Why did I decide to get a fitness tracking device?
About a week ago after I did a small hike to Punthuk Setumbu, I had the idea of finally buying a smart watch. That hiking was my strong reason to get one as whenever I go, I always carry an oximeter and activate my samsung health to track my steps, meals, and exercises. That sounded less complicated but now with smart watches becoming more advanced, those tasks seem to be a hassle. When it could actually be done just with one device and that is, the wearable smart watch. And another reason that also influenced me to get one was when I saw how my brother got fit in just less than 8 months. I know that he wasn’t really into fitness before and was too lazy to even exercise. But now, he’s transformed into someone who is always aware of his health, watches what he eats and even exercises. This impressed me and motivated me to start living more healthier lifestyle and make the whole process easier.
And when I was looking for that, I stumbled upon a post from a hiver that was writing a short review of mi band 5 which was released last year and launched at a competitive price. From that post, I roughly got the idea of what to expect. Though I am opposed to buying Xiaomi as the brand, I decided to give their wearable technology a try.Compared to other brands, Xiaomi always offers lower prices with more features than, say, Samsung. With less than 100$, one can get one of the Xiaomi Bands. Xiaomi itself is pretty popular in Indonesia as again, it has a competitive price with more features. And based on these considerations, today I went to one of the official shops of Xiaomi in my city to check these smart watches.
When I was at the shop, I was presented with two options, mi band 5 or mi band 6.The staff was friendly enough to answer my curiosity about the product and even let me test the watches. So, the description below is something that I am re-telling from my experience of testing both watches and how I ended up choosing Mi band 6.
Design
Before I was really asked to test things out, I told the staff that my phone isn’t Xiaomi and I use Samsung. He explained that the smartwatches use bluetooth 5.0. So, he wanted to make sure that my phone has it. Though he said that below that version will still work, he was just concerned about the notification from my phone that won’t show up on the band. Mixing the two itself is pretty odd to say the least. That prompted the staff to tell me to check out with the two of them and that’s where I get to experience testing the bands.
From what I saw, Mi band 5 has a smaller display than Mi band 6 which is also something the staff excitedly told me about. He kept emphasizing about the display that is bigger and more fuller. It seems that each year, they are making the display bigger. The Mi band 6 itself has amoled screen with approximately 50% increase and in the staff word, “ well, you see compared to mi band 6, it’s looks more fuller than mi band 5” while I keep swiping left and right and examining the features, he kept mentioning how the design is better than mi band 5. Mi band 6 itself was launched this year and only reached the Indonesian market in about 5 months. So, no wonder that the staff tried to get me to pick band 6. The main difference between mi band 6 and mi band 5 is the touch button. In mi band 6 there’s no touch button. So, this is something that you can put as consideration when deciding which band to get.
Feature
When it comes to features, The staff told me that mi band 5 has 11 fitness support while mi band 6 supports 30 types of exercises including zumba and basketball. Though I personally don’t do those exercises, knowing that swimming is supported, I am more than happy. The staff told me that both are waterproof and can be used for pool swimming exercises but he reminded me “ do not use them at the sea”. So when it comes to this, you can consider if you want more options to track your fitness or lesser options to the exercises.
While the other features remain the same such as the whatsapp notification, call notification, women’s health monitor, the additional sp02 feature which wasn’t available in mi band 5 now is available in mi band 6 is really helpful as we live in covid-19 world. I tested that feature and it worked. Unfortunately, I have yet to compare it with my Oximeter to know if that is accurate and produces the same result.
When it comes to the battery, they are the same, having 125 mAh with charging time of 2 hours which will last up to 8-9 days if it is used regularly, as the staff said. “But if it’s not regular then it can be more than 10 days” he added.
If you are someone like me who enjoys pomodoro sessions, this mi 6 band has it. That feature is a plus point to me that I can set up a pomodoro session on the watch rather than my phone or my laptop.
The Price
As I mentioned numerous times about Xiaomi’s price competitiveness. Mi band 6 and Mi band 5 only differ quite a bit. In the local currency, Mi band is priced at 400.000IDR and mi band 6 for 600.000IDR. So, it is going to be quite a tough decision to decide whether the extra 200.000IDR is worth it for the bigger display and more fitness tracking options and the sp02 feature? I asked myself that question and thought about it for more than 20 minutes before finalizing my decision.
Should You Upgrade ?
It appears that xiaomi keeps rolling out smart watches each year. So, since mi band 6 is released this year, you might as well wait for the 7 one. But if you already have mi band 5, depending on your needs, especially fitness needs and that minor feature, maybe it could be worth it to upgrade to mi band 6. The plus point that I see is the bigger display and that I needed the sp02 features. But when it comes to picking something in your budget that is under 100$, I’d recommend getting band 6 rather than band 5 as it has more fitness tracking feature than its predecessor.
Unboxing the package
This won’t be complete without an unboxing. I am about to show you what is inside the box of Mi band 6 that I got. Inside the box there is the watch, a magnetic usb charger, and a manual in several languages.
| The Band | Manual | Charger |
|---|---|---|
|  |  |
The actual unboxing was happening at the store as I also navigated the watch.It was only 4% and I was allowed to charge it until 10% which took about 5-10 minutes. Oh yeah, before that, if you decide to get this xiaomi band, don’t forget to download the application at the playstore. It will save you time at the store. Another thing is, I saw some other color bands but I decided to just go with black because that’s one of my favorite colors.
Was it worth it?
Mi band 6 is definitely going to add some values in my life which I think is worth it. From the sp02 to pomodoro features, these are all important to me including the stress level that I find quite fascinating. I hope you find value in this review and if you are currently about to get one, you can always refer to this review.
 | Mac is a jack of all trades. A typical introvert in love with literature, books, technology and philosophy. She is also so into nootropics, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than that, she is passionate about cooking and traveling. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. If you like her content, don't hesitate to upvote, leave a comment or a feedback. A re-blog is also appreciated. |