Update: April 29, 2021 (2:20 AM ET): The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 is now available in the US through Amazon and in the UK and Europe through Xiaomi’s official store. We’ve updated the article below with information on pricing as well as links to buy the fitness band.
Original article: Xiaomi has added a new fitness band in its super popular Mi Band series. The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 launched early this year compared to Xiaomi’s usual June launch timeline. It looks almost identical to the Mi Band 5, but there are several changes both above and under the hood, making it smarter and more useful.
That said, there are still some features that remain missing, at least from the global variant of the Mi Band 6. Here’s everything you need to know about the new fitness tracker.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 specs and features
Display
The first feature upgrade that the Mi Band 6 gets is a larger display. The screen now measures 1.56 inches. According to Xiaomi, it offers 50% more real estate than the Mi Band 5’s 1.1-inch display. The panel is still AMOLED and you can expect the same vibrant neon-on-black colors all around. You’ll also have a choice of 60 different band displays to personalize the screen.
For added protection, the display is covered in tempered glass with an anti-fingerprint coating.
Activity tracking
Apart from a bigger footprint, the Mi Band 6 also doubles the number of activity tracking modes this time around. The Mi Band 5 offered 11 sports modes, while Mi Band 6 takes that number up to 30. The additional activity features include more indoor training modes like stretching, HIIT, Zumba, dancing, and others.
There’s also a new auto-detection mode on the Mi Band 6 for six activities: running, walking, treadmill, cycling, rowing machine, and elliptical. With the new feature, the fitness band will be able to automatically determine if you’re doing any of the aforementioned activities and start monitoring them without the need for manual intervention.
Fitness monitoring
Xiaomi has also improved sleep monitoring on the Mi Band 6. It can now help access users’ sleep breathing quality thanks to its built-in SpO2/blood oxygen sensor. It’ll also detect various sleep stages and promises to offer useful insights into sleep quality and duration.
Of course, you get 24/7 heart rate monitoring with the Mi Band 6’s PPG sensor. This is the same sensor that’s also used on Amazfit wearables as well as previous Mi Band models. There’s a new mode on the device that relies on the heart rate sensor to detect stress levels during the day.
Women’s health and PAI scoring system
Just like the Mi Band 5, the Mi Band 6 also offers menstruation cycle tracking. It can help determine cycle dates as well as fertility timelines.
The PAI or Personal Activity Intelligence feature also makes a comeback. It measures your daily activity and heart rate to give you a score out of 100.
Battery life, water resistance, and connectivity
The Mi Band 6 packs in a 125mAh battery that charges using a magnetic charger. Xiaomi claims the band can offer more than 14 days of juice in a single charge.
The Mi Band 6 is also 5ATM certified, which means it can withstand up to 50 meters depth for 10 minutes. You can read the complete specs of the Mi Band 6 in the table below.
Unfortunately, there’s still no NFC on the global variant and no voice assistant either.
| Xiaomi Mi Band 6 | |
|---|---|
| Display | 1.56-inch AMOLED Tempered glass with anti-fingerprint coating 152 x 486 resolution 326ppi Up to 450 nits 60+ band displays |
| Sensors | PPG heart rate sensor 3-axis accelerometer sensor 3-axis gyroscope sensor SpO2 sensor Connected GPS |
| Battery | 125mAh 14-day promised battery life |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Tracking and other features | 30 fitness modes 6 auto detection modes SpO2 tracking Sleep tracking Breathe exercise Stress monitoring Female health tracking PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence) Idle alerts Camera remote shutter |
| Water resistance | 5ATM |
| App compatibility | Mi Wear app Mi Fit app |
| Charging method | Magnetic charging |
| Supported devices | Android 5.0 and above iOS 10 and above |
| Dimensions | 47.4 x 18.6 x 12.7mm Strap: 155 – 219mm |
| Colors | Black, Orange, Yellow, Olive, Ivory, Blue |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 price and availability
As expected, the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 comes bearing an affordable price of 229 yuan (~$35) in China and 279 yuan (~$43) for the NFC edition.
It’s now available in the US through Amazon for $59.29. But if you apply and get approval for an Amazon Rewards Visa card, you can claim the Mi Band 6 for as low as $9.29 right now.
You can also buy it in the UK for ￡39.99 and in Europe for €44.99. There are also some other sources where you can get the Mi Band 6 for cheaper. You can check out all the buying options for the band below.
Now with SpO2 tracking and more sport profiles
The device comes in different colorways for the straps, including Black, Orange, Yellow, Olive, Ivory, and Blue.
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We also expect the Mi Band 6 to launch in other countries like India, but there’s no word on that for now. Last year, Huami launched a Mi Band replica with Alexa support in the US, so you can also consider getting that if you can’t get your hands on the Mi Band.
