Today, Honor announced that the Honor Band 6 is going global, following its Chinese launch back in November. For the global release, they disable the NFC which is used for various payments and services in China. Pricing is kept highly competitive at around $34
Then OnePlus has also announced their new affordable fitness tracking back. At the moment, this seems to have launched in India only, but I would expect a global launch at some point.
It now seems like most mobile companies have a smart band or basic smartwatch, all offering similar functionality at a low price point.
So how does the latest Honor band compete with the OnePlus and the latest Xiaomi Mi Band 5
Honor Band 6 vs Band 5 vs OnePlus Band vs Xiaomi Mi Band 5 Specifications
| Honor Band 6 | Honor Band 5 | OnePlus Band | Xiaomi Mi Band 5 | |
| Display | 1.47-inch AMOLED Up to 282 PPI 194 x 368 pixels 2.5D Curved Glass |
0.95-inch AMOLED Up to 282 PPI 240 x 120 pixels 2.5D Curved Glass |
1.1-inch AMOLED 126 x 294 resolution P3 wide color gamut Scratch resistance coating |
1.1-inch AMOLED ( 126 x 294 px) 450 nits brightness |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 BLE | Bluetooth 5.0 BLE | Bluetooth 5.0 BLE | Bluetooth v5 BLE |
| GPS | No | No | No | No |
| Sensors | Heart rate sensor (optical) Spo2 sensor (optical) 3-Axis Accelerometer Gyroscope Sleep Monitor |
Heart rate sensor (optical) Spo2 sensor (optical) 3-Axis Accelerometer Gyroscope Sleep Monitor |
Heart rate sensor (optical) Spo2 sensor (optical) 3-Axis Accelerometer Gyroscope |
PPG Heart rate sensor; IR detection only on NFC variant 3-axis accelerometer 3-axis gyroscope Barometer Proximity sensor |
| Battery | 14 Days of Standby Time on a Single Charge | 14 Days of Standby Time on a Single Charge | 100 mAh Up to 14 days of battery life Wired charging dongle, USB Type-A |
125 mAh |
| NFC | No (Global) | No (Global) | No | No (Global) |
| Water Resistance | 5ATM or 50m | 5ATM or 50m | IP68 | 5ATM or 50m |
| Features | 10 workout types General health and sleep tracking Notifications Music playback controls Stopwatch Alarm Camera shutter Find My Phone |
10 workout types General health and sleep tracking Notifications Music playback controls Stopwatch Alarm Camera shutter Find My Phone |
13 exercise modes are supported General health and sleep tracking Notifications Music playback controls Stopwatch Alarm Camera shutter Find My Phone Zen Mode synchronization (OnePlus phones only) Weather forecast OTA updates |
10 workout types General health and sleep tracking Notifications Music playback controls Stopwatch Alarm Camera shutter Find My Phone |
| Compatability | Android, iPhone | Android, iPhone | Android, iPhone | Android, iPhone |
| Size | 43 × 25.4 × 11.45mm | 40.4mm x 17.6mm x 11.45mm | 47.2 x 18.5 x 12.4mm | |
| Weight | 22.6g including strap | 11.9g | ||
| Materials | Polycarbonate/Silicone | Polycarbonate/Silicone | Polycarbonate/Silicone | Polycarbonate/Silicone |
| Price | $35 | £29.99 / $40 | $34 (in India, maybe higher globally) | £26.99 / $36 |
Specifications are not 100% accurate, finding like for like details isn’t that easy, and the Honor Band 6 has been launched with thin information.
Give or take, the functionality of each fitness band is identical. They all track a similar number of activities, they all use your phone GPS for outdoor activities; they all have 24/7 HR and SPO2 readings as well as general health monitoring. They also all offer notifications and basic phone control.
By all accounts, almost nothing has changed between the Honor Band 5 and Honor Band 6, just display size and resolution.
Each brand offers things like sleep tracking and stress tracking. They are all semi-accurate, but each one will vary, so it is hard to draw an accurate conclusion on which one is best. Even my considerably more expensive Garmin Fenix 6 is a bit hit and miss with a lot of health tracking.
Price
The main things to consider are price, display, the app and your preferred brand. They are all so close in pricing, it is not really worth considering that, but seasonal sales may swing things.
Display Size
The Honor is arguably better with a massive increase in display size vs the Honor Band 5 and offering a bigger display and higher resolution vs the competitors. However, if you want something smaller or more discrete, then it may not be for you. The Honor Band 5 would fit the bill though.
Apps & Brand
I have only personally used the Honor Band 5, so can’t comment too much here. I’d say if you have a phone with one of the respective brands, then the integration will likely be a little more seamless. This is certainly the case with Honor/Huawei, with them having Huawei Health installed by default.
Overall
If I were looking for a fitness band, I would try and buy from the brand that matches my phone.
Each option is incredibly affordable, so it is not something I would stress about too much. The Honor Band 6 is perhaps slightly in the lead overall thanks to its larger more usable display, and I have generally been happy with the Huawei Health app when I have used it (apart from the fact you can’t export to Strava).
Posted by Mighty Gadget Blog: UK Technology News and Reviews
