With the unveiling of the Xiaomi Mi Band 6, supporters of the Mi Band 5 are eager to learn about the new device’s major features.
This low-cost wearable is a best-seller, with each new edition adding important health tracking functionality at a fraction of the price of its competitors.
The following is a list of the major distinctions between the two.
Price and Competition
Xiaomi seems to be focused on offering low-cost fitness tracking. If you don’t have much money, this is something to think about. There are less costly trackers on the market, but Xiaomi appears to have much more features than alternatives at the same price
In the United States, the price of the 5 has risen to around $35 on Amazon, and it is no longer accessible on the Mi Store website. Both trackers, however, cost the same throughout Europe and the United Kingdom.
In the United States, though, the Band 6 costs roughly $60 on Amazon. As a result, it all depends on where you live.
To put the pricing in perspective, the Amazfit Neo and Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 cost around $50. The Fitbit Inspire 2 is also reasonably priced at about $100. As a result, the business is getting increasingly competitive.
Design and Display
It’s difficult to identify the Mi Band 5 from the Mi Band 6. They’re both built of the same materials and have the same measurements.
When it comes to water resistance, they have the same rating (up to 50 metres). As a result, they’re both great for pool swimming (and showering or being caught in the rain).
When the dimensions are studied closely, little variances will be seen, but the differences will be insignificant.
The Mi Band 5 is 46mm wide and 12.45mm thick.
The Mi Band 6 has a 47mm casing and a 12.7mm thickness.
On the other hand, the screen makes a noticeable distinction.
Mi Band 5 — AMOLED display with a resolution of 126 x 29 pixels on a 1.1-inch screen.
Mi Band 6 has a 1.56-inch display with a 152 x 486 resolution.
To allow for additional pixels, Xiaomi reduced the bezel around the display on the 6.
Both have a cool, vibrant display and a brightness of 450 nits, but neither has an Always-On mode. The display on the Mi Band 6 is clearer, more bright, and more colourful than the Mi Band 5. This also enables the computer to display more detail at the same time.
Notably, the display on the 5 is currently one of the best at this price point, exceeding some of the newer smartphones due out in 2021.The Mi Band 5 comes in six different colour options (at least, the band is).The Mi Band 6 is available in eight different colors.
Fitness tracking features
Both bands include a variety of capabilities for tracking your fitness and health, but the Mi Band 6 has subtle changes in sensors and tracking that may draw your attention to it.
Furthermore, both models have accelerometers and gyroscopes, as well as optical heart rate monitors, which continuously track heart rhythm and movement and display the number of minutes in each heart rate zone. Finally, both Bands contribute to stress management and PAI scores.
The Band 6 also has a SpO2 sensor, which measures blood oxygen levels and may be used to track your sleep breathing quality.
It will identify breathing anomalies, which may provide insight into why you had a restless night’s sleep. It makes no difference if it’s because you worked out late or drank a malt. Xiaomi is quick to point out that it is not intended for medical usage and does not have FDA approval.
The same goes for sleep monitoring, which includes sleep stages. You’ll be given a sleep score as well as averages to compare to other people.
It’s also a good physical activity tracker, keeping track of your steps, distance travelled, and calories consumed, as well as notifying you when you’ve been sitting for too long. It was able to efficiently match trackers from larger companies.
A PAI rating also assigns a weekly effort score out of 100 based on the amount of time spent at an elevated heart rate. If you pay attention to the statistics, you may be confident that you are getting the prescribed 150 minutes of activity each week from the World Health Organization.
This device isn’t for you if you need accurate heart rate data. The information is not intended for medical purposes, but it will give you interesting information on your mobility.
Modes for Sports
The Mi Band 5 offers 11 sport modes, while the Mi Band 6 has 30. Running, cycling, pool swimming, jump rope, indoor rowing, and skipping are all included in both.
Basketball, bowling, tennis, cricket, and boxing are among the sports sponsored by the Mi Band 6. The jabs and slog sweeps will be impossible to keep track of. It only takes the amount of time spent exercising and the heart rate monitor’s functionality.
In terms of performance, bands 5 and 6 have similar interactions. Connected GPS allows you to plan itineraries for outdoor activities while also integrating your smartphone’s tracking capabilities (so long as you keep it close).
In general, heart rate monitoring for exercise works well for steady workouts but not for high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
All of your files are saved in the Mi Fit app, which you can then transmit to Google Fit or Strava.
Smart features
All smartwatch functions that are available on the 6 are likewise available on the 5. Both are compatible with Android and iPhones, and they cover the fundamentals of smartwatches.
You’ll be able to get alerts, listen to music, check the weather or other time zones, and select from a choice of watch faces.
There are no payments, sports, music players, or smart assistants included. Only a few of those features are truly available at this price, which is unsurprising.
For example, you can’t respond to your notifications, and the small screen can make them feel confining. The iPhone 6 has a bigger screen, which allows for more clarity.
Battery life
Both use a 125mAh battery that can last up to 14 days on a single charge. To improve this, you could skip services like 24/7 heart rate monitoring. You may also darken the screen and turn off all-day stress monitoring and automatic sleep regulation.
Finally, if you employ all of the features, you’ll receive a week’s worth of tracking, with the 6 able to come closer to the full 14 days.
Which one do you choose?
So, now that you know more about them, who do you think you’ll go with? Which is better: the old or the new? The main differences between the Mi Band 6 and the Band 5 are the enhanced screen, the increased number of sport modes, and the addition of a SpO2 sensor. On the other hand, the larger display is one of the features that jumps out. The 5’s display, on the other hand, is a bright, colorful area to see the time or your data.
If you already own a Mi Band 5, we don’t see any compelling reasons to upgrade. If you don’t have either and are looking for a new tracker, the price difference is so minor that the 6 is the obvious choice
