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Kristian Wright 24 / February / 21

Honor Band 6 review: the fitness tracker with a big screen


Honor Band 6 reviews | Offers 10 sport modes
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The Honor brand has shown the world the new Band 6 fitness tracker. The novelty blurs the line between a smartwatch and a fitness bracelet, combining the functions of both. The gadget has a bright AMOLED screen, a high-capacity battery, and tracks many health indicators. Is the accessory good in action? Let's find out in the review.

Universal design

The Honor Band 6 is made entirely of practical brushed plastic. The device weighs only 18 grams, so the gadget hardly feels in your hand. Even against the background of the usual smartwatch, the novelty looks compact. The case is narrow, so it doesn't cramp the hand when you move it.

It is available in three colours: black meteorite, sand grey and coral pink, but only the removable silicone strap is different. It's comfortable and, thanks to the large number of slots, it fits comfortably on any wrist. But when you wear it for a long time, especially during the warm season, your hand gets sweaty under it.

Unusually large screen

Comparing the current model to the Honor Band 5, you immediately notice how much the display diagonal has increased. Now it's a 1.47-inch AMOLED matrix with a resolution of 368x194 pixels, occupying more than 60% of the front of the device. The screen is sharp (283 ppi), with excellent viewing angles and high maximum brightness - information in direct sunlight is perfectly readable. The display is covered by slightly curved 2.5D glass with a high-quality oleophobic coating, which is pleasant to swipe on. When you raise your hand, the screen lights up immediately. All that's missing is the Always on Display function and a light sensor for automatic brightness adjustment.

Comfortable connectivity with your smartphone

The fitness bracelet syncs with your phone using Bluetooth 5.0 and the proprietary Health app, available on Android and iOS. The app displays exercise records, heart rate statistics, sleep quality, stress and blood oxygen levels. Nine watch faces are pre-installed, but over 80 designs can be downloaded through the utility and previously installed ones can be updated. The latest software on the bracelet arrives via smartphone by air. There is no problem with updating the gadget.

Fast and clear in operation

Honor Band 6 has its own operating system. It functions quickly, programs open instantly. Swipes to the left and right switch between widgets, the display and order of which can be changed in the options. A top swipe brings up the quick settings panel, a bottom swipe brings up the notification centre. Up to 10 recent messages are stored in the accessory memory, but without the possibility of a reply. Cyrillic letters are displayed correctly, but emoticons are not shown. The only physical button on the case leads to the menu of all applications, and pressing it again returns to the watch face. Useful features include the weather display, music control, call reset and phone search.

A sound mind in a sound body

A heart rate monitor and pulse oximeter have been integrated into the back of the phone. These measure heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, sleep duration and phase, as well as stress levels, 24/7. Women's audiences will appreciate the menstruation tracking feature, which calculates cycle onset and ovulation.

The Honor Band 6 offers 10 sport modes, including running, walking, swimming and cycling. As there's no GPS module, it's best to enable location detection on your smartphone for an accurate calculation of distance travelled.

The accessory is waterproof, perfect for pool training. All you have to do is enter the length of the lap and the gadget will accurately measure the number of strokes and the distance covered. Music can also be controlled while you're training. On the other hand, the automatic workout start detection doesn't work on the test model, so you have to activate the presets manually.

Two weeks of unplugged power

The novelty is equipped with a 180 mAh battery. During 8 days of use in mode of constant synchronization with the phone, receiving notifications and heart rate measurement bracelet discharged by 60%. The manufacturer's claim of 14 days of autonomy is quite achievable. The bracelet is charged due to the magnetic cradle with two contacts. There is no power adapter in the set, so we measured the rate of charging through the usual 10-watt unit. In these conditions, from 0 to 100% device was charged in 50 minutes.

The results

The Honor Band 6 proved to be a great companion for everyday life and sports activities. The bracelet attracts with its high-quality screen, optimal number of functions and decent autonomy. There are few remarks: GPS is not provided, the number of workout modes is limited. I would like to see in the device and automatic brightness adjustment. But these shortcomings of Honor Band 6 can be forgiven, considering the price of the accessory.


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