Xiaomi has announced that the ‘Mi band 6’ fitness tracker will be released on March 29, the same day as the Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra, and new Mi MIX phone.
It astounds me that Xiaomi’s first Mi Band is still the king of affordable fitness trackers seven years later. Consider it for a moment. It faces tough competition year after year, but when all is said and done, it blows it out of the water. And it’s not as if there’s any kind of magic involved. It’s always been the same formula.
This year’s big news, at least for me, is that the screen is far larger than before. With just a thin bezel around it, it follows the band’s sides. It feels like Mi Band at its best, and that’s because it is.
Xiaomi can’t change it on the Mi Band 7 without switching to a different form factor — or making the band thicker, which would make it more difficult to wear for people wrists that are thinner.
The Mi Band 6 has a nearly identical style to its predecessor, according to a live photo that surfaced last week. A magnetic charging cable, similar to the Mi Band 5, was also visible in the picture.
The Mi Band 6 will come with a number of improvements under the hood. This includes the screen, which is said to be bigger, but only by a small margin.
Xiaomi is also said to have improved algorithms for better tracking. Xiaomi could, more specifically, add SpO2 monitoring to the Mi Band 6.
However, unlike heart rate tracking, the Sp02 readings are only available on-demand, so you can’t see how they changed during the day or set an alarm if the bloody oxygen level falls below a certain level.
The app has also undergone a minor upgrade to take advantage of the larger screen. You will see the steps, burned calories, current temperature, date and time, new hard rate calculation, physical activity index, and remaining charge on the lockscreen.
There are also new menus and more customization options, but the user interface is identical to previous generations. However, there is no longer a button below the phone, so you must now wake the Mi Band 6 by tapping anywhere on the screen.
It is also expected to have a larger display, up to 30 sports modes, and be available in both regular and NFC versions.
