The 2021 edition of Xiaomi's Mi band connected bracelet is adorned with a much larger screen compared to previous versions and now includes a sensor for measuring the level of oxygen in the blood. Despite a rising price, should we give in to the sirens of the new Mi Smart Band 6?

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6

New full-screen display: 1.56” AMOLED display 49% larger than its predecessor Mi Smart Band 5...

Best prices

These prices were updated on 30/01/2022 by All4affiliates. They are listed in ascending order and excluding delivery costs. Only the prices displayed at the merchants are authentic.

Test carried out by Alix Denoyers

Already announced since the end of March, the new version of Xiaomi's Mi Smart Band has recently been available in France. It is the reference bracelet that has conquered the general public with its excellent value for money. Its functions are more complete every year, while its performance in terms of activity monitoring and autonomy is on a par with much more expensive models.

Faced with increasingly tough competition, can the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 and its larger screen retain its title of fitness champion at a low price? To answer this question, we tested this bracelet over a good week, day and night. Here are the detailed results of this evaluation and our verdict.

Price and availability

With its 1.56-inch AMOLED screen, Xiaomi's Mi Smart Band 6 can boast of displaying the largest screen on the connected bracelet market. Its price remains reasonable, however, since the brand has been marketing it for a few days, on its site and in stores, at the price of 59.99 euros. That's still 10 euros more than last year... or 20 euros more than in 2019!

This price is competitive against the recent Oppo Band Style sold at the same price for a setback equipment, or against a Fitbit Inspire 2 launched at 99.95 euros. On the other hand, with its large-screen Band 6, launched at 59.99 euros a few weeks ago, Huawei has clearly pulled the rug out from under its compatriot. Especially since this bracelet is currently on promotion and is displayed 10 euros cheaper.

Mi Band aficionados can be reassured, there is no shortage of promotions at Xiaomi and you can already find its novelty at 43.99 euros at Amazon (in Prime) or less than 40 euros on AliExpress. Xiaomi offers its new bracelet in several colors: black, orange, yellow, green, grey-blue or even beige. You can only find the very classic black model on the market. It is, however, an interchangeable bracelet, the tracker can be extracted. To switch to color, it will be necessary to obtain a colored bracelet sold as an option. Too bad Xiaomi didn't think to add one to the box.

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6

New full-screen display: 1.56” AMOLED display 49% larger than its predecessor Mi Smart Band 5...

Best prices

These prices were updated on 30/01/2022 by All4affiliates. They are listed in ascending order and excluding delivery costs. Only the prices displayed at the merchants are authentic.

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 Datasheet

	Xiaomi Mi Band 6
Dimensions	- 18.6 x 47.4 x 12.7 mm - 18.15 x 46.95 x 12.45
Weight	13 g (24 g strap included)
Screen	1.56 inch, AMOLED
Definition	152 x 486 pixels
Resolution	226 pixels per inch
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0 BLE
Sensors	Heart rate monitor with SpO2, accelerometer, gyroscope
Waterproofing	5ATM
Battery	125mAh
Autonomy	14 days announced
Loading	USB cable with magnetic charger
Compatibility	From Android 5.0 or iOS 10

Compared to the Mi Smart Band 5, the new edition of 2021 differs essentially by a larger screen and a higher resolution – the accessory thus goes from 1.1 inches to 1.56 inches and from 290 ppi to 326 ppi -, for a larger display area of ​​about 42%. With the exception of an SpO2 sensor that was added to the Band 6 and its slightly larger dimensions, the design of the two bracelets remains similar, as does their equipment. Note that the Band 6 works with both the Mi Fit app and the Xiaomi Wear app, both compatible with iOS and Android.

A bright, crisp, full-length display

With a diagonal of 1.56 inches, the screen of the Mi Smart Band 6 is the largest screen ever seen on a simple connected bracelet. Placed next to its predecessor, this improvement is not necessarily obvious (see photo above), as the dimensions of the two trackers remain close (the Band 6 is only 0.5 mm higher and wider). This is quite logical since Xiaomi has mainly worked to reduce the screen borders of the Mi Band 5.

The manufacturer has also increased the resolution of its flagship bracelet. The result is an image less pixelated than before, sharper, more readable. And all the more so since the screen technology adopted is AMOLED which offers on this Band a beautiful brightness of around 450 nits and deep blacks.

And yet, despite this progress in terms of the display, we remain a little frustrated by the narrowness of this screen which forces Xiaomi to use really tiny characters, especially for the lines of the Band 6 menus.

After having tested the Huawei Band 6, tipped as the main rival of the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6, and its much larger screen, we are left unsatisfied, with the obligation to wait for the automatic scrolling of each menu line to become familiar with and thus correctly set up your activity tracker. Indeed, some settings, such as brightness or DND (do not disturb) can only be made from the device. A real hassle, if you don't have a sharp view and you're in a hurry.

In any case, it offers good brightness, sufficient for comfortable outdoor use. If the bracelet does not have a sensor to adjust it automatically, this brightness drops drastically at night. All you have to do is activate this option in Night Mode, from the smartphone.

Navigation: good and bad

On the navigation side, Xiaomi abandons the touch button at the bottom of the screen to switch to 100% gesture. With a simple swipe of the finger from left to right or bottom to top (and vice versa), you can access the various functions and information available from the tracker. If the whole is sufficiently responsive for relatively fast and precise navigation, we regret that Xiaomi, like Huawei, has not better optimized ergonomics. On the Mi Smart Band 6, regardless of the direction taken – up or down – you access the same menus that rotate in an infinite loop. Same from left to right. We would have liked Xiaomi to make better use of this navigation by giving access to its notifications with a simple swipe in a specific direction, for example. Fortunately, you can, from the smartphone, in the shortcut settings, add the functions of your choice in the horizontal navigation. By limiting the number of shortcuts to 2 or 3 functions maximum, we manage to pleasantly optimize our Mi Smart Band 6.

However, we expected the brand to innovate more in terms of design and ergonomics with smarter navigation, but also a slightly wider and shorter screen. As it is, the Huawei's 1.47-inch screen appears larger visually and above all provides much greater comfort while its resolution is lower. Shame. But in Xiaomi's defense, by its dimensions, Huawei's tracker is more like a small watch than a bracelet. Everyone will choose according to their tastes and current promotions.

Regarding the Mi Band family, however, it will be necessary to cross your fingers so that Xiaomi hears these remarks… then wait until version 7.

A quality design without much evolution

The Mi Band 6 takes up almost in all respects the design of its predecessor, with just as many requirements in terms of quality… and the same drawbacks. With its fingerprint-resistant tempered glass screen and flexible plastic strap (the black one sold as standard has an antibacterial treatment), the new Mi Band still exudes strength as much as ever.

We will appreciate or not the design of the whole, with a very thick intelligent module (a little more still on this version 6). The fastening system is still just as impractical and less secure than a classic watch buckle clasp. It actually came loose once or twice at night during our test period. It is clearly difficult to reach the last notch when you have a small wrist and the large screen does not completely adhere to the skin... If necessary, consider reversing the position of the module in the bracelet to facilitate closing.

On the other hand, we appreciate the lightness of the bracelet with a module of less than 13 grams for a set that does not exceed 24 grams. Under the tracker we discover the main sensors, the heart rate monitor which emits a green light and the oximeter (for measuring the level of oxygen in the blood or sPo2) which lights up in red.

For charging, Xiaomi provides a USB cable with a magnetic port that easily clips onto the tracker as was already the case on the Mi Band 5. Like it, the new Mi Band is waterproof (5ATM compatible) and can count beats arms in swimming.

One tracker, two apps

Mi Fit fans or simply those who don't want to change their habits will appreciate finding this application compatible with iOS and Android. The interface deserves a bit of a refresh. However, it offers the merit of being relatively intuitive and of bringing together detailed graphics of its activities as well as the most essential settings for using a connected bracelet, the others being accessible directly from the bracelet.

Those who want a change – and especially a slightly more modern interface – can choose to download Xiaomi Wear, which offers more or less the same functions. This is the new app that has been developed for brand watches such as the recently tested Xiaomi Watch. It works perfectly with the Mi Band bracelet. In any case, you will have to make a choice, because the tracker can be connected to one or the other, but not to both.

Some risky translations remain on one as on the other, not in the same places elsewhere. Nothing very serious. Would you like to do a little “rower” exercise? In France we rather say rower, but everyone will have understood.

If these two apps are mainly oriented towards monitoring activities, whether sports or sleep, some additional functions come to enhance the use such as the possibility of receiving notifications.

This applies to calls that can be identified and then rejected from the watch, text messages that can be viewed from the screen or messages from messaging and other social networks. It should be noted that native emojis are displayed at the heart of SMS, which is not the case on all bracelets. Impossible of course to answer, this possibility being reserved for the most advanced watches.

With Mi Fit or Android Wear, it is also possible to personalize your bracelet thanks to a few dozen “Watch Faces” or dials made available. Not everything is in the best taste for a European audience, but there is still enough to find an interface to their liking.

There are also essential functions such as stress assessment, breathing exercises, a mode for monitoring menstrual cycles, an alarm, a stopwatch, a timer or modes for ringing your smartphone or triggering the camera of this smart phone remotely.

Finally, in the Friends section of the home page, you can add people you know who also use a Mi Band. The opportunity to share your activity monitoring, but not to challenge yourself like at Fitbit.

Comprehensive sports and sleep tracking

To an already very complete device, Xiaomi adds the measurement of SpO2 via a new sensor to measure its oxygen level in the blood. Of course, it is in no way a medical device, but in addition to the heart rate monitor, we obtain a follow-up of its constants which improves whether during the phases of sleep, nap included, or during activities. sports.

The Mi Smart Band 6 now allows you to track up to 30 sports compared to 11 before. Of course, only the most classic sports, such as running, will result in a slew of measurements and graphs. On Yoga or Pilates exercises, the measurements are limited to heart rate and training time.

Without being of much help to the most seasoned athletes looking for specialized watches like those from Garmin, this Mi Band will be a perfect fitness companion for others. Devoid of integrated GPS, it relies on that of the smartphone to follow you in your outdoor activities. With the possibility of controlling the music that follows you, during your runs or walks, from the bracelet.

A long autonomy, without record

Champion in terms of autonomy for several years, the Mi Smart Band 6 continues to offer excellent performance in this area, but without dazzling as much against a competitor like Huawei and its Band 6. With a larger screen and a battery which remains 125 mAh, it is impossible for this Mi Band to hold the announced 14 days except to be satisfied with the bare minimum in terms of connected functions, which would be a real shame. By setting the bracelet to obtain very complete monitoring (with continuous heart rate monitoring for example), high brightness and several sources of notifications, as well as performing activity monitoring every 2 days, we hardly pass the milestone of 10 days. Which remains excellent, even in 2021, with increased competition.

Finally, with the charging cable, count from 1h30 to 2h of charge to pass the battery from 0 to 100%, in the absence of a fast charging function.

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6

New full-screen display: 1.56” AMOLED display 49% larger than its predecessor Mi Smart Band 5...

Best prices

These prices were updated on 01/30/2022 by All4affiliates. They are listed in ascending order and excluding delivery costs. Only the prices displayed at the merchants are authentic.