It’s fair to say that we are spoiled for choice these days when it comes to tracking budget activities. These devices are gradually catching up with their more expensive counterparts. You no longer need to spend an arm and a leg for a decent fitness monitoring solution. And it will only get better from here.
Three of the most recent additions to this space are the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6, Huawei Band 6, and Honor Band 6. What all three have in common is a large display. Some of them are even starting to blur the lines between fitness bracelets and smartwatches.
How exactly do the trio stack up? Keep reading to find out.
Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 vs Huawei Band 6 vs Honor Band 6: General and Hardware
Of the three, Honor Band 6 was the first to come out. It debuted in Asia late last year and launched globally in March. Following numerous leaks and rumors, the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 landed shortly after. The last of the group was Huawei Band 6. This one is essentially a rebranded version of the Honor Band 6. Or maybe it’s the other way around.
For those not in the know, Huawei and Honor went their separate ways at the end of last year. But the company’s wearable devices still use the same app, and there’s not much that separates their wearable devices in terms of design and functionality. No doubt that will change in the future. Which means that this article is basically a comparison between the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 and the other two. This is how similar the Honor and Huawei bands are.
Large screen display
The most striking feature of these three elements is their display on the big screen. The Mi Smart Band 6 has a 1.56 inch AMOLED with 326 PPI (pixels per inch) or 152 x 486 pixels. This is the third year in a row that Xiaomi has increased the size of the Mi Band screen. What’s interesting is that the company has managed to keep the dimensions of the laptop roughly the same all this time. In this latest iteration, the bezel around the edges is tiny.
As impressive as it is, Honor and Huawei have taken the idea of the big screen a step further. Their portable devices come with a 1.47 inch screen. But while the Xiaomi device retains the appearance of a classic fitness bracelet, the Huawei and Honor do look a bit like a smartwatch. This is because they are much larger than a typical fitness band.
What you also get on the Honor and Huawei is a physical button that acts to wake up the screen and acts as a shortcut. You combine this with the touchscreen to navigate the menus. It all works fine, as we found out in our Honor Band 6 review. On the Xiaomi you will have to rely only on the touchscreen as there is no physical button.
The water resistance has not changed compared to the previous generation of these devices. There is no need to. The 5 ATM rating will suffice for most people. It is only if you are a deep sea diver that you need something better. But then you will probably go for a sports watch.
Other than that you get a Polycarbonate construction which is common to all budget fitness bands. This is attached to a silicone band which can be picked up in a variety of colors.
Sensors, battery life
When it comes to the underlying technology, not much separates the trio. They are all equipped with a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope, as well as a PPG heart rate sensor and SpO2.
The next step is the most important battery life. The Xiaomi has a 125mAh battery compared to the 180mAh that we find on the others. However, all three are valid for up to two weeks on a single charge.
Here is an overview illustrating the similarities and differences in design and material.
Xiaomi mi band 6 |
Huawei band 6 |
Honor Band 6 |
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|
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|
Housing |
polycarbonate, silicone strap, aluminum alloy buckle |
polycarbonate, silicone strap |
polycarbonate, silicone strap |
Display size |
1.56 inch |
1.47 inch |
1.47 inch |
Display resolution |
152 x 486 pixels |
194 x 368 pixels |
194 x 368 pixels |
Display type |
AMOLED (450 nits brightness) |
2.5D AMOLED color display |
2.5D AMOLED color display |
Dimensions |
47.4 x 18.6 x 12.7 mm |
43 x 25.4 x 11.45 mm |
43 x 25.4 x 11.45 mm |
Water resistance |
5ATM |
5ATM |
5ATM |
Lester |
13 grams (without bracelet) |
18 grams (without bracelet) |
18 grams (without bracelet) |
Sensors |
6-axis sensor: low power consumption 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope, PPG heart rate sensor, SpO2 |
6-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, SpO2, heart rate sensor |
6-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, SpO2, heart rate sensor |
NFC |
Yes (China only) |
Yes (China only) |
Yes (China only) |
Battery life |
Up to 14 days (125 mAh LiPo battery) |
Up to 14 days (180 mAh battery) |
Up to 14 days (180 mAh battery) |
Colors |
Black, orange, yellow, olive, ivory, blue |
Ambre Sunrise, Forest Green and Graphite Black |
Meteorite black, coral powder and seagull gray |
Connectivity |
BT5.0 BLE |
BT5.0 BLE |
126 x 294 pixels |
RRP |
$ 45 |
$ 60 |
$ 60 |
Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 vs Huawei Band 6 vs Honor Band 6: Functionality
Let’s start by eliminating the difference between the Huawei Band 6 and the Honor Band 6. It pretty much boils down to the SpO2 sensor. The Huawei mobile tracks your blood oxygen levels 24 hours a day, no need to press any button. The Honor Band 6 only does this on demand.
Other than that, the only other difference we can spot between the two is more sports modes on the Huawei. He comes with a total of 96 against the 10 on the Honor Band. Of these, 11 are preset on the device. The remaining 85 can be downloaded via the smartphone app.
The Mi Smart Band 6 sits somewhere in between with a total of 30 sport modes. Six of them have automatic recognition.
It should be noted that none of these devices have built-in GPS. You will therefore need to access your smartphone connection to take advantage of connected GPS.
The Xiaomi also tracks Personal Activity Intelligence, better known as PAI. This helps you quantify your activity level based on the intensity of your heart rate during the day.
The company claims to have improved the accuracy of its statistics. Sleep tracking now includes the quality of sleep breathing thanks to the blood oxygen sensor. This has the potential to detect sleep apnea.
Another feature of Xiaomi’s device is women’s health tracking. Users can track menstrual cycles with vibration alerts.
The rest of the fitness tracker’s intelligence is similar across the three devices. You will find most of the items you need to monitor your health and fitness around the clock. The obvious missing item is an altimeter for counting floors climbed. But it’s rare that you find this on a budget activity tracker. But you get the habits, including stress tracking on all of these.
Non-fitness features are also standard. They include notifications for calls and messages and the function to mute incoming calls, many group faces, app notifications, music controls, alarm, find my phone and more. All three also offer an optional NFC edition, but that will likely be for the Chinese region only.
Xiaomi mi band 6 |
Huawei band 6 |
Honor Band 6 |
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Number of sports modes |
30 (6 with automatic recognition) |
96 (6 with automatic recognition) |
10 (6 with automatic recognition) |
Women’s health monitoring |
Yes |
No |
No |
SpO2 |
On demand |
24/7 |
On demand |
PAI |
Yes |
No |
No |
Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 vs Huawei Band 6 vs Honor Band 6: Conclusion
It’s a tight call when it comes to choosing between the trio. The Huawei and Honor bands are practically the same. The main difference is that SpO2 is monitored 24 hours a day on the first and only on demand on the second. If you want a really big screen but aren’t ready for a smartwatch, these are a good choice.
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Group has been a popular seller for years. This sixth iteration focuses on SpO2 measurements and a larger display. So this is an iterative upgrade that makes the fitness bracelet slightly better than before.
With a few nuances, all three offer roughly the same functionality. So a lot of it comes down to the choice of design and brand loyalty.
The price may also be included in your decision. We expect the Xiaomi to sell for around $ 45 when it becomes available internationally. The Honor Band 6 can be purchased right now for around $ 60 (check price on Amazon). The Huawei Band 6 is not yet available but will likely sell for around the same price as the Honor laptop.
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