you would with some older Xiaomi wearables.