This article will compare and contrast the Mi Band 6 and the Mi Band 5, two popular fitness trackers from Xiaomi. The Mi Band 6 was released in 2021, a year later than the Mi Band 5. What are their similarities and differences in features and performance? How can you choose the best one for your needs? And should you upgrade from the Mi Band 5 to the Mi Band 6?
This blog post will cover all of these questions, go over the main features of these two fitness trackers, such as design, display, battery life, and functionality and share our opinion on which Mi Band is best for you.
Let’s dive in!
Here is a brief overview of their main similarities and differences between the Mi Band 5 and the Mi band 6.
| Mi Band 6 | Mi Band 5 | |
| Display – Size | 1.56 Inch AMOLED display | 1.1 Inch AMOLED display |
| Resolution | 152 x 486 pixels, 326 PPI 30Hz Refresh Rate | 126 x 294 pixels, 291 PPI, 30Hz Refresh Rate |
| Brightness | ≥ 450 nits, adjustable | ≥ 450 nits, adjustable |
| Body Dimensions | 47.4(H) × 18.6(W) × 12.7(D) mm | 46.9(H) × 18.2(W) × 12.4(D) mm |
| Body Net Weight | 12.8g | 11.9 g |
| Battery Capacity | 125 mAh | 125 mAh |
| Sensors | 3 | 3 |
| Processor | Dialog 14697 | Dialog 14697 |
| Wireless connection | Bluetooth 5.0 BLE | Bluetooth 5.0 BLE |
| Supported systems | Android 6.0+, iOS 10.0+ | Android 5.0+, iOS 10.0+ |
| Features | Alarms, notifications, watch faces, widgets, heart rate monitoring, SpO2, sleep tracking, step counting, exercise tracking | Alarms, notifications, watch faces, widgets, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, step counting, exercise tracking |
| Fitness Modes | 30 | 11 |
| Pricing | Check Pricing on Amazon Check Pricing on AliExpress | Check Pricing on Amazon Check Pricing on AliExpress |
Display and Watch Faces
The Mi Band 5 has a 1.1 inch AMOLED display with borders and bezels, while the Mi Band 6 has a 1.56 inch AMOLED display that covers the whole front of the tracker. According to Xiaomi, this gives the Mi Band 6 a 50% larger viewable area than the Mi Band 5.
The Mi Band 6 also has a higher resolution of 152 x 486 pixels, compared to the Mi Band 5’s resolution of 126 x 294 pixels. The Mi Band 5 has a back button on the display that can be used to wake up the screen or go back to the home screen. The Mi Band 6 does not have this button, and instead relies on tapping or swiping the screen to wake it up or navigate the menu.
The display size, resolution and button are the main differences between the two bands.
The watch faces of both bands look and work similarly. They can be customized, have shortcuts, and show a lot of information. The Mi Band 6 allows you to scroll through the icons endlessly.
In summary, the Mi Band 6 has a bigger and better display than the Mi Band 5, but it does not have a handy back/home button.
Design and Strap
The Mi Band 5 and the Mi Band 6 share a similar oval-shaped tracker design. They have a single strap that wraps around the module, and can be swapped between the two bands. So you can keep your old Mi Band 5 strap if you upgrade to the Mi Band 6.
The Mi Band 5 and the Mi Band 6 are similarly sized. The Mi Band 5 measures 46.9 × 18.2 × 12.4 mm, while the Mi Band 6 measures 47.4 x 18.6 x 12.7mm.
Both trackers are lightweight and comfortable to wear.
Both the Mi Band 6 and the Mi Band 5 have charging ports on the back. And you can use the same charger for both; your Mi Band 6 charger can charge your Mi Band 5.
The back of both bands also has a PPG heart rate sensor and a 3-axis accelerometer and gyroscope.
I think the design of the Mi Bands is great and there is not much difference between the Mi Band 5 and the Mi Band 6 design and strap.
Battery Life and Charging
The Mi Band 6 and the Mi Band 5 come with the same battery, a 125 mAH battery.
And based on my experience, the Mi Band 6 has similar battery life as the Mi Band 5. That’s probably because they come with the same power-efficient processor (Dialog 14697).
| USAGE | Mi Band 6 | Mi Band 5 |
| Heavy Use | 7 Days | 7 Days |
| Typical Use | 14 Days | 14 Days |
| Power Saving | 19 Days | 20 Days |
| Charging Time | 2 Hours | 2 Hours |
Here is a table that summarizes the battery life of Mi Band 6 and Mi Band 5
Ultimately, there is little difference in the battery life of Mi Band 6 compared to Mi Band 5. And how long it lasts depends on how often you use the features and settings of your device; SpO2 and heart rate monitoring, notifications, etc.
Functionality, Features, and Interface
While the functionality, features, and UI interface are very similar on the Mi Band 6 and Mi Band 5, there are few changes made to the Mi Band 6.
I’ll highlight some of them.
What’s new on the Mi Band 6 is the multiple widget icons that you get when you scroll up and down from the home face. This is unlike the experience on the Mi Band 5 where you do need to continually scroll up or down to access the next widget. This lends to a great user experience on the Mi Band 6.
The Mi Band 6 also comes with the SpO2. Oxygen saturation (SpO2) is a measure of how much oxygen your blood is currently carrying as a percentage of how much blood it can carry. So higher values of SpO2 mean that your blood is well oxygenated, while lower values means you might be suffering from Hypoxemia.
Recent studies have shown that wearables can reliably detect states of low oxygen saturation when compared to medical-grade pulse oximeter. While the Mi Band 6 is not a medical device, I’d expect “the SpO2 monitoring technology to be sufficiently advanced for the indicative measurement of SpO2 outside the clinic.” Rafl et al.(2022).
However, the Mi Band 6 can only measure your SpO2 levels when you remain still and screen is facing up. And if you are looking for continuous SpO2 measurements and alerts, those are not available on the Mi Band 6, but are on Mi Band 7. Personally, I don’t use the SpO2 feature a lot – it’s a feature for serious trainers.
Both the Mi Band 6 and the Mi Band 5 use the Zepp OS, so you can pair either with Zepp Life and Mi Fitness app.
Both bands have many common features, such as step tracker, heart rate monitor, alarm, timer, stopwatch, and more – they are all user-friendly.
I have yet to notice a difference in the sleep tracking. Though the Mi Band 6 has a flaw with tracking steps – it registers steps when you are not walking but moving your hands! This makes the pedometer on the Mi Band 6 unreliable for people who work with their hands.
The Mi Band 6 offers some minor enhancements in the user interface that make it more user-friendly than the Mi Band 5. However, the feature that distinguishes it from the Mi Band 5 is the SpO2 measurement.
Pricing
When shopping for either model, keep in mind that the prices may vary depending on where you buy them and their availability. To get the latest prices, I suggest checking your preferred local and online stores such as Amazon, Aliexpress, and others.
However, let me give you an idea of what I’d consider to be decent bargain price for the Mi Band 6 and the Mi Band 5 at your online/local store. $25-$30 is a good price for the Mi Band 6. The Mi Band 6 is a really popular band with lots of demand. So, it’s hard to find (though I’ve had some luck finding it in local stores) and you may have to pay a little bit more. However at $30 or more, you are better off getting a Mi Band 7; similar to Mi Band 6 but with more availability.
I’d consider buying the Mi Band 5 at the $20 price, depending on whether it’s the Chinese – usually $5 – $15 cheaper than the global version. The only big difference between the Chinese and Global version is the number of languages supported. The global version supports more languages than the 3 languages (simplified, traditional and English) the Chinese version supports.
Depending on your location and online store, you can get a good deal on the Mi Band 5 CN version – I did find it on Aliexpress for $23. And I find the global version in local stores for about the same price. So, shop around. You may find either of these bands at a great price.
Wrap up
The two features that really differentiate the Mi Band 6 from the Mi Band 5 are the larger screen and SpO2. That’s what sets it apart from the Mi Band 6.
Would I recommend the Mi Band 6 over Mi Band 5?
Yes.
While the Mi Band 6 is similar to the Mi Band 5, I’ve had numerous issues trying to get my Mi Band 5 to pair with my phone.
I don’t know why.
So, I always recommend the Mi Band 6 over the Mi Band 5. However, Mi Band 6 are very popular and hard to find, so if you are on a budget do consider the Mi Band 5 – it has 95% of the Mi Band 6 features and a better battery life. Also consider the Mi Band 7 (especially at ~$35), you might find it for a cheaper price than Mi Band 6.
For Mi Band 5 owners, should you upgrade to Mi Band 6?
No.
If you own a Mi Band 5, you have a great band. There is no feature on the Mi Band 6 that I miss on my Mi Band 5 – I rarely, if ever, use the SpO2. But, currently the Mi Band 6 is overpriced and has low availability. So, if my Mi Band 5 broke and I had to replace it, I’d consider replacing it with a Mi Band 7 – which is cheaper and very similar to the Mi Band 6.
That’s it for this post and thank you for reading my blog post! If you have found it useful, let me know in the comments section below. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!
References:
Rafl J, Bachman TE, Rafl-Huttova V, Walzel S, Rozanek M. Commercial smartwatch with pulse oximeter detects short-time hypoxemia as well as standard medical-grade device: Validation study. DIGITAL HEALTH. 2022;8. doi:10.1177/20552076221132127
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