Mi Band 7 Vs Mi Band 6: Should You Upgrade?
With the arrival of the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 owners of the Mi Band 6 might be wondering if they are missing out on some big new features. The budget fitness tracker is one of the biggest selling wearables of all time and each generation has brought big fitness tracking features at a fraction of the price of rivals although you would expect a newer iteration of the Mi Band to be the clear cut winner.
In this article we will walk you through the key differences and similarities between the Mi Band and 6 and Mi Band 7.
Display
The first major novelty in the Mi Band 7 is a 1.62-inch (instead of 1.56-inch in the Mi Band 6) AMOLED screen, which Xiaomi calls a “Retina-level display with a resolution of 490 х 192 pixels. The company emphasized that the useful area of the display was increased by 25%. The pixel density is 326 ppi. There is support for Always On Display mode.
Battery
The battery capacity has grown to 180 mAh, while in the sixth version it was 125 mAh.
Certification
The device received a waterproof case with 5 ATM certification.
Functions
There is a heart rate sensor, continuous background monitoring of blood oxygen levels (the bracelet will alert the user with vibration if the SpO2 level drops below 90%) and a sleep monitoring function. There is also a smart alarm clock, support for Bluetooth 5.2 and Xiao AI assistant, and 120 sports modes.
A new collection of watch faces is included. The bracelet will work with devices based on Android 6.0 and iOS 10.0 and newer. The bracelet also offers a training load calculator based on the EPOC value. For example, the bracelet will tell the user how much time to rest to recover before the next workout.
Comparison
Choosing an outright winner between the Mi Band 6 and Mi Band 7 is a tough task. The Mi Band 7 does not win simply because it is newer and offers more and the Mi Band 6 remains a valid option on price alone even if it lacks features. That said the Mi Band 6 pack solid basic fitness tracking has a reliable heart rate sensor and features excellent battery life. It is the choice companion for those starting on their fitness journey or who need more advanced features.
The Mi Band 7 is an obvious vertical step for those wanting a little more data from their tracker. If you are looking for more the 70 added sport tracking notes widens its usefulness for those not merely wanting to cycle, jog, or swim. Users will have to contend with shorter battery life but a weak is nothing to sniff at. Additionally Xiaomi got a good updated work to Mi Band 7 sleep tracking and heart rate monitoring reliability.
Overall both trackers offer excellent value at their respective price points but we do feel the Mi Band 7 is a better purchase.