Huawei Band 6 review: looks like a smartwatch, works like a fitness band
Fitness bands are a dime a dozen these days. You’ll find some pretty adequate and dependable ones from the likes of Xiaomi, Realme, Samsung, Fitbit, and so on. Most fitness bands offer a typical look – slim profile, tiny display, and lightweight build. Fitness bands are often seen as functional devices, meant to offer basic fitness tracking features at affordable prices. This is probably why many brands have not really tried to experiment with the design too much. There is a thin line between fitness bands and smartwatches these days, but then comes Huawei with the Huawei Band 6 that sits clearly in the middle.
The Huawei Band 6 can be seen as a kind of a hybrid. It is very much an affordable fitness tracker, but it aspires to be a smartwatch. Unfortunately, the Huawei Band 6 has not launched in India yet and there is no word on whether the company plans to bring it. That said, Honor has launched the Honor Band 6 in India, which is essentially the Huawei Band 6. I got to try the Huawei Band 6 for a few weeks and here are my thoughts on it.
The lowdown
The Huawei Band 6 comes with a rectangular body that is slightly bigger than a traditional fitness tracker. It’s not as big a smartwatch though, hence lies somewhere in between. The bigger body also means you get a larger display compared to a typical fitness tracker. While bands like the Mi Band 6 offer a 1.1-inch screen, the Huawei Band 6 features a 1.47-inch screen, so you get more to look at. It is an AMOLED display with vibrant and punchy colours and inky blacks.
With the Band 6, Huawei is offering more screen real estate compared to a typical fitness tracker. The advantages are that you get to see more complications and information on a watch face, the text appears bold, and notifications can be read without having to squint your eyes. And for the most part, this is what the Huawei Band 6 delivers – a rich and informative screen. You can even scroll the text with your finger and not worry about covering the entire screen.
Huawei has made sure that you get the most screen on the Band 6 by reducing the bezels around the display and not adding any buttons on the surface. There is a button on the right side of the body that lets you turn on the screen, bring up the menu, and go back to the watch face. The only downside to an otherwise great design is the strap. While you get a variety of colourful straps to choose from while buying, you don’t have the option to change them. The straps are attached to the body and you won’t be able to swap them for new ones in case they wear out, which is kind of disappointing. The unit I received had the Forest Green coloured straps, which are pretty dull and inconspicuous. In contrast, the Amber Sunrise and Sakura Pink colour options look more appealing. The rubber straps are soft and easy around the wrist. Despite the large body, the Huawei Band 6 feels light and comfortable throughout the day and while sleeping at night.
