Interestingly, Huawei has been trying to merge smartwatches and fitness bracelets for quite some time now. Let us recall at least last year’s WATCH Fit watch – with a small, but still noticeably larger screen than that of the same Huawei Band 4 Pro; compact, but with a built-in “trainer”; with a rubber strap, but with a color option “pink sakura”; at a very affordable price … And now Huawei Band 6 comes out, which by its very name is positioned as a bracelet, not a watch, but close in functionality to the point of confusion. In fact, this is not just a gadget and not just a fitness bracelet, it is one of the things that really kill the very notion of a “smartwatch” or “fitness bracelet”. For such gadgets, we need a new, unifying term.
Table of Contents
Display
Let’s take a look at the screen. More recently, the bracelet was equipped with it according to one principle – if only something was visible, but it worked longer. Huawei Band 6 also received an AMOLED-matrix with a diagonal of 1.47 inches 368 × 194 (pixel density – 283 PPI). For comparison, last year’s “semi-professional” tracker Band 4 Pro was equipped with a screen diagonal of 0.95 inches, while the same WATCH Fit watch received a display of 1.64 inches. You can see for yourself what Band 6, which by its name does not seem to claim “professional” status, is closer to. The screen, by the way, is very bright and at the same time without automatic brightness adjustment, do not forget to put it in the “do not disturb” mode at night, otherwise if you accidentally move (and the bracelet reacts as a standard to approaching the face and turns on the screen automatically) it can wake up with bright light.
Weigh & Dimensions
The dimensions are more than reasonable – 43 × 25.4 × 10.99 mm and weigh 18 grams (without a strap). It is only slightly larger than the Band 4 Pro and even lighter than it! The bracelet can be safely worn around the clock, simply forgetting about its existence – until you need it in any way. And, which is very important, I slept peacefully with it on my arm – unlike smartwatches, which I could not get used to at night. But such devices are just great to help to control and “count” sleep – and Band 6, of course, is no exception. But more on that later.
First, all the same, about how it is organized. Everything is very simple – the touch screen on the front side, sensors and magnetic contacts for the charger on the back, adjacent to the hand, and the only mechanical key is on the verge. It switches between the main screen and the list of modes. Inside the modes and between them, we switch already by touching the screen and swiping.
Build Quality
The body of the gadget is made of matte plastic, the strap is rubber. If you wish, you can replace it, but there is not much point in it. The material is quite pleasant and hypoallergenic; there was no reaction on the skin. The bracelet is protected from dust and moisture and can withstand a pressure of 5 atmospheres – that is, with it you can not only run in the rain and take a shower but also swim calmly. Nothing’s going to happen.
Colors
The screen is covered with slightly curved 2.5D tempered glass with a good oleophobic coating. Collects prints reluctantly, during testing it was not scratched. The bracelet itself is offered in black and gold versions, the color of the straps: graphite black, green, “amber dawn”, “pink sakura”.
Sensors
Functionally, Huawei Band 6 is practically no different from standard smartwatches – perhaps with one exception. There is no GPS, which the same Honor Band 4 Pro shone with – the location of the bracelet will be pulled from the smartphone. That is, running through the forest with one bracelet and recording a track will not work – this is really a drawback that justifies the absence of the Pro suffix.
The rest is a classic of Huawei wearable gadgets. The bracelet connects to the “mother” device via Bluetooth (here – version 5.0), to control and configure you need to install the Huawei Health application. The bracelet is equipped with an accelerometer, gyroscope and optical heart rate sensor.
As a personal trainer in the manner of Huawei WATCH Fit, this bracelet does not know how to work, but there are 10 basic types of activity in the menu: and of course, works with functional / strength training and running.
At the same time, Huawei Band 6 can monitor the heart rate, blood oxygen level, stress level around the clock (and very accurately) and count sleep phases well – albeit with small flaws. For example, if you decide to lie in bed for an extra 20-30 minutes, the bracelet will count this as a superficial sleep phase. The pedometer is working fine.
Other possibilities: on the basic screen, you can see the time, weather, charge level and the number of steps taken per day, by swiping below, you can find messages, settings and music playback. The bracelet itself does not have a speaker or built-in memory, but you can control the music on the phone from it. You can also view (at least partially) notifications: SMS, main instant messengers – you cannot reply to messages in this case. But you can receive/discard phone calls.
Battery
The built-in battery lasts about 10-14 days of continuous operation, depending on the load. With the constant measurement of heart rate, blood oxygen and stress level, as well as regular training, you can count on ten days, with a more “calm” use of the bracelet – for two weeks. The Band 6 is charged with a convenient magnetic cradle.
Conclusion
The Huawei Band 6 looks like the perfect transitional device between smartwatches and fitness bracelets that deserves a name of its own. Compact dimensions and very lightweight, which allow you to wear the bracelet without taking it off, for weeks, forgetting about its existence, are combined with a rather large screen, which in its parameters is close to the display of other smartwatches and with wide functionality: from a heart rate sensor to the ability to read notifications from your smartphone and answer calls.
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