Today, we are going to compare two fitness trackers made by Xiaomi, the Mi Band 6 and the Mi Band 8. The Mi Band 8 is the latest version that was released in 2023, while the Mi Band 6 is an older version that was released in 2021. What are the main differences between the Mi Band 8 and the Mi Band 6? Which one should you choose? And does it make sense to upgrade?
In this blog post, we will answer all of these questions, review the main aspects of these two health trackers, such as design, display, battery life, and functionality and give our thoughts on the right Mi Band for you.
Let’s get started!
Here is a brief overview of their main similarities and differences.
| Mi Band 6 | Mi Band 8 | |
| Display – Size | 1.56 Inch AMOLED display | 1.62 Inch AMOLED display |
| Resolution | 152*486 pixels, 326 PPI 30Hz Refresh Rate | 192 x 490 pixels, 326 PPI, 60Hz Refresh Rate |
| Brightness | ≥ 450 nits, adjustable | ≥ 600 nits, auto adjustable |
| Body Dimensions | 47.4(H) × 18.6(W) × 12.7(D) mm | 48(H) × 22.5(W) × 11(D) mm |
| Body Net Weight | 12.8g | 14.2g |
| Battery Capacity | 125 mAh | 190mAh |
| Sensors | 3 | 4 |
| Processor | Dialog 14697 | ? |
| Wireless connection | Bluetooth 5.0 BLE | Bluetooth 5.1 BLE |
| Supported systems | Android 6.0+, iOS 10.0+ | Android 6.0+, iOS 12.0+ |
| Features | Alarms, notifications, watch faces, widgets, heart rate monitoring, SpO2, sleep tracking, step counting, exercise tracking | Alarms, notifications, watch faces, widgets, heart rate monitoring, SpO2, sleep tracking, step counting, exercise tracking, menstrual cycle tracking, vitality, and more customization options |
| Fitness Modes | 30 | 150+ |
| Pricing | Check Pricing on Amazon Check Pricing on AliExpress | Check Pricing on Amazon Check Pricing on AliExpress |
Display and Watch Faces
The Mi Band 6 was the first Mi Band with an edge-to-edge display – where the display covers the entire front surface of the tracker pill, leaving no bezels or borders around it, with a 1.56 inch AMOLED screen. The Mi Band 8 has a 1.62 inch edge-to-edge AMOLED screen. While this is a slight increase in screen size, according to Xiaomi, the viewable area increases by 25% on the Mi Band 8 compared to Mi Band 6.
The Mi Band 8 also packs a higher resolution display, a faster refresh rate screen (60Hz vs 30Hz), and a 600nits – vs 450nits, auto-adjustable brightness display. I love how the Mi Band 8 adjusts to different lighting conditions (you have to manually adjust the display brightness on a Mi Band 6). Whether I’m indoors or outdoors, I can always see the screen clearly.
The Mi Band 8 watch faces are a game-changer. The default watch faces are stunning: chic and crisp. They kicked out the dull, data-crammed, and chaotic watch faces on the Mi Band 6.
But there is a catch: the Mi Band 8 watch faces are gorgeous, but they sacrifice some features from the Mi Band 6 watch faces. For instance, they are not interactive or adjustable, so I can’t easily check the weather, my steps, or my workout options. I’m still adjusting to this change.
Overall, the display on the Mi Band 8 is an improvement over the Mi Band 6, but it comes with a sacrifice in functionality.
Design and Strap
Another significant difference between the Mi Band 6 and the Mi Band 8 is in the design and strap. The Mi Band 8 and the Mi Band 6 have a similar oval-shaped pill design, but the strap on the Mi Band 8 is different. It has a two-part mechanism that clips on both sides of the module, giving it a smooth and elegant look.
The Mi Band 6 has a single strap that covers the module, which is harder to replace. The strap on the Mi Band 8 is also not interchangeable with other Mi Band models, so if you got a cool replacement band for your Mi Band 6, you can’t use it when you upgrade to a Mi Band 8.
The Mi Band 8 is bigger in size but thinner in thickness than the Mi Band 6. The dimensions of the Mi Band 8 are 48 x 22.5 x 10.99mm while the dimensions of the Mi Band 6 are 47.4 x 18.6 x 12.7mm.
Both trackers are light and comfortable to wear, but I find the Mi Band 8 more comfortable because it doesn’t press into my skin as much: the underside of the Mi Band 8 is thinner.
The Mi Band 8 has a unique feature that lets you wear it in different ways, not just on your wrist. You can clip it to a necklace or a shoe and still monitor your activity. This gives you more options and flexibility in how you use your device.
The Mi Band 8 also comes with an Always on Display feature, this feature is not on the Mi Band 6.
Both the Mi Band 6 and the Mi Band 8 have charging ports at the back. The Mi Band 8 has a new charging cable that does not work with the Mi Band 6.
The back of both bands also has a 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope and a PPG heart rate sensor.
In my opinion, the design of the Mi Bands is one of the better fitness tracker designs. And they did fulfill one of my wishes and made the Mi Band 8 thinner.
Battery Life and Charging
The Mi Band 6 comes with a 125mAh battery while the Mi Band 8 comes with a 190mAh battery. So the battery on the Mi Band 8 had 52% more capacity than the Mi Band 6. You would expect that the Mi Band 8 would have a longer battery life.
Nope.
The Mi Band 6 has a longer battery life than the Mi Band 8, probably because it has a less bright, smaller display and a more power-efficient processor (Dialog 14697).
Based on my experience, the Mi Band 6 has a battery life that is about 15% longer than the Mi Band 8. The battery life of Mi Bands can vary depending on the features that are turned on. For example, if you have the Always On Display feature turned on for your Mi Band 8, you will need to charge it more often.
Here is a table that summarizes the battery life of Mi Band 6 and Mi Band 8
| USAGE | Mi Band 6 | Mi Band 8 |
| Heavy Use | 7 Days | 6 Days |
| Typical Use | 14 Days | 12 Days |
| Power Saving | 19 Days | 16 Days |
| Charging Time | 2 Hours | 1 Hour |
Ultimately, there is little difference in the battery life of Mi Band 6 compared to Mi Band 8. And how long it lasts depends on how often you use the features and settings of your device, such as Always On Display (AOD), SP02 and heart rate monitoring, notifications, etc.
The real difference is in how long it takes to recharge the Bands. The Mi Band 8 takes about an hour to recharge, and the Mi Band 6 takes 2 hours to recharge. So, you can charge the Mi Band 8 in half the time it takes to charge the Mi Band 6.
Functionality, Features, and Interface
The biggest differences between Mi Band 6 and Mi Band 8 are in functionality, Features, and the interface.
I’ll not be able to cover all of them in this post, but I’ll highlight the major ones.
Mi Bands need to be paired first with an app, Mi Fitness or Zepp Life, to work. And the companion apps are the main way to control and customize your Mi Band.
With Mi Band 8, you can only use the Mi Fitness app to pair the fitness band to your phone.
And while you can use Zepp Life or Mi Fitness to pair your band with your phone, I have experienced lots of issues getting my Mi Band 6 to pair with my phone using Zepp Life and Mi Fitness.
The companion apps are the main way to manage and personalize your Mi Band. But the Mi Band 8 only works with Mi Fitness, and the Mi Band 6 has pairing problems, which makes the user experience poor on both bands.
So, if you plan to get the Mi Band 6 or the Mi Band 8 – keep these limitations in mid.
Mi Band 8 uses a new Xiaomi proprietary OS, while Mi Band 6 uses Zepp OS. The two OS are similar – thought the icons on the Mi Band 8 have a more modern aesthetic. Both bands have many common features, such as step tracker, heart rate monitor, alarm, timer, stopwatch, and more – they are all user-friendly.
The Mi Band 8 has an ambient light sensor, which the Mi Band 6 does not have. I didn’t think this was a big deal when I got the Mi Band 8. But after using the auto brightness feature for a month, I love it. It works really well, and I didn’t realize how often I have to adjust the brightness on the Mi Band 6 when I go outside.
The Mi Band 8 is more accurate in measuring the number of steps than the Mi Band 6. The Mi Band 6 and 7 have a problem – they register 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 sleep tracking is better on the Mi Band 8 than the Mi Band 6; it accurately record when you fall asleep and wake up and deep sleep duration – even without advanced tracking enabled.
The Mi Band 8 has a major issue with heart rate monitoring. It gives very inconsistent values for the heart beat per minute (BPM). I have seen values ranging from 70BPM to 180BPM on a normal day. That’s a huge discrepancy. I hope they’ll fix it with a new firmware update.
So, on the Mi Band 8, you get a light sensor, which is not available on the Mi Band 6. However, the user experience with the Mi Fitness APP on the Mi Band 8 is not as good. On the other hand, you have many options for pairing the Mi Band 6 with third-party apps. It’s no surprise that the Mi Band 6 is the most popular band in the Mi Band series.
Pricing
The Mi Band 6 was released in 2021; two years ago. The Mi Band 8 was released in 2023. 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 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 8 at your online/local store. $30-$35 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 and you may have to pay a little bit more. However at $40 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 8 at the $50 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 8 CN version – I did find it on Aliexpress for $36. So, shop around. You may find either of these bands at a great price.
Wrap up
The new Mi Band 8 has a new strap design, always on display, and a light sensor. While the Mi Band 6 lacks these features, it does come with more functional watch faces and the ability to pair it with lots of third party apps.
Would I recommend the Mi Band 6 over Mi Band 8?
No.
While the Mi Band 6 is similar to the Mi Band 8, it’s currently very expensive – I’ve not been able to find if for less than $45, and that’s for a 2 year old Chinese version. I do hope that its price will come down in the near future. But until it drops down in price, I wouldn’t recommend it. At about $30, I’d seriously consider it over the Mi Band 8. But, it’s unlikely you will find it at that price.
For Mi Band 6 owners, should you upgrade to Mi Band 8?
No.
If you own a Mi Band 6, you have a great band. The only feature that I miss on my Mi band 6 is the light sensor. I don’t ever use the AOD. If my Mi Band 6 broke and I had to replace it, I’d consider replacing it with a Mi Band 7. Especially if you are not adventurous and the price of a new Mi Band 7 is close to $30 – which it likely will be once the global version of Mi Band 8 hits the market in late June 2023.
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!
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