It was only last month that I reviewed the Honor Band 6. When I tested it out for three weeks, I was so close to getting one for myself. The Honor Band 6 was a nifty and affordable fitness tracker and it was so light you could barely feel it on your wrist. Heck, sometimes you’d even forget that you’re wearing it!
Honestly, I thought it was a pretty good option. As mentioned in my review, you get great battery life, personalisation and customisation, and a bright and cheerful display in a fitness tracker, all for less than RM 200!
Until I saw the Huawei Band 6.
At first glance, it is hard to catch the differences between the Honor Band 6 and the Huawei Band 6. After all, they looked almost identical!
A Hybrid Smartwatch
The Huawei Band 6 appeals to those who don’t need nor want a full-fledged smartwatch. You could probably call it a hybrid smartwatch since it does a good job of telling the time, setting up alarms, and taking note of the dates and days. But a large portion of its features skews towards the fitness side.
Basic Tracking
The Huawei Band 6 can track all the basics, such as:
- Step count
- Heart rate via TruSeen Heart Rate Monitoring
- Calorie count
- Activity duration
- Sleep quality via TruSleep 2.0
- Stress rate
- All-day SpO2 monitoring
The Huawei Band 6 also supports 96 workout modes (to be honest, I’m not sure if I would use all 96 but I guess it is better to have the options than not at all).
I have yet to fully test out some of the 96 workout modes. As we all know, the pandemic and the on-and-off-again lockdowns have messed up my fitness system.
Not to mention, my running shoes have decided to fall apart just as I was about to start exercising again. Sure, I can try the indoor exercises. When I do, I may write another review, this time focusing on the fitness part. Today, we will look at other aspects of the fitness tracker.
Battery Power
I’ve been using the Huawei Band 6 for more than a month now and I can certainly vouch for the battery. I don’t have to charge the fitness tracker as often as I had to with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 1 that I had before (once every two days). The battery on the Huawei Band 6 can last up to two weeks on a single charge!
Weightlessness
Just as the Honor Band 6 has been to me, the same can be said for the Huawei Band 6. Weighing in at just 18g without the straps, I can barely feel the fitness tracker around my wrist (if you wore it tightly, that’s a different story). Sometimes, I forget I have it on until I flex my wrist. When I take it off before a shower, I’d feel the phantom strap on my skin.
Interchangeable Strap Options
For most fitness tracker enthusiasts, this could be a tricky situation. Some reviews report that the straps on the Huawei Band 6 are not interchangeable, while others say that you can. If you’re the type to collect various strap colours and patterns for different occasions, you might want to be sure about this before you make a purchase.
UPDATE: So, I’ve done the homework for you guys and I found out that you CAN change the straps on the Huawei Band 6. Watch the video below to find out how.
I bought the Huawei Band 6 with the Forest Green strap. Looks like I’ll be looking for new straps now then!
Personalised Watch Faces
Unsurprisingly, many of these fitness trackers come with features that are often limited, such as notifications, on-device weather, Bluetooth connectivity, and smartphone music controls. Another thing that I liked about the Huawei Band 6 (which is again similar to the Honor Band 6) was its ability to personalise and customise the watch face.
You get to choose from a list of free watch faces, or if you don’t mind spending a few ringgit, you could go for the fancier ones. Or, if you’re anything like me and want to customise the watch face by adding a picture of your beautiful baby boy or your recent vacation to Bali, you can add in a photo of your choice and save it as a new face. You can do all of these on the Huawei Health app.
In conclusion…
At the end of the day, it all comes down to what you want.
If you are willing to break the bank for more than just a fitness tracker, there are always options for you. Garmin and Fitbit are two of the better brands for fitness tracking.
If every social event calls for a different colour, pattern, or material, you may want to go for another fitness tracker or smartwatch brand. Or at least confirm once and for all if Huawei Band 6 supports interchangeable straps.
The Huawei Band 6 does a lot for me at a cost of less than RM 400. I’m sure it will do the same for you once you know what you want it to do.
SHEU QUEN | THE RACONTEUR 