We put some of the best smart bands against each other: Here is how the HUAWEI Band 6 won with its smartwatch like features without the cost of one

When it comes to getting a smart band today, the wide variety of choice can be quite confusing for the user. What are the features to look out for and which smart band can deliver them all, while also being cost effective? What about health features or interactivity or even battery life? We took some of the best smart bands available today, the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5, FitBit Charge 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Fit along with Huawei’s latest addition, the HUAWEI Band 6 to see which one serves all the needs.

HUAWEI Band 6

All-day SpO2 and health monitoring

Blood Oxygen monitoring has become an important health indicator, especially considering that low levels of bloody oxygen can lead to severe complications. Keeping this in mind, most smart bands available today do keep an eye on SpO2 levels, however the way it’s done can differ. For instance, the FitBit Charge 4 supports SpO2 monitoring, but tracks it primarily when the user is sleeping, giving them an updated report the next morning. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi MiSmart Band 5 and Samsung Galaxy Fit both lack SpO2 monitoring entirely. However the HUAWEI Band 6 not only tracks SpO2 levels accurately, but does it automatically all-day long, giving users constant updates and alerting them in case of any drop.

All three smart bands also support 24 hour heart monitoring as well as sleep quality tracking and stress level monitoring.

Display and interactivity

One major advantage smartwatches hold over smart bands is actually in terms of the display. A larger display usually allows for viewing data in detail or even for viewing notifications. However, smart bands strayed away from this trend, resulting in smaller displays that serve minimal functionality. For instance the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 has a 1.1inch AMOLED display that, while being bright and vibrant, is capable o showing minimal data. The FitBit Charge 4 is a little smaller with a 1inch OLED display, which is completely monochrome and shows only important details. Samsung takes it even smaller with a 0.95 inch AMOLED display, which is not only bright and interactive, but is limited to how much data it can show.

Changing all of this is Huawei, whose HUAWEI Band 6 comes with a massive 1.47inch AMOLED display, making it closer to a smartwatch like experience, with immersive viewing and complete interactivity for easier user.

Battery Life

One of the reasons people step away from having a smart band is simply to avoid having yet another device to charge. However times have changed and manufacturers are building their smart bands with larger battery capacities, making it more convenient to use. The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 for example, gives 15 days of use with NFC features turned on, while the FitBit Charge 4 and Samsung Galaxy Fit can last up to 7-8 days on a single charge. However, if GPS features are enabled, the FitBitCharge 4 lasts just 5 hours! Meanwhile, the HUAWEI Bad 6 can last up to 2 full weeks on a single charge, even with all the major health and fitness monitoring features turned on, making it a more practical solution.

Fitness tracking

Speaking of fitness tracking features, a smart band should ideally deliver top notch fitness tracking, given that it is one of the main purposes of owning one. This includes fitness modes, data tracking and analysis as well as various performance indicators to record progress. Take the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 for example, which can track 6 different workout modes which also include swimming in a pool, giving users all the data they would need to track their performance. Fitbit takes this a level up by adding 20 workout modes along with goal based workouts and automatic detection, allowing for a more varied fitness tracking experience. Samsung on the other hand makes a big leap with 90 workout modes instead, along with automatic detection for 6 of them.

Huawei however takes it even further, with up to 96 workout modes which are automatically detected and tracked for the most accurate data. Huawei also adds to this with the HUAWEI TruSportTM algorithm, which deeply analyzes user’s exercise capabilities based on heart rate variability and exercise data. This allows for detailed assessments such as oxygen intake levels, recovery time and training effects, for a more scientific and efficient approach to working out.

Smart bands are slowly evolving to be more capable than their previous iterations, by being more feature rich and changing up the design. From this comparison, it is evident that the HUAWEI Band 6 is capable of doing a lot more than any smart band, resulting in a complete smartwatch like experience without the price of one.