Xiaomi Mi Band 6 VERSUS Fitbit Inspire 2

Xiaomi Mi Band 6 VERSUS Fitbit Inspire 2

There are many choices of fitness trackers on the market now. We will look at Xiaomi Mi Band 6 VERSUS Fitbit Inspire 2. Some are on the budget and some are a little bit more expensive. A recent addition to the fitness tracker market was the Xiaomi Mi Band 6. It comes with a few useful upgrades over its very popular predecessor such as a larger display.

Today we are going to compare the Mi Band 6 with a similar tracker from Fitbit, the Inspire 2.

The 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 colour AMOLED with 152 x 486 pixel resolution. Its size has been bumped up from 1.1 inches to 1.56 inches.

Xiaomi Mi Band 6 VERSUS Fitbit Inspire 2

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 band 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, a 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 that 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.

Xiaomi Mi Band 6 VERSUS Fitbit Inspire 2

Functionality

Both of these fitness bands 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. 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 a run-down of the main differences between Fitbit Inspire 2, Xiaomi Mi Band 6 and Xiaomi Mi Band 5.

  Fitbit Inspire 2 Mi Band 6  Mi Band 5
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)
Water-resistance 5 ATM 5 ATM 5 ATM
Battery life Up to 10 days Up to 14 days Up to 14 days

xiaomi mi band 6 sports modes

Fitness functions

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 to Mi Band is a 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.

fitbit inspire 2

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 30 this year. Fitbit stops at around 20, but this covers what most people are into.

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.

It is fair to say, Fitbit is ahead of Xiaomi when it comes to fitness tracking.

The 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.

The main attraction of the Xiaomi device over the Fitbit is the larger, colour display. Inspire 2’s is less high-res and it is only in grayscale. The other important selling points of Mi Band 6 are the SpO2 sensor and its awesome battery life. On paper, 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. The main attraction of the Xiaomi device over the Fitbit is the larger, colour display. Inspire 2’s is less high-res and it is only in grayscale. The other important selling points of Mi Band 6 are the SpO2 sensor and its awesome battery life. On paper, Xiaomi does offer more value for money.

Source: Gadgets and wearables

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