Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6: Global version might disappoint

Xiaomi, a popular Chinese manufacturer of mobile phones, wearable tech and other consumer and smart technology has introduced a new generation of its entry-level smartwatches / smart bands called Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6. The new product for 2021 was launched during the recent global event, where the mighty photo phone Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra was also officially introduced.

The new Mi Smart Band 6 is a successor to the very affordable Smart Band 5 (currently for £24.80 on Amazon). The Mi Band 6 continues to have a similar all side rounded design as the last year’s model with some big improvement which might certainly be a reason to upgrade to the newest model.

1. Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 Display
2. Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Features
3. Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Fitness modes
4. Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Battery and charging
5. Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Design
6. Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Price and release date
7. Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Global version disappointment and final verdict

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 Display

The oval 1.56-inch AMOLED display of the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 offers 50% more screen space than the display on the old Mi Band 5 and works with fine 326 PPI (pixels per inch) at 152×486 px resolution and brightness with up to 450 nits, which is not great but not so bad either and should give just enough visibility for viewing of key stats and daily notifications while indoors or outdoors. The Mi Band 6 screen is largely customizable with up to 60 different good looking themes to personalize users style.

The display itself is protected by tempered glass and is resistant to fingerprints.

Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Features

One of the Mi Band 6 main features is that it can now track the SpO2, which basically measures the amount of oxygen-carrying haemoglobin in the blood (via a light beam). This has been an important feature in many products recently, especially since the last year’s pandemic, as it is possible to predict COVID-like health complications if the SpO2 level gets too low.

Additionally to SpO2 tracking, the Mi Band 6 also manages to accurately monitor heart rate, sleep quality during your naps, sleep cycles with REM and sleep breathing quality.

Among other features, such as female health tracking it will also help you during stressful situations and provide you with a guided breathing exercise.

Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Fitness modes

The Mi Band 6 offers good 30 fitness modes, which is double what the old Mi Band 5 has, with 6 modes that will be detected automatically: walking, cycling, treadmill, elliptical and rowing machine (ergometer). It also more focuses on indoor training like stretching, HIIT, gymnastics or even Zumba and street dancing.

Designed with a fitness tracker at its core, Mi Smart Band 6 doubles its fitness mode options to include a total of 30 fun and challenging workout types. Users can now enjoy more indoor training like stretching and HIIT, try out professional sports like gymnastics or even play with fun activities, such as Zumba and street dancing. It also offers auto-detection for 6 common fitness activities to ensure key stats for sporadic bouts of activity throughout the day are accurately recorded and factored into daily activity metrics.

Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Battery and charging

The Mi Smart Band 6 battery is the same as the Mi Band 5’s. The 125 mAh LiPo will provide up to 14 days of battery life, although it was around 10 days with Mi Band 5. It is chargeable via a magnetic port with a quick clip-on and clip-off charging. It usually takes around 2 hours to charge a smart band from 0 – 100%.

Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Design

The Mi Band 6 is also certified to 5 ATM water resistance, which gives enough resistance for swimming, shallow snorkelling or showering. For better comfort of the smart band, Xiaomi continues to include a soft silicone strap (with 47.4×18.6×12.7mm dimensions, adjustable between 155mm and 219mm), which will come in 6 colours variants Black, Orange, Yellow, Olive, Ivory and Blue.

Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Price and release date

The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 will begin its journey in China with the price of CNY 229 (£25 / $35 / €30) for a standard version and for CNY 279 (£31 / $43 / €36) for the version with NFC. The Mi Band 6 is expected to hit the European market sometime during April 2021, costing €44.99.

Mi Band 6 Global version lacks an important feature

The products from Chinese manufacturers usually come in 2 different versions – local (China) and global ( all other countries, including Europe, UK..)

The new Mi Band 6 in the global version lacks a barometer. Most importantly, it lacks NFC support as Xiaomi will in its Mi Band 6 only support Chinese AliPay and not Google Pay used by the large majority in the western world.

Edit: It turns out, that both the Chinese or the global versions do not feature barometer functionality. The height/depth info has been reported working in some cases, which would, however, be most likely thanks to the mobile phone with barometer module which has been paired with the Mi Band 6.

You may be able to get the Chinese version with NFC from outside China, for example from AliExpress online market, however, Google Pay will still not work on it. Instead of that, you might be able to use a Chinese contactless payment service called AliPay, although it might not also be available in all countries where the Mi Band 6 is being sold.

The Verdict

The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 have made a big step forward compared to the last year’s model, having a larger and better display, more functions or a SpO2 sensor. It sticks to the same design which will certainly be welcomed by its fans.

What comes with a disappointment, however, is the news about the global version. As we summarized in the previous paragraph, the Mi Band 6 will lack three, very important features which make the Mi Band 6 worth it. Without the NFC and a barometer, it’s just Mi Band 5 with a larger display and yes, in the COVID-19 times so needed SpO2 sensor, which you won’t probably be using that much anyway as long as you don’t have any symptoms. This with a few more sports modes make the new Band 6 35% more expensive than the last year’s model.