New means not good, especially when it comes to new wearables. Now that Xiaomi has finally unveiled the Xiaomi Mi Band 7, you’re probably wondering how it stands out against the Mi Band 6. The Mi Band series has long been one of the best wearable products for budget users, but does the Mi Band 7 continue this trend? Or should you invest in a Mi Band 6 instead? Read on for more.
See also: The best affordable fitness tracker
Xiaomi Mi Band 7 vs Mi Band 6: Space Comparison
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 | Xiaomi Mi Band 7 | |
---|---|---|
Display |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
1.56-inch AMOLED |
Xiaomi Mi Band 7
1.62-inch AMOLED |
Sensor |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
PPG heart rate sensor |
Xiaomi Mi Band 7
PPG heart rate sensor |
Battery |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
125mAh |
Xiaomi Mi Band 7
180mAh |
Connection |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
Bluetooth 5.0 |
Xiaomi Mi Band 7
Bluetooth 5.2 |
Tracking and other features |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
30 fitness mode |
Xiaomi Mi Band 7
120 fitness mode |
Water resistant |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
5ATM |
Xiaomi Mi Band 7
5ATM |
App compatibility |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
Mi fitness app
Zep Life app |
Xiaomi Mi Band 7
Mi fitness app |
Charging method |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
Magnetic charging |
Xiaomi Mi Band 7
Magnetic charging |
Of supported devices |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
Android 5.0 and above |
Xiaomi Mi Band 7
Android 6.0 and above |
Dimensions |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
47.4 x 18.6 x 12.7 mm |
Xiaomi Mi Band 7
46.5 x 20.7 x 12.25 mm |
Color |
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
Black, orange, yellow, olive, ivory, blue |
Xiaomi Mi Band 7
Black, blue, orange, pink, white, dark green, fluorescent orange, fluorescent green, camouflage blue, camouflage green. |
Design and features
- Xiaomi has extended the Mi Band 7’s screen to 1.62-inches without sacrificing pixel density.
- The new always-on display mode adds usefulness to the new tracker.
- The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 promises more color, watch face and an improved UI.
Xiaomi Mi has resisted the urge to completely change the band design and this is a good decision in our book. The biggest draw of the Mi band series is its simplicity, and the seventh iteration only improves where important.
Is the display the biggest upgrade of Mi Band 7?
The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 now packs a 1.62-inch AMOLED display from the Mi Band 6’s 1.56-inch screen. This may not seem like a huge improvement, but a larger viewing area for important information is always welcome and valuable at a glance. The new display also hits a maximum brightness of 500 nits, a slight improvement over the Mi Band 6’s 450 nits.
Despite its size increase, the most notable display improvement comes in the form of an always-on mode. The long awaited feature will allow users to hide time and other important information without tapping on the screen. It’s not clear how this will affect the Mi Band 7’s battery life, but it’s a welcome improvement over the Mi Band 6.
By joining the always-on mode and the upgraded screen, the Mi Band 7 gains a reworked UI. Icons and animations see a refresh, while the data presented on the screen takes advantage of the contrast ratio of the AMOLED screen. On top of that, you get the face of more than 100 additional customizable watches with Nifty MIUI 13-inspired design.
Xiaomi has launched two Mi Band 7 models in China. One includes NFC, the other does not. It is not clear which model will be launched worldwide.
Why change that can not be broken?
Any other changes noticeable? Well, no. It is difficult to distinguish Mi Band 7 and Mi Band 6 from a distance. Both feature snags in a TPU band mounted on a pill-shaped central tracker. The former comes with at least six color options, complete with new camouflage and fluorescent options. For those looking for a more customizable band, the Mi Band 7 has a leg up here.
Although you will notice a significant change in the battery power column. The Mi Band 7 has a 180mAh battery, from the Mi Band 6’s 125mAh reservoir. Xiaomi believes that the new band will typically last 15 days in charge or nine days for enthusiastic users. In comparison, the Mi Band 6 was advertised with two weeks of battery life.
It is worth noting that this battery bump is probably necessary. The new features of the Mi Band 7 can drain its battery steadily in the background. Judging by the extended use of the Mi Band 6 over the simple Mi Band 5, it can be a difficult time for you to meet those 15 day stats. There is also an example of this. During our review of the Mi Band 6, we found that the tracker was less than Xiaomi’s cited battery life target.
See also: Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Review
Fitness and health tracking
- Xiaomi Mi Band 6 falls very low in terms of health and fitness features.
- The Mi Band 7 now comes with SpO2 alerts, new training metrics, such as VO2 Max and training load, and additional sport tracking modes.
- However, the new tracker lacks a significant amount of onboard GPS.
The design should be second only to the fitness tracker’s health kit, so how do you compare Mi Band 6 and Mi Band 7? First, the two bands share many features, including heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, women’s health monitoring, and stress tracking. PAIs, or personal activity intelligence metrics, are standard across both bands.
The Mi Band 6 has seen many upgrades over its predecessor, including the addition of a SpO2 sensor, and the Mi Band 7 is intended to be taken seriously by seemingly interested gym-runners and runners.
The SpO2 sensor comes back on but now constantly monitors a user’s blood oxygen levels, sounding an alarm if it drops below 90%. This is a great feature, especially in an era of epidemics. The Xiaomi Mi Band 6’s SpO2 sensor only monitors the level continuously during sleep, so the Mi Band 7 is a welcome step.
Is Mi Band 7 a serious training tracker?
More serious trainers can take advantage of four new data fields to analyze performance. This includes VO2 Max, aerobic / anaerobic training tips that help users understand how hard their heart needs to work to burn fat or build muscle and during recovery. The training load is also calculated using a seven-day post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC – a standard used by Garmin’s choice. This metric will give users more insight into how their recent exercise activity has affected their general fitness.
To get an insight into these metrics you usually have to fork over for more expensive training-based watches, so looking at them on a budget tracker is impressive. Mi Band 7 is not clear how accurate this data is without a spin.
Aside from these serious training features, the Mi Band 7 also caters to casual users. The band now packs 120 sports modes, up from 30 offered by Mi Band 6. Will you use all 120 modes? Probably not, but diversity is the spice of life.
See also: The best multisport watch you can buy
Where older Mi band models can still excel
- If you value battery tolerance, you may want to hang on to your old Mi Band 5 or Mi Band 4.
- Xiaomi Mi Band 7 has not yet fixed the more pressing issues of Mi Band 6 such as lack of built-in GPS.
We’ve talked a lot about Xiaomi Mi Band 7 vs Mi Band 6, but how does the tracker compete with older models? Well, it still misses some features that its predecessors lacked.
The biggest drawback of the Mi Band 7 is the onboard GPS. An expensive fitness tracker and a flagship of smartwatches, the built-in GPS Mi Band 7 lets users leave their smartphones at home to track their runs, bike rides and hikes. However, the GPS attached to the tracker depends on your smartphone for GPS data. This makes Mi Band 7 inconvenient for active people like the previous Mi band.
The Xiaomi Mi Band 7 is worth buying if you value its upgraded screen, larger battery and more intuitive health tracking features.
Again, the battery cost of the Mi Band 7 is worth mentioning. We haven’t reviewed the Mi Band 7 yet, we can only estimate and quote Xiaomi’s 9-day heavy use battery life claim. While this is more impressive than the more expensive watch, it still claims the Mi Band 5 for two weeks and the Mi Band 4 has very little patience for almost a month. If you want a permanent tracker, don’t upgrade to Mi Band 7.
See also: The best Xiaomi Mi Band 7 option
Xiaomi Mi Band 7 vs Mi Band 6: Which Should You Buy?
- If you can’t wait for the Mi Band 7 or pay attention to its more advanced features, you can probably get the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 at a slightly lower price than the new tracker.
- Are you looking for a tracker with advanced training stats, a big screen with an always on mode and a big battery? Consider waiting for the Xiaomi Mi Band 7.
Currently, the choice is quite obvious. The Mi Band 7 is only available in China, and it’s not clear when it will be available internationally. This naturally makes the Mi Band 6 the only option for buyers outside of China or for those who refuse to import the band. But once the Mi Band 7 debuts worldwide, it will become the Xiaomi Mi Band of choice for new buyers.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
Now with SpO2 tracking and more sports profiles
Xiaomi Mi Band 6 (aka Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 in some regions) is Xiaomi’s latest flagship fitness tracker. True to form, the Mi Band 6 offers more features than you expected for the sub- € 50 wearable.
If you already own a Mi Band 6 or an older Mi band, you might want to think twice about upgrading. You may not need the extra training features, or you may prefer the longer battery life offered by older models. If you attend any of these camps, wait for the inevitable price drop in the next life of Mi Band 7.
Overall, the Mi Band 6 is harder to recommend than the Mi Band 7. The latest model features more innovative health tracking in the Mi Band 6, a larger screen and a larger battery for just 249 Chinese yuan ($ 37). At that price, the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 doesn’t have much competition, even from its own family.
Which Xiaomi Mi band model do you prefer?
18 votes
This is for our Xiaomi Mi Band 7 vs Mi Band 6. But what do you think about Mi Band 7? Is it worth getting on top of MI Band 6? Let us know by voting in the poll above.