Xiaomi Mi Band 6 vs Amazfit Band 5: which cheap fitness tracker to opt for?
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 is the latest version of one of the most popular fitness trackers in the world. It was unveiled a few weeks ago and is now available to purchase globally.
Amazfit Band 5, on the other hand, is about a year old. Even though it has the moniker 5, it is not a fifth generation product. Rather, it’s a revamped version of the Xiaomi Mi Band 5. If you’re wondering where the link between the two brands comes from, the maker of Amazfit products Huami is also the manufacturer of the Xiaomi Mi Bands.
Both of these devices are popular budget fitness trackers. However, there are some important differences you should be aware of. Read on to find out exactly what they are.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 vs Amazfit Band 5: Technical specs
Design
Put Xiaomi Mi Band 6 and Amazfit Band 5 next to each other and it becomes clear the two are very much alike. The glaring difference is the display.
The Xiaomi product has a 1.56 inch screen which is almost edge-to-edge. The company has practically done away with the bezel on the side. This is an excellent AMOLED with up to 450 nits of brightness. That’s pretty decent quality for a fitness band, although in direct sunlight you might struggle to read it. Its resolution comes in at 152 x 486 pixels.
The previous generation only has a 1.1 inch display with 126 x 294 pixel resolution. This is the one that can also be found on the Amazfit Band 5.
The large display means the Mi Band 6 doesn’t have a physical button like the Mi Band 5 did. The Amazfit Band 5 has an oval one that can be found below the display. This is useful as it allows you to pause workouts and helps with navigating the menus. With the Xiaomi you’ll need to purely rely on the touchscreen for that.
Another difference is that the Amazfit Band has a slightly larger band adjustment strap. Finally, the Huami product is a tiny fraction smaller – not that you’re likely to notice this.
Other than that, the two are pretty much alike. Both have an excellent 5 ATM water-resistance rating.
Hardware
Below the surface, the watches share an 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope and optical heart rate sensor. Amazfit Band 5 comes with Huami’s BIO Tracker 2 PPG Bio Tracking optical sensor that in addition to heart rate can also monitor blood oxygen levels. This has also arrived to the sixth generation Xiaomi product. So no difference there.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
Battery life is nearly identical. Both of these devices will run for about two weeks on a single charge and more with power-saving options switched on. That has always been a strong selling point of the Xiaomi product.
Amazfit Band 5 | Xiaomi Mi Band 6 | Xiaomi Mi Band 5 | |
 |  |  | |
Case material | Polycarbonate, silicone wristband | Polycarbonate, silicone wristband, Aluminum alloy buckle | Polycarbonate, silicone wristband, Aluminum alloy buckle |
Physical size | 47.2 x 18.5 x 12.4 mm | 47.4 x 18.6 x 12.7mm | 46.95 x 18.15 x 12.45 mm |
Display size | 1.1-inch | 1.56 inch | 1.1-inch |
Display resolution | 126 x 294 pixels | 152 x 486 pixels | 126 x 294 pixels |
Display type | AMOLED with screen brightness up to 450 nits | AMOLED with screen brightness up to 450 nits | AMOLED with screen brightness up to 450 nits |
Water resistance | 5 ATM | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
Sensors | BIO Tracker 2 PPG Bio Tracking Optical Sensor (tracks pulseOx), 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope | 6-axis sensor: Low power-consumption 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope, PPG heart rate sensor, SpO2 | 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, optical heart rate sensor, capacitive proximity sensor |
Battery | 125 mAh lithium ion | 125 mAh lithium ion | 125 mAh lithium ion |
Battery life | Up to 15 days, power saving 25 days, standby 90 days. | up to 14 days | up to 14 days |
Alexa support | Yes | No | No |
NFC | No | China version only | China version only |
RRP | around $50 | around $55 | around $45 |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 vs Amazfit Band 5: Features
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 and Amazfit Band 5 offer a similar fitness tracking experience. They’ll both will keep tabs on your activity, heart rate (deep sleep, light sleep, REM rapid eye movement, sporadic naps) and come with stress monitoring, breathing training, PAI vitality index assessment, sedentary reminder and more. There’s also female health tracking and blood oxygen measurements.
Whichever you choose, you’ll get a decent budget option for tracking activity around the clock. The duo does lack a barometer for floor count and built-in GPS. But you can use Connected GPS, instead, for tracking outdoor runs. It just means you’ll need to have your smartphone during exercise. This also helps to keep the price down.
| Amazfit Band 5 |  |
As far as fitness tracking, the one difference is that you have more sports modes on the Xiaomi. There’s a total of 30, six of which can be tracked automatically. The Amazfit only has 11 sports modes although these should suffice for most people. All of this works pretty well as we’ve found in our review of the product.
Worth mentioning is one extra that you do get with Amazfit Band 5, but it is not to do with health and fitness tracking. It is to do with Amazon Alexa compatibility. You can use the Amazfit to ask Alexa questions, get translations, set alarms, check the weather, control smart home devices and more.
What can be found on both the Amazfit and Xiaomi is other smart functionality. This includes remote picture taking, music control, find phone, reminders, weather forecast, time, countdown and more. There’s no NFC for payments on-the-go on either trackers, unless you live in China.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 vs Amazfit Band 5: Verdict
The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 and Amazfit Band 5 are nearly identical. The main differences are in design. The Xiaomi has a larger and brighter display but lacks the physical button that can be found on the Amazfit.
Under the hood the sensors are the same. The battery life, water-resistance and most other things are also identical.
As far as functionality, the extra that you get with Xiaomi Mi Band 6 are more sports modes. The addition that you get with Amazfit Band 5 is Amazon Alexa compatibility.
| Xiaomi Mi Band 6 | |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 has recently become available for purchase internationally. The device has already sold 1 million units around the globe, and that’s just a few weeks since its launch. It does cost slightly more than the Amazfit mostly due to the larger display. The Amazfit Band 5 has been around for a year but it remains a solid option for those looking for a budget fitness tracker.
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