Xiaomi Mi Band 6 vs Fitbit Inspire 2: here’s how they compare
There has never been a bigger choice of fitness bands for those on a budget. A recent addition to this space is the Xiaomi Mi Band 6. It comes with a few useful upgrades over its very popular predecessor such as a larger display.
Fitbit’s candidate for this category is the Inspire 2 It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of Charge 4 or the company’s smartwatch range, but it does sell for a very attractive price.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
Which should you buy? Read on to find out.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 vs Fitbit Inspire 2: Hardware
Design
The duo is very sporty looking with similar but distinct designs. Mi Band 6 and Inspire 2 are fitness bands so if you are after a smartwatch experience look away now. There are plenty of options for that and these two are not amongst them.
Xiaomi’s device is not all too different from generation 5. It adopts it a modern, curved style with rounded edges. As mentioned, the main difference is that this time around the wearable has a larger, full color AMOLED with 152 x 486 pixel resolution. Its size has been bumped up from 1.1 inches to 1.56 inches.
If you’re after a skinnier look, the Fitbit is the one to go for. But a price you have to pay for Inspire 2’s slim form-factor is the tiny display. The thing comes with a 1 inch (128 x 72 pixel) black and white, OLED touchscreen. It’s worth noting, unlike the Xiaomi Mi Band 6, the display takes up only a part of the front of the device. The rest is a thick bezel.
Xiaomi is therefore clear winner on this count. Nevertheless, Fitbit’s device has pretty good visibility both indoors and out so will do the job.
One advantage of the Inspire band is that it has a button which can be used to wake up the tracker, move you back out of menus and navigate workouts. Xiaomi has done away with the physical button of the predecessor generation so you will need to rely purely on the touchscreen.
The excellent 5 ATM rating is the same for both. This means they will survive down to depths of 50 meters so can provide true 24/7 fitness tracking experiences.
Under the hood
Under the hood, the devices share an accelerometer and optical heart rate sensor. Mi Band 6 also has a gyroscope and SpO2 sensor. Neither of these has built-in GPS but they can tap into your phone for a satellite signal. Budget fitness bands with built-in GPS are still a year or two away.
Moving on to battery life and once again Mi Band pulls ahead. The fifth generation keeps going for around two weeks on a single charge, which falls to about two weeks for the NFC version. Charging has been made easier, in that there is no more need to pop the unit out of the band. Now it is done via a magnetic charging dock.
Inspire 2 is good for about 5 days on a single charge. It takes about two hours to refuel from zero to full.
Here’s run-down of the differences in design and hardware between Fitbit Inspire 2, Xiaomi Mi Band 6 and Xiaomi Mi Band 5.
Fitbit Inspire 2 | Xiaomi Mi Band 6 | Xiaomi Mi Band 5 | |
 |  |  | |
Case material | The housing is plastic. The classic band is made of a premium, comfortable silicone. | polycarbonate, silicone wristband | polycarbonate, silicone wristband |
Display size | 1.0 inch | 1.56 inch | 1.1 inch |
Display resolution | 128 x 72 pixels | 152 x 486 pixels | 126 x 294 pixels |
Display type | Greyscale OLED Touchscreen | AMOLED (450 nits brightness) | AMOLED (450 nits brightness) |
Device dimensions | 16.2 mm x 37 mm x 12.6 mm | 47.4 x 18.6 x 12.7mm | 47.2 x 18.5 x 12.4 mm |
Water-resistance | 5ATM | 5ATM | 5ATM |
Sensors | 3-axis accelerometer, vibration motor, optical heart rate sensor | 6-axis sensor: Low power-consumption 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope, PPG heart rate sensor, SpO2 | 6-axis sensor: Low power-consumption 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope, PPG heart rate sensor, Digital MEMS microphone |
Built-in GPS | No (Connected GPS) | No (Connected GPS) | No (Connected GPS) |
NFC | No | China-only | China-only |
Battery life | Up to 10 days. Charge time (0-100%): Two hours. | Up to 14 days | Up to 14 days |
Charging | Via charging dock | Snap-on magnetic charging | Snap-on magnetic charging |
RRP | $100 | $55 | $35 |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 vs Fitbit Inspire 2: Functionality
Health and fitness tracking
In terms of fitness tracking, both of these will spit out info on steps, distance, calories, activity and sleep. They are also the usual inactivity reminders and even stress tracking.
An important addition with Mi Band is an SpO2 sensor. This is used for monitoring your blood oxygen levels.
Xiaomi has also improved the quality of data. The band looks out for irregular and sporadic sleep patterns, along with REM sleep by utilizing heart rate variability. Sleep tracking also now includes sleep breathing quality through the blood oxygen sensor. This has the potential to spot Sleep Apnea.
Fitbit is one of the best known names in the fitness tracking game and that’s for a reason. It really has this side of things nailed down. You can trust its data and there’s a great software ecosystem to go along with everything. This includes a very user friendly app and a website dashboard.
Both Xiaomi and Fitbit track a multitude of sports. However, the first does offer a bit more on this count. Xiaomi has bumped up the number of sports tracked from 11 to 90 this year. Fitbit stops at around 20, but this covers what most people are into.
| Fitbit Inspire |  |
As mentioned, neither of these have built-in GPS. But they can piggyback on your smartphone’s connection for more precise tracking of outdoor exercise.
Other additions that Fitbit offers over the Xiaomi are breathing rate and heart rate variability. You get the last week of data. However you will need a premium subscription to access longer term trends and detailed insights.
Its fair to say, Fitbit is ahead of Xiaomi when it comes to fitness tracking. But the Chinese outfit is closing the gap. For example, it has recently introduced female health tracking. Fitbit has had this for a while. This allows for tracking of menstrual cycles with a vibration alert for female users. Finally, similar to Fitbit’s Breathe app, Mi Band now has a stress monitoring feature.
Fitbit Inspire 2 | Xiaomi Mi Band 6 | Xiaomi Mi Band 5 | |
| | | |
SpO2 | No | Yes | No |
Sports modes | 20 | 90 | 11 |
PAI | No | Yes | Yes |
Breathing rate | Yes | No | No |
Heart rate variability | Yes | No | No |
Smart functionality
Even though these are fitness bands, they do come with some smart functionality such as the ability to display smartphone notifications. The better display on Mi Band 6 is more conducive for this purpose. This is why it comes with a choice of watch faces, including some animated ones. The trackers also have other features such as stopwatch, alarm clock, timer, Find my phone and music control functions.
An option you don’t get with Fitbit is NFC for contactless payments. Xiaomi Mi Band does come with an iteration sporting this chip – but only for those that live in China. It will set you back a little more and eat into battery life, but it can be useful for those looking for another option for payments on the go.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 vs Fitbit Inspire 2: Verdict
The Mi Band 6 and Inspire 2 are great choices for those looking for something in the form of a fitness band. Both offer a modern, curved style with rounded edges, although Inspire 2 is the slimmer option.
| Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 | |
The main attraction of the Xiaomi device over the Fitbit is the larger, color display. Inspire 2’s is less high-res and it is only grayscale. The other important selling points of Mi Band 6 are the SpO2 sensor and its awesome battery life. On paper, the Xiaomi does offer more value for money.
But the Fitbit is no slouch either. The main attraction of Inspire 2 is the tried and tested brand, reliable fitness tracking data, more sports modes, excellent software ecosystem and great product support.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 vs Fitbit Inspire 2: FAQs
How are Xiaomi Mi Band 6 and Fitbit Inspire 2 different in terms of design?
They both take the form of traditional fitness trackers. But Xiaomi’s device has a larger display which is color (versus the grayscale of Fitbit Inspire). Other than that, they are pretty similar and have the same 5 ATM water resistance.
How do Xiaomi Mi Band 6 and Fitbit Inspire 2 compare in terms of battery life?
Xiaomi is the battery champ! Its wearable can keep going for two weeks which is about 4 days more than you will get on the Fitbit.
Does Xiaomi Mi Band 6 or Fitbit Inspire 2 offer more features?
This is a tie. Fitbit offers info on heart rate variability and respiratory rate, along with a better software ecosystem. Xiaomi has an SpO2 sensor and more sports modes.
Which is less expensive? Xiaomi Mi Band 6 or Fitbit Inspire 2
The Fitbit typically costs about twice as much as the Xiaomi.
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