my smart band 6
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
Xiaomi has another hit on its hands with the Mi Band six. It's a good, bones fettle tracker, and modernistic features like blood oxygen tracking and a bigger AMOLED display help make the sub-$fifty price tag even more enticing.
A newer version of this device is bachelor. Xiaomi has launched the Mi Band 7, which features a bigger display, updated sensors, and a whole host of new color options. Check out our Xiaomi Mi Band 7 review for all the details.
Each twelvemonth, Xiaomi adds a handful of new features to its Mi Band line. And each year, the visitor is able to keep its toll down under $50. The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 is no different, gaining modern features similar a bigger display and blood oxygen tracking. But other competitors are catching up to Xiaomi'southward lead in the sub-$50 fitness tracker space, sometimes offer more than for the price. Read our full Xiaomi Mi Ring vi review to see if this is the cheap fettle tracker you're looking for.
About this Xiaomi Mi Band six review: I used the Xiaomi Mi Band vi for 7 days running software version 1.0.0.26. It was connected to my Google Pixel five throughout the testing period. The Xiaomi Mi Band six review unit was provided to Android Authority by Xiaomi.
Update, June 2022: This Xiaomi Mi Band 6 review has been updated with details on the Mi Band vii, Xiaomi Wear's renaming to Mi Fettle, compatibility with the Zepp Life app, and more than.
What you demand to know about the Xiaomi Mi Band 6
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Potency
Mi Ring half-dozen
- Xiaomi Mi Ring 6 (global, no NFC): $49.99 / £49.99 / €44.99 (~$53)
- Xiaomi Mi Ring 6 (Mainland china, no NFC): 229 yuan (~$35)
- Xiaomi Mi Ring half-dozen (China, NFC): 279 yuan (~$42)
The Xiaomi Mi Band half dozen (aka Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 in some regions) is Xiaomi's flagship fitness tracker for 2021. True to form, the Mi Ring 6 offers more than features than you'd expect for a sub-$50 wearable.
New features include a bigger AMOLED display, more than double the action tracking modes, blood oxygen monitoring, and breathing quality assessments during sleep. Those features alone may not make existing Mi Band 5 (or fifty-fifty Mi Band four) users desire to upgrade, only they may be just plenty to get people to consider Xiaomi'southward offering over the cheapest Fitbit.
Xiaomi sells two versions of the Mi Band half-dozen in China: i with contactless payments and Xiaomi'south Xiao AI vocalization assistant, and another model without those two features. Unfortunately, the global model misses out on those features likewise.
The Mi Band 6 is available to buy in Europe and other regions around the world. While it isn't officially available in the US that shouldn't stop you from importing i from an international retailer like Amazon. Where information technology is available, it comes in six colorways: Black, Orangish, Yellow, Olive, Ivory, and Blueish.
Its successor, the Mi Ring 7, has also launched in China but details of a global release are yet to be announced. For now, the Mi Ring half dozen is still Xiaomi'southward master budget fitness tracker.
Design: Same ol' same ol'
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Say-so
The Xiaomi Mi Band 6's blueprint is essentially unchanged from the previous 2 generations of Mi Bands. It's made of a small tracker module that fits into a sparse silicone strap. The black model of our Xiaomi Mi Band six review unit isn't all that center-communicable, just at that place are plenty of third-party options available effectually the net.
The Xiaomi Mi Band 6's pattern is substantially unchanged from the previous ii generations.
The strap that comes with the Mi Ring 6 feels okay. It's soft and doesn't collect dust or hair, which is e'er a win. I'thou not a huge fan of the pivot-in-hole buckle, but I know many people prefer them. Also, the Mi Band 6 works with Mi Ring five bands (and vice versa). So, Mi Band 5 owners can use their existing straps if they upgrade to the 6.
The ane large improvement on the blueprint front end is the upgraded display. The Xiaomi Mi Band half dozen boasts a much larger ane.56-inch AMOLED display, which is fifty% bigger than the Mi Band v's 1.i-inch screen. The display nearly spans to the border of the case and makes the fettle tracker wait much more modern.
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
Unfortunately, there'due south no ambient light sensor. The display gets plenty bright, fifty-fifty when viewing it outdoors in direct sunlight. Still, y'all might discover yourself manually adjusting the brandish brightness if you're transitioning betwixt darker and lighter environments.
There are well over 100 watch faces available for the Mi Ring half-dozen. Fewer than ten are customizable, and the bulk of the lookout faces are themed with cutesy anime characters. Honestly, I actually struggled to find a lookout man face up that wasn't tacky.
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Potency
Left to right: Xiaomi Mi Band six, Xiaomi Mi Band 5
Battery life is never an issue for Mi Bands, and that'due south also true for the Mi Band 6. Xiaomi claims the fitness tracker tin last 14 days on a unmarried charge with "normal" usage. That'southward certainly possible if you lot're only using the most basic functions, but it hasn't been my experience.
Many of the Mi Band half-dozen's features drain the bombardment rapidly. Turning on Xiaomi's new animate score feature, all-day stress monitoring, or increasing the frequency of resting heart rate readings all affect battery life and don't constitute "normal" usage. This is a review, then I had all those things turned on. Realistically, I'd say most people will be able to get just over a week out of the Mi Ring half dozen's battery if they plan on using all the new features.
Health and fitness tracking: Fine for daily activity tracking
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 is a fitness tracker that excels at the basics.
The Mi Band half-dozen will track your steps taken, calories burned, distance traveled, resting and active heart rate, and sleep throughout the day. There'due south no standalone GPS, though there is continued GPS if you don't mind bringing your phone with you lot while you're out exercising. Step tracking and calorie burn were both in line with what comparable wearables from Fitbit and Garmin reported. Heart rate tracking is another story.
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authorization
The Xiaomi fettle tracker reports resting heart rate readings in xxx, 10, 5, or one-minute increments. Monitoring every 30 minutes will be the all-time for battery life but will become you the spottiest data. Monitoring every minute will give you the best overall picture at the expense of battery life. To play it a little safe, I ready mine to monitor every five minutes. If you want truly all-day eye rate monitoring, you might want to consider a fitness tracker from Garmin. Almost Garmin fitness wearables record every few seconds throughout the day.
Also read: The best Garmin watches and smartwatches you lot can buy
Like its predecessor, the Mi Ring 6 can warn you if your eye rate increases over a certain threshold during periods of inactivity. I've personally never had issues with this, simply the option is there if you need it.
Resting heart rate readings were fine when tested confronting the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music and Wahoo Tickr X chest strap. At various times throughout the calendar week, all three heart charge per unit sensors reported inside 5bpm of each other.
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
I've constitute the Mi Band 6's "sugariness spot" to be anywhere from ninety-140bpm during workouts. Anywhere higher up or below that range and the tracker starts to go off the hinges. A contempo 5K treadmill run (screenshot above) showed my heart charge per unit peaking at 172bpm at the ~10-minute mark, even though my Wahoo Tickr X (2020) chest strap reported 139bpm at that time. That's a huge departure, and unfortunately, not a 1-off event. That entire run, the Mi Ring 6 reported my center charge per unit to exist higher up 150bpm at diverse times, while my chest strap was simply peaking at ~140bpm.
Virtually people buying the Mi Band half-dozen will probable only want to proceed full general tabs on their general fitness trends and daily activity, and I think the Mi Ring 6 would exist fine for that. If y'all really want to dig into your workout data (and have reliable data overall), I'd recommend yous choose another fettle tracker.
The Mi Band 6's heart charge per unit sensor is fine for keeping tabs on your daily action, simply not much more than that.
One major comeback over the Mi Band 5 is the number of sports profiles available. The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 tin can rail 30 activities, up from 11 on the Mi Band 5. Niche profiles like Zumba, kickboxing, and badminton take been added to the tracker this time around. It tin besides automatically detect six activities: running, walking, treadmill, cycling, rowing machine, and elliptical. For all other activities, you'll need to select information technology on the device and striking start manually.
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
Blood oxygen monitoring (aka SpO2) has been an increasingly important metric in fettle trackers lately. Xiaomi included an SpO2 sensor on the global Mi Band 6, allowing yous to spot-check your blood oxygen levels throughout the twenty-four hours. The Mi Band 6's SpO2 sensor is actually better implemented than the Xiaomi Mi Watch'due south sensor, which is quite surprising.
Related: Xiaomi Mi Picket review | Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite review
It only takes a few seconds for the Mi Band vi to tape your blood oxygen levels. Information technology's quite a bit faster than my Forerunner 245 at taking readings, also. Once you get a reading, it'll hopefully show a percentage somewhere between 95-100%. I tested the Mi Ring 6'south numbers against the Forerunner 245 Music and a reliable fingertip pulse oximeter, and all three devices showed nearly the same results.
Over again, it only works with spot checks throughout the 24-hour interval, then the Mi Band 6'due south sensor won't run at nighttime to monitor for potential sleep apnea signs. This is where SpO2 sensors are nigh useful in fettle trackers, but you usually need to pay upwards for a device that tracks blood oxygen at night. Xiaomi clarifies in its press materials that the Mi Band 6's SpO2 readings "should non exist used or relied on for any medical purposes. All data and tracking should be used for personal reference only."
SpO2 spot checks are an important feature to have if y'all struggle with your blood oxygen numbers, just most of us will utilize this feature a handful of times and leave information technology be.
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
Menstruum cycle tracking is back with the Mi Band 6, helping women track their cycle elapsing, ovulation, history, and as well predict when their side by side cycle will happen. You'll need to enable this feature if you want to use it. Once set upward, you lot tin meet a month-view calendar in the Xiaomi Wear app that shows your wheel and estimated fertile and ovulation windows.
What's available in the Xiaomi Wear app seems okay, only information technology's certainly not as fully featured as standalone menstruum-tracking apps. It'south also a fleck of a step down from what Xiaomi used to offer in Mi Fit, where you could record moods and symptoms for each day of your flow, though you can all the same access all of those features in the Zepp Life app instead — nosotros'll get more into this strange situation in the next section.
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authorisation
The Xiaomi Mi Band six integrates PAI (Personal Activeness Intelligence) metrics to give you lot a better idea of your heart health. You're given a PAI score, and any activity you lot do throughout the day adds to that score. Higher-intensity workouts that proceed your eye rate high add the most points to your PAI score. The goal is to keep your score over 100 to meliorate your cardiorespiratory fitness.
It's a unique metric that attempts to assistance you sympathise how your activeness reflects your overall health. It forgoes the simple step count to gauge your fitness level, which Fitbit'south Agile Zone Minutes and Google's Move Minutes and Heart Points also practice.
I wish the indicate arrangement were a bit clearer; I think the more than direction yous can provide users with this type of matter, the more they'll get out of information technology.
The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 can go on rails of your sleep duration, stages (low-cal, deep, and REM), sleep breathing quality, and naps throughout the day. It'll also give you an overall sleep score from i-100. Sleep tracking is unremarkably 1 of the Mi Ring's strong suits. However, I've had some difficulties getting the Mi Band 6'southward data to line upward with other sleep trackers.
Read more than: The best sleep trackers you can buy
One night, in which I achieved a proficient 93/100 score, the Mi Band 6 didn't record whatever REM sleep or periods of being awake. In contrast, my Fitbit Sense said I was awake for 41 minutes and had over 1.5 hours of REM sleep. My Google Nest Hub (2d gen) also told me I had a particularly restless dark, causing me to doubt the Mi Band's information.
This wasn't an outlier, either. On another nighttime of peculiarly poor slumber, my Fitbit Sense and Google Nest Hub both told me I was restless all night. Even though the Mi Band 6 picked upwardly on once I was awake, it missed the other handful of times that the Nest Hub and Sense both caught. Furthermore, I woke up feeling groggy and tired, still the Mi Band said my slumber score was 95/100. This number would have been much lower if the Mi Band caught all my sleep disturbances.
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Dominance
The Mi Band half dozen's breathing rate tracking during sleep is quite basic. It gives you a score from 0-100 based on your blood oxygen readings at dark. Y'all're given a brief overview of the characteristic in the Xiaomi Article of clothing app, every bit well as some recommendations on how to breathe ameliorate. That's really all the info you get, though. I'd really like to seewhy I scored a 96/100 on a certain dark instead of just being given a score.
Mi Fitness and Zepp Life apps: Information technology gets confusing
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
The Mi Fitness app (renamed from Xiaomi Wear in March 2022) is the app Xiaomi has talked up in contempo times, so we'll discuss that in greater detail here before addressing the Zepp Life state of affairs.
You lot tin can use Mi Fitness to dig into all your fettle and wellness data. The app is dissever upwardly into three tabs: Condition, Workouts, and Contour.
Status is basically the home screen. It shows your recent activities, current step count, final night's sleep, and any other health metrics tracked by the Mi Band. This page is quite simple and easy to navigate. The Workouts tab lets you start a workout of any blazon. Y'all can view your existent-time metrics from this screen, as well equally a map of where you are. The Profile tab is a catch-all settings bill of fare. Hither, you can come across device settings, change notification preferences, and more.
Don't miss: The best fitness apps bachelor
Mi Fettle is a step up from Mi Fit aesthetically. You can tell Xiaomi took the time to pattern the app with modern practices in mind, and afterward updates accept made it expect extremely Apple Wellness-esque. Unfortunately, the care that went into its aesthetics doesn't transfer over to usability. I think the whole app could use some TLC.
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
For starters, Mi Fitness can only connect to Strava as a third-political party app, not Google Fit, or any others. You also can't export raw information files. So, the data collected by your Mi Ring half-dozen stays in Mi Fettle. That wouldn't exist a big bargain if the app made it piece of cake to come across your data, merely it doesn't.
Take middle rate data in conditioning summaries, for instance. You're given a graph that shows your max and average heart rate, but it doesn't allow you lot to see annihilation else. You can't tap on the graph to become an exact heart rate at whatever given time. I think this is also basic, fifty-fifty for the average user.
Yous can use the Mi Fitness or the Zepp Life app, just non both at the aforementioned fourth dimension.
US users volition also struggle with Mi Fettle if they're used to the imperial system. Mi Fitness just supports the metric arrangement. On summit of that, at that place'southward no 12-hour time support, and no Fahrenheit support.
The Mi Fitness app is a good start. Information technology just needs polish. Just here's the weird part: if you miss the one-time Mi Fit app, it still exists, and it's chosen Zepp Life. Confused? Well, the Mi Band vi (like recent Mi Bands) is function manufactured past Huami (which is also Amazfit'southward parent visitor). In the West, Huami goes by Zepp Health, which likewise makes its own wearables under the Zepp make.
What all this means is you can happily access all of the older features — regal measurements, improve period tracking features, Google Fit support — and the older UI (though you lot still tin't manually export raw data). Users can also transfer all of their data from Zepp Life to Mi Fitness, just this is a one-way deal. It only works with historical information, then y'all can't apply both simultaneously. Notably, Zepp Life does non back up Strava connectivity, which is odd because older Mi Fit versions did. In short, if yous want Google Fit compatibility, use Zepp Life. If yous want Strava, use Mi Fitness.
Smartwatch features: Globally limited
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
The Xiaomi Mi Ring vi offers basic smartwatch functionality and a few smaller features that aren't usually found on other fettle trackers. The Mi Band six tin can mirror your smartphone notifications for any app. Notifications aren't actionable — nor are they particularly like shooting fish in a barrel to read on a display this size — so you'll probable only glance at that incoming email or text then demand to pick upward your phone to run across the whole thing. If you desire an improved notification experience, yous'll want to purchase a full-fledged smartwatch.
If you alive in Prc, Xiaomi sells ii Mi Ring 6 models: one with NFC and a voice assistant, and one without. The global version doesn't accept NFC or a vox assistant, either, so I could not test contactless payments or Xiaomi's Xiao AI assistant. If you're after a Mi Ring that's a little smarter, Huami released a Mi Band replica terminal year that comes with Amazon Alexa.
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
I praised this in my Mi Band 5 review, only it bears repeating: Xiaomi does dark mode improve than many other companies, including Google with Wear OS. You can set the Mi Band half dozen'southward display to dim on a fix schedule or based on when the sun sets. Yous can also prepare heighten-to-wake functionality to a schedule, so you're not accidentally triggering information technology while you lot're in bed. It's a squeamish touch that actually goes a long style.
Finally, the Mi Band vi has a few basic apps built-in like an warning, stopwatch, timer, result log, a "find my device" app, and a camera control app. You tin can also control your smartphone's music from the Mi Band. That's where the app list ends, though. There are no third-party apps and no tertiary-party watch faces.
Xiaomi Mi Ring 6 specs
| Xiaomi Mi Band six | |
|---|---|
| Display | i.56-inch AMOLED |
| Sensors | PPG heart rate sensor |
| Battery | 125mAh |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth five.0 |
| Tracking and other features | 30 fitness modes |
| Water resistance | 5ATM |
| App compatibility | Mi Wear app |
| Charging method | Magnetic charging |
| Supported devices | Android 5.0 and above |
| Dimensions | 47.4 x 18.6 x 12.7mm |
| Colors | Black, Orangish, Xanthous, Olive, Ivory, Blue |
Value and contest
Xiaomi Mi Band half dozen
Now with SpO2 tracking and more sport profiles
The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 (aka Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 in some regions) is Xiaomi's 2021 flagship fitness tracker. True to class, the Mi Band 6 offers more features than you'd await for a sub-$fifty habiliment.
There's stiff competition in the sub-$l fitness tracker space, and most of information technology comes from Xiaomi, Huami, and HUAWEI. Xiaomi's own Mi Band v can be found at a discount nowadays if you don't listen the smaller screen and limited feature ready. However, information technology'due south probably best to spend a petty more and get the Mi Band 6.
You lot also might want to consider the Fitbit Inspire two if you're not tied to the Xiaomi ecosystem. It'due south available for €99/£89 ($99) and comes with a free year of Fitbit Premium. Buying from Fitbit also means you'll become to use the Fitbit app, which is far superior to the Xiaomi Wear app.
Staying in the Fitbit ecosystem, the Luxe, billed as one of the visitor's most attractive trackers, shares similar aesthetics with the Mi Band half-dozen. It is much pricier, though.
If you're looking for more of a smartwatch form factor, the Amazfit Bip U is a solid offer. Available for effectually $60, the smartwatch offers week-long battery life and accurate (withal bones) fettle tracking.
Both the ~$65 Award Band 6 and ~$90 HUAWEI Band half dozen are excellent alternatives if you're willing to pay a little more for trackers with smartwatch-like AMOLED displays. The latter also packs continuous SpO2 monitoring and solid bombardment life but does fall curt in terms of heart rate sensor accuracy.
Xiaomi Mi Band half-dozen review: The verdict
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Potency
The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 is one of the all-time inexpensive fitness trackers you can buy and absolutely worth the $45. It handles the basics well, and that'due south what we expect out of a device at this cost point.
It's no longer the only cheap fitness tracker worth considering, though, then you may observe yourself deciding between the Mi Band half-dozen and an Amazfit device. Luckily Xiaomi and Huami'southward products are like in many ways (they collaborate on the Mi Band, after all), so buying one over the other won't be a huge deal.
Unsurprisingly, the Xiaomi Mi Band six is one of the all-time cheap fitness trackers you can spend your coin on.
Xiaomi has delivered a solid fitness tracker that adds modernistic features like blood oxygen monitoring and a larger AMOLED display. Certain aspects of the device could use some more attention, merely overall, the Mi Ring 6 is a well-rounded package.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, the easiest fashion to get the Mi Band half dozen in Northward America is through Amazon.
Yes, the Mi Band 6 offers upwards to five ATM water resistance, which means it can be used for pond or wearing in the shower.
Yes and no. You will need a telephone in order to gear up your Mi Band vi, but and then it will runway your footsteps and sleep without keeping your phone on paw. Y'all'll need a phone in order to employ connected GPS, all the same.
Yes, the Mi Band six offers 24/vii blood pressure measurement, but unfortunately, Xiaomi has not yet added body temperature reading every bit a feature.
The base of operations version of the Mi Band 6 does not have NFC support, merely Xiaomi has since launched a global NFC version.
Source: https://www.androidauthority.com/xiaomi-mi-band-6-review-1213241/
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