Huawei Band 6 Review

Huawei Band 6 Review
The latest wearable in the Huawei Band line has the best design so far and killer battery life to boot, but the performance doesn't match up.

Should I Buy The Huawei Band 6?

Pros
  • Competitive pricing
  • Long battery life
  • Large display
Cons
  • Inconsistent heartrate monitoring
  • Straps non-removable
  • No GPS
Our Verdict
  • The Huawei Band 6 boasts a clear display and great battery life, but the heartrate monitoring is a letdown. 

Price When Reviewed

  • £59.99 (around $83.50)
The Huawei Band 6 is the latest device in the Huawei Band line. It comes in at under £60 and offers a bigger display than anything seen on previous generations.

This fitness tracker is out now in the UK and is capable of monitoring your exercise, sleep, heartrate, stress and more. Huawei also claims an impressive two-week battery life - but how does it hold up in the day-to-day?

Design And Build

The overall look of the Huawei Band 6 is refined and slim, with the metallic bezel giving a sleek finish that other wearables of a similar price don't have. It's actually a similar design to the pricier Huawei Watch Fit, albeit with a more rectangular shape. 

The Huawei Band 6 boasts a large 1.47in AMOLED screen with a resolution of 194x368 and a screen-to-body ratio of 64%. The screen is reasonably bright, although you do get some glare under sunlight. Fortunately, it doesn’t pick up fingerprints easily.

The Huawei Band 6 comes in four colourways: black, green, orange and pink. I tested out the latter variant. The matte silicone strap itself looks nice, but feels cheap. It is also non-removable, so you can’t swap and change as you can on rivals.
Huawei Band 6 Review
The band is extremely lightweight, weighing in at around 18g. It's also comfortable to wear, even for hours on end. However, after vigorous exercise my arm did sweat a lot, so washing the band and drying it is necessary.

The athleisure look of the band means that it can be a good accessory to go with your sports gear. That said, this isn’t really a wearable that could pass for an everyday watch.

To navigate the Huawei Band 6, you use a combination of swiping across the screen and pressing the button on the right-hand side. It is also 5ATM water-resistant and is easy to use in a pool.

Software And Features

The Huawei Band 6 comes with over 96 different workout modes that you can add. However, out of the box the core workouts you get on the watch include running, walking, pool swimming, indoor cycling, cross-training, and machine rowing.
Huawei Band 6 Review

The fitness tracker has continuous heartrate monitoring, but this isn't completely reliable. I often noticed my numbers jumping about erratically, and the results I got didn’t line up with what other fitness trackers provide. The results can be used as a rough guide during exercise sessions, but there are much more accurate devices out there. 

There’s also SpO2 monitoring and stress monitoring, though neither of these are officially medically certified. Nonetheless, they seemed to provide readings that appeared mostly accurate. The band is also capable of sleep tracking, and the usual admin tasks, such as timers, alarms, the weather and receiving notifications from your phone.

There is an option to turn on auto-detect workouts, so the tracker should notify you to start a workout mode if it thinks you're exercising and end when it thinks you’re done. Like the majority of fitness trackers with this feature, I found this to be very hit-and-miss - you're better off just manually measuring your exercise.
Huawei Band 6 Review

The tracker also has a section for breathing exercises, where you can set the pace to slow, moderate or fast, and choose for how many minutes you’d like to do the exercise for. This is quite a useful tool for anyone who practices mindfulness, or wants to use the watch to help lower stress levels.

There is no GPS on this tracker, so you won’t be able to get maps of your workouts.

App And Performance

The data that is recorded on the Huawei Band 6 is all stored on the Huawei Health app, which you can download on iOS and Android. The layout of the app is clear and easy to use, with sections for your activities, sleep scores, stress, SpO2 levels, weight, step count and heartrate monitoring.
Huawei Band 6 Review
Each card then has more detailed information on what all the scores and numbers mean. By far the most detailed section is the sleep tracking, which includes breakdowns of your REM, deep sleep and light sleep, with graphs and time stamps. It also includes advice on how to improve your sleep score.

Exercise logs are also detailed. For my swimming session, I was able to find out which stroke I used most, my average pace and stroke rate. However, some sports record fewer data points. For example, pilates sessions only made note of my heart rate.

Unlike rivals such as Withings, the app doesn’t link to any medically-approved pages for its information. Nonetheless, the advice it does provide appears comprehensive.
Huawei Band 6 Review

The app also includes a section for exercise courses. You can use the app to guide you on different types of training, such as run-walk easy training, fat-burning runs or HIIT sprints. The tracker will automatically start to record your exercise when you press the button in the app. The only issue is that you'll need your phone on you, which isn’t ideal for all runners.

The app has support for both MyFitnessPal and Google Fit - a big advantage over rival trackers from Amazfit. 

Battery Life

The Huawei Band 6 boasts excellent battery life for the price. Huawei claims it can last up to two weeks, which seems largely accurate. I used the band for exercise around five times per week and sleep tracking a couple of times, and found it made it close to the claimed target. Even when the Band's battery fell below 10%, it still lasted for several days whilst undertaking various workouts.

In addition, just a few hours on charge will top it back up to 100%. Considering that this is a device with continuous heartrate monitoring, the longevity of the Huawei Band 6 is a huge plus.
Huawei Band 6 Review

Price And Availability

The Huawei Band 6 costs £59.99, and you can currently purchase it from the Huawei website, Amazon, Very and Currys. The Band isn't currently available to purchase in the US, though you may be able to import it from the likes of GearBest

This price puts the band firmly in the mid-range bracket for fitness trackers. The closest rival for the same cost is the Amazfit Bip U Pro. For your money, you get GPS, more accurate heartrate monitoring and Amazon Alexa voice support. However, the design of Huawei's device is a little more refined.

The Huawei Watch Fit is a slightly more expensive alternative, but it has come down in price since it first launched. This has more accurate heartrate monitoring, plus built-in workouts on the watch itself. 
Huawei Band 6 Review

Verdict

The Huawei Band 6 has a few things going for it. It’s got lengthy battery life, a large and clear display, and a broad range of workout options – all for a decent price.

However, it's let down by its inconsistent heartrate monitoring, lack of GPS and non-removable straps. The first point is extremely important, as it impacts the results you get in your exercise logs.

This fitness tracker does fall short compared to other rivals, and is more style over substance.

Specs

  • 43 x 25.4 x 10.99 mm
  • 18g
  • Durable polymer materials
  • Silicone strap
  • Available in black, green, pink and orange
  • 1.47 inch AMOLED display
  • 194 x 368 pixels
  • Accelerometer sensor
  • Gyroscope sensor
  • Optical heart rate sensor
  • 2.4 GHz
  • BT5.0
  • BLE
  • Android 6.0 or later
  • iOS 9.1 or later
  • 14-day battery life
  • Magnetic charging thimble
  • 5 ATM water-resistant
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About Wanni Arachchige Udara Madusanka Perera

Hey, I'm Perera! I will try to give you technology reviews(mobile,gadgets,smart watch & other technology things), Automobiles, News and entertainment for built up your knowledge.
Huawei Band 6 Review Huawei Band 6 Review Reviewed by Wanni Arachchige Udara Madusanka Perera on June 02, 2021 Rating: 5

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