Usually, Asians are wary of the number “4”, but Huawei fitness bracelets have jumped the fifth generation, not the fourth. New Huawei Band 6 debuted after the Band 4 Pro. This move can be explained in different ways. Firstly, the new gadget received a strikingly different format, worthy of an increase in the index. Secondly, the friendly brand HONOR has a similar Band 6, and different indices can confuse the buyer which bracelet is newer and better.
More Convenient Enlarged Format
The design of the Huawei Band 6 is neutral: a dark gray plastic frame with a metallic sheen blend into the slightly curved 2.5D glass. Of the visible elements, only the power button.
If we compare Huawei and HONOR bracelets, then our hero is more strict and goes much better with formal clothes. In my case, there is a classic watch on the left wrist and a fitness tracker on the right. The combination does not cause any rejection.
The new bracelet has become about one and a half times larger than last year’s Huawei Band 4 Pro. But at the same time, it remained small enough to be invisible on the wrist. The fully plastic capsule, excluding the strap, weighs only 18 grams and is just under 11 millimeters thick.
The Band 6’s affiliation with Huawei is revealed only by a small inscription on the strap trainer. By the way, it is made of soft silicone with an additional coating that does not stick to dust particles—a plastic clasp. The strap is, as it were, a continuation of the case and does not have its own axes, like on a watch, so the coverage radius is overestimated – it will not work for miniature girls.
Well-readable display
The 1.47-inch screen remains readable in all conditions. The brightness does not have to be twisted above the 3rd level out of 5. The oleophobic coating helps to keep a neat look. To deactivate, cover the bracelet with your palm when the dial is open.
There is no constant display of time. The display is activated by a button or by a familiar gesture. The sensor reacts to almost every swing, and it gets in the way at night before going to bed when tossing and turning in search of a good position. To get rid of this problem, you have to enable Do Not Disturb mode, which also eliminates unwanted notifications. For users with an established sleep mode, automatically Do Not Disturb activation is provided on a schedule.
Full functionality
The capabilities are completely identical to HONOR Band 6, which means that all use cases are relevant. In particular, displaying time and weather, receiving notifications, and alarm, stopwatch, and timer functions. Only the dials were left without the attention of the Russifiers. Otherwise, the translation is very competent.
Notifications arrive in a general flow and are not grouped in any way. The screen displays text without emojis and pictures. The call can be answered. The receiver is not available. As a result, after assessing the importance of the message, you have to take out your smartphone.
The enlargement of the display has benefited the player control. Now all five buttons are placed on the screen: pause, forward, backward, and increase and decrease the volume.
The bracelet is primarily designed to track physical activity. The list of possibilities includes counting steps, measuring heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, assessing sleep, and keeping a woman’s calendar. Workouts such as walking, running, ellipse, and rowing machine start automatically. 6 more types are available for manual start from the menu. All information received is aggregated in the Health app, synchronized via the Huawei Cloud, and added to Google Fit or Strava as desired. The bracelet can be used for swimming. This is facilitated by the 5 ATM waterproof and the corresponding training mode in the menu.
The optical heart rate monitor readings are comparable to the home blood pressure monitor, which also measures the heart rate.
Operating time and charging
The autonomy of the bracelet, subject to round-the-clock wear, is impressive – 14 days. For comparison, a miniature Band 4 Pro in a similar rhythm does not live more than 6 days for me. This is another significant advantage of the updated format.
Charging is unified with the compact Huawei Watch Fit and the HONOR Band 6. It is a thin wire with a pair of magnetic contacts and a full-size USB on the back. A full charge takes 1.5 hours.
Review after a month of use
I liked the evolution of fitness trackers, for example, Huawei Band 6… The enlarged display significantly added convenience but did not affect the ergonomics in any way – the bracelet remained tiny and almost invisible. For its 4000 rubles, this is a good reason to upgrade from previous generations. With all this, the novelty is unlikely to outweigh the users of smartwatches, remaining in its own isolated niche.
If we go back to the similarities between Huawei and HONOR bracelets, there is no problem. Companies managed to smash gadgets visually. The former is designed for formal wear, while the latter has a sportier look with a large HONOR logo on the side.
Benefits:
- enlarged bright display;
- the bracelet is practically invisible on the wrist;
- austere look for formal wear;
- a complete set of sensors for tracking health;
- automatic training detection;
- moisture protection 5 ATM;
- excellent autonomy.
Disadvantages:
- notifications without emoji and feedback.
Controversial points:
- untranslated watch faces and American date format.