HUAWEI Band 6

HUAWEI Band 6

The HUAWEI Band 6 is a fitness band released in April 2021. This fitness band is nearly identical to the HONOR Band 6 released in late 2020. Even though HONOR is no longer part of the HUAWEI family (HUAWEI sold the HONOR brand in November 2020), this fitness band highlights the continued cooperation between these 2 brands. Note that there is a lot of political backlash against HUAWEI in the United States making it difficult to find HUAWEI products in some channels.

As can been seen by the photos below, the HUAWEI Band 6 looks nearly identical to the HONOR Band 6 and moves away from the narrow fitness band look to more of a smartwatch form factor. In comparison, the popular Mi Band 6 sticks with the more traditional narrow fitness band design.

Unfortunately HUAWEI does not disclose the chipset used for the Band 6. That being said, the watch does not lag and is very responsive.

This watch is using Lite OS, a proprietary operating system for HUAWEI fitness bands and older smartwatches. While there are some available apps on the band, the number is minimal and you do not have access to a 3rd party app store such as the Google Play Store. This is a significant disadvantage and is common drawback for any smartwatch using a proprietary operating system.

Design

The HUAWEI Band 6 has a rectangular watch face design with a plastic case.  The band is available in gray or gold. While the HUAWEI Band 6 is larger than most other fitness bands, the 43 x 25.4 x 11.0 mm size is smaller than most smartwatches. These dimensions are identical to the HONOR Band with the exception of the thickness. The HUAWEI band is 11.0 mm thick while the HONOR band is 11.5 mm thick. At a weight of 18g, the band is comfortable and can be worn while sleeping.

The Band 6 comes with a 20mm silicone interchangeable strap. The strap is comfortable and quality is acceptable for this low price point.

You can interact with the watch using the touchscreen and 1 physical button. The touchscreen works well with no lag. Fonts, menus and icons can easily be read and navigation is not too complex.

The Band 6 has a 5ATM water resistance rating which allows for swimming. The watch also has a swimming mode that allows the screen to be locked. Salt water or chlorine could be problematic so make sure to rinse, wipe and dry the watch after swimming. Note that HUAWEI indicates that this band is not suitable for showers with hot water.

Screen

The screen of the Band 6 is one of the highlights of this smartwatch, especially when compared to other fitness bands. The 1.47″ AMOLED Touchscreen, with 194 x 368 pixels and 283 pixel density delivers a high-quality visual experience. Indoors the display is excellent and outdoors it is good as well.

HUAWEI does not indicate what screen protection is provided which is disappointing. That being said, this is not a rugged watch and we imagine most people looking to purchase would not be doing activities that will be damaging the watch.

Unfortunately, the watch does not have an always on screen option. The watch allows for custom watchfaces which is a nice feature.

Battery

The HUAWEI Band 6 comes with a 170mAh battery. HUAWEI claims that typical usage battery life is 14 days and watch mode battery life is 10 days. Real world battery life is approximately 10 days, while not best in class, is actually pretty good.

Connectivity Features

From a connectivity perspective, the Band 6 has limited functionality when compared to full featured smartwatches. The watch can only receive notifications and there is no ability to respond to notifications from the watch. Also notifications do not show emojis. At this price range, while not ideal, this may not be a deal breaker.

As this is a budget device, the Band 6 lacks a few other features.

  • Does not come with GPS
  • Does not have a speaker or microphone and does not have the ability to answer or place calls via Bluetooth.
  • Does not have WiFi connectivity
  • Does not have a camera
  • Does not have cellular connectivity
  • Does not have Near Field Communication (NFC) for payments

Health and Fitness Features

The HUAWEI Band 6 comes with 4 sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate Monitor (HRM), Pulse Oximeter (SpO2). These cover numerous fitness and health areas. These sensors allow you to track the following 11 metrics: Blood Oxygen Level, Calories, Distance, Fitness Level, Heart Rate, Menstrual Cycle, Sleep, Steps, Stress, Swimming, VO2 Max.

Also included are 96 different sports modes. This is significantly more than the 10 sports modes included in the HONOR Band 6. This covers all the key sporting activities and is quite comprehensive. Fitness monitoring is pretty good while health monitoring is limited.

HUAWEI Health App

The HUAWEI Band 6 uses the HUAWEI Health app, which is very good particularly for fitness and sports tracking. The app is not cluttered, easy to navigate and works quite well. You can see how the HUAWEI Health app ranks on our Smartwatch Apps Page.

Known Issues

Connected GPS not automatically starting

While the HUAWEI 6 does not come with GPS, it can connect with your phone’s GPS to track a run, walk or ride. This works seamlessly when using an HONOR, Huawei or Apple phone. However for all other Andriod phones, the GPS does not start tracking automatically when you select a sport on the band. The workaround for this is to start the activity in your phone rather than on the band.

Verdict

The HUAWEI Band 6 is nearly identical to the popular HONOR Band 6. Fitness and sleep tracking work well. Band is lightweight and battery life is very good. Drawbacks include no notification reply ability, no GPS, no 3rd party apps and no NFC. We suggest you save a few dollars and purchase the Honor Band 6 instead.

Specifications

General

Read Review
Watch Type Fitness Band
Gender Unisex
Release Date April 2021
Operating System Proprietary - Lite OS
App HUAWEI Health
Supported Devices Android 6.0+, iOS 9.1+
Processor Not Disclosed

Design

Shape Rectangular
Case Size 43 x 25.4 x 11.0 mm
Case Material Plastic
Weight 18g
Strap Width 20 mm
Strap Material Silicone
Interchangeable Strap Yes
Watch Colors Gray, Gold
Input Touchscreen, 1 Button
Water Resistance 5 ATM

Screen

Screen Size 1.47"
Screen Type AMOLED Touchscreen
Resolution 194 x 368
Pixels per Inch 283
Always On No
Custom Faces Yes
Screen Protection None

Battery

Typical Usage Battery Life (Days) 14
Watch Mode Battery Life (Days) 10
GPS Mode Battery Life (Days) N/A
Charging System Magnetic
Capacity 170 mAh

Features

Notifications Receive Only
Bluetooth v5.0
Bluetooth Calling No
Bluetooth Music No
Speaker No
Microphone No
Camera No
Cellular No
GPS No
Near Field Communication (NFC) No
Payments No
WiFi No
Voice Command No
Memory None
Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate Monitor (HRM), Pulse Oximeter (SpO2)
Tracking Blood Oxygen Level, Calories, Distance, Fitness Level, Heart Rate, Menstrual Cycle, Sleep, Steps, Stress, Swimming, VO2 Max
Sport Modes 96
Automatic Workout Detection Yes
Warranty 12 Months

Summary

Unique Features Large screen for a fitness band
Advantages Good price for specs
14 day battery life
Good quality screen
Very good fitness and sports apps
Disadvantages Cannot respond to notifications, no emoji support
No GPS
No app store with third-party apps
No NFC or payment capability
No Strava support
Verdict Nearly identical to the popular HONOR Band 6. Fitness and sleep tracking work well. Band is lightweight and battery life is very good. Drawbacks include no notification reply ability, no GPS, no 3rd party apps and no NFC. Save a few dollars and purchase the Honor Band instead.

Published: June 6, 2021

HUAWEI Band 6 - WatchSmarty
HUAWEI Band 6

The HUAWEI Band 6 is an all around good fitness band. Save a few dollars and purchase the nearly identical Honor Band 6 instead.

Product SKU: HUAWEI Band 6

Product Brand: HUAWEI

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: 53

Price Valid Until: 2023-01-01

Product In-Stock: SoldOut

Editor's Rating:
6.8