The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 is priced at RM189 and it packs some value for money features for a smart band in Malaysia. There are some ups and down on this smart band so let’s find out what you should anticipate when you get one today. Be sure to check out the “Experience It” video below as well:
Design
The Mi Smart Band 6 has a very simple and minimalistic design although it does look like the previous generation band design. This time, there is no buttons on the display and users will have to use swipe gesture. The strap is quite secured but I did occurred once where the strap might have opened by itself when accidentally touched on an object with hard force. The band also has water resistant up to 50m which is perfect for any weather outdoor activity. At the moment, the band is available in black strap only in Malaysia which is quite disappointing as there are other exciting colours to choose from. Hopefully, next time Xiaomi can offer other colours when the first sales occurred.
Display
The smart band now uses a 1.56 inches AMOLED display which delivers really nice colours to view at. However, there is still a quite thick bezel surrounding the display. Because the screen has a longer size, the UI can fit in 2 menu icons at once now and you could stretch it a little bit to barely fit 3 icons.
The touch display response is good but the UI animation is too slow hence it gives an impression of a slow response feel. Perhaps Xiaomi should increase the animation speed in the next update. The brightness is great for the display but you need to set to the maximum brightness (Level 5) to enjoy the AMOLED beauty. Putting it on level 3 and below brightness will make things tough to look at the display when you’re at bright sunny outdoor.
Battery
Battery life on the Mi Smart Band 6 is quite good. Xiaomi claimed 14 days of battery life on the smart band but with max brightness, notifications and heart rate monitoring turned on, I’m getting 5-6 days of battery life. Charging speeds on the Mi Smart Band 6 is fast thanks to the magnetic charging strip.
UI and features
So this time, the UI on the Mi Smart Band 6 uses swipe gesture to navigate around. It is fairly easy to use and it took less than 3 minutes to familiarize with the swipe gesture. Also, in order to be fully in charge of the smart band, you need the Xiaomi Wear app as certain settings were located at the app to access. For example, if you need notifications or controlling your smartphone camera shutter button, you need to turn them on at the app first before you can use them. Xiaomi Wear app looks fresh and easily to connect to a non-Xiaomi device too.
The home faceplate can be changed via the Xiaomi Wear app but at the moment, the choice is quite limited. I do wish Xiaomi could have allowed us to use photos taken from our smartphone to be the faceplate. Hopefully, there is a software update for it or bring it for the next generation of Mi Smart Band..
For the Mi Smart Band 6 features, Xiaomi has put on the extra mileage to include quite a lot of features. You will be getting Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitoring, Stress Monitoring, Breathing Training, Menstrual Cycle Data Tracking, 30 Workout Modes Data Tracking, Automatic Workout Detection, Swimming Stroke Recognition and Sleep Recording Information. All the features will tick the box for someone that is really active and wants data on the body status. I enjoy the smart band’s displaying the heart rate numbers at the faceplate as it sets a reminder on our body status.
In my “Experience It” video, I tried out the outdoor running tracking data and I feel the distance data is around 90-95% accurate. I wouldn’t comment further on the rest of the data’s accuracy as I would really require a lot of expensive machine/gadgets to compared it. The important takeaway here is to have the data and improve on your workout.
Verdict
I would definitely rate the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 at 8 out 10 because the positives outweighs the negative on the device. I highly recommend it for someone who is still new to the smart band wearables and users with the 1st or 2nd gen Mi Bands who is looking to upgrade. You can get Mi Smart Band 6 in Malaysia now at authorised Xiaomi resellers, partner and e-commerce sites.
*This review is made possible thanks to a loan review unit provided by Xiaomi Malaysia. The review unit is loan for 14 days period and certain experience comments might differ upon on software update. This is not a paid review hence there is no input or final approval is needed from Xiaomi. The article and video review is ready to view at the same time for the public and Xiaomi.