The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 is the best example of a Xiaomi product with the best quality/price ratio we have seen on the market.
However, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite can still provide a built-in GPS for almost the same price, or perhaps a few dollars less.
Does the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 remain pricey? or is the Redmi Watch 2 Lite a better option?
The purpose of this article is to help you understand the differences between the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 and Redmi Watch 2 Lite so you can make an informed purchase.
Let’s compare the two devices side by side before moving on to the full review.
Also Read: Best Smartwatch For Construction workers
Detailed Redmi watch 2 lite vs Xiaomi Mi Band 6 Comparison:
Table of Contents
Now, let’s look at a more in-depth comparison of the Redmi watch 2 lite and the Xiaomi Mi Band 6.
1) Box Content
Redmi watch 2 lite:
All the usual stuff you see in the box of other smartwatches.
- Redmi Watch 2 Lite
- Charging cable with magnetic pin
- Paperwork (including warranty card and owner’s manual)
Xiaomi Mi Band 6:
The new Mi Band 6 comes in the same long and thin paper box as its predecessor. The bundle includes
- The band
- One strap (in our case, black)
- The same magnetic charger as the Mi Band 5.
2) Design
Redmi watch 2 lite:
The Redmi Watch 2 Lite is a clean-looking smartwatch with a square design and plastic build. It looks a lot like the Mi Watch Lite, with a similarly sized square dial and a touchscreen that feels the same at first glance.
It comes with a 41mm matte finish polycarbonate case in black, ivory, or blue. The strap is made of skin-friendly thermoplastic polyurethane. It’s smooth to the touch and comes in a variety of colors — Ivory Cream Midnight Black and Blue Dragon. The shoulder strap is easy to remove and comfortable to wear day and night and while exercising. It also has a 5ATM water resistance rating, which means you can swim and shower with it.
The display is protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass, which also adds to the premium feel of this smartwatch. There is a multifunction button on the right that also provides tactical feedback.
The back of the watch houses all the sensors and the magnetic charging port. If we talk about comfort then, the experience of holding the Redmi Watch 2 lite in the hand is quite good. It doesn’t feel big and bulky, so the watch won’t feel uncomfortable to wear for a long time.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6:
With the design of the Band 6, Xiaomi sticks to its tried-and-true formula. The main pill-shaped tracker is housed in a TPU housing, while the strap has a more wristwatch-like feel and an easily adjustable loop.
There are no buttons on the tracker, as everything is controlled through the vivid AMOLED touchscreen. This time Xiaomi also offers some more colorful bracelet options to make it a bit more stylish.
Fundamentally, it nails the ergonomics, which are aided by its ultra-lightweight polycarbonate construction, weighing only 12.8 grams, slightly heavier than the Mi Band 5 but lighter than the Realme Band. It’s not too thick at 12.7mm, stays flush against your wrist, and doesn’t look too bulky, even if you have thin wrists.
The back of the tracking module is represented by various sensors, which now include a heart rate monitor and a SpO2 monitor — which might come in handy during COVID, though I’d recommend a dedicated monitor for more precise measurements.
It relies on a proprietary charger design instead of a micro-USB or USB-C connector. The good news is that the magnetic latch system allows for easy and fast charging, but you’ll want to make sure you don’t lose the charger.
The build quality is better than the main competitor, the Realme Band, and its predecessor, but let’s be clear, this is no Fitbit Luxe in terms of construction. It’s strong enough for everyday wear without worrying about it, and the included 5ATM water Resistance means showering and swimming are fine.
Meanwhile, the TPU material used on the straps is a different story, with the potential for far faster wear and tear than the tracker itself (though they’re fortunately inexpensive and come in a variety of colors, making replacement simple).
3) Display
Redmi watch 2 lite:
The Redmi Watch 2 Lite display features a 1.55-inch (320×360 pixels) LCD color touchscreen panel with up to 450 nits of brightness and 2D glass. There are large bezels on the sides, and especially a large chin at the bottom. I mean, it values the overall look and premium feel Smartwatch, but don’t worry about the watch going completely black when the screen is off.
The display is very bright and viewing angles are better. The color looks good. The display size is suitable for almost anyone. The screen lights up when you raise your wrist. You can configure it to activate when you double-click the display. Besides that, it has five levels of brightness settings and up to 20 seconds of screen time. Yes, adaptive brightness and always-on display modes are still lacking.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6:
The Mi Band 6’s screen is among its most impressive features. Its 1.56-inch AMOLED is larger than most smart bands while offering good touch response and sharp resolution. It offers 326 pixels per inch of clarity — just like the regular iPhone’s Retina display — And its 152×486 resolution and (up to) 450 nits of brightness ensure everything looks crystal clear even when viewed outside.
The tracker’s dimensions are very similar to those of its forerunner, and the display now occupies the majority of the pill-shaped front (as opposed to the Band 5’s display, which was a small rectangle in the center), which is a nice upgrade, too.
The bezels aren’t the thickest (but they’re also not the thinnest), and they’re unlikely to detract from your enjoyment of swiping around on the Band 6.
The screen is shielded by tempered glass for an added layer of protection. It even benefits from an anti-fingerprint coating, which works well in practice, as I rarely found it necessary to sand it down.
The Band 6’s raise-to-wake feature worked well enough once enabled (it’s turned off by default), albeit more slowly than I would have liked. The Band must be moved vigorously, twisting the wrist and waiting half a second before the screen illuminates. As a result, even though this tracker doubles as a timekeeper, it’s a little slow at keeping track of time.
3) Battery Life
Redmi watch 2 lite:
The Redmi Watch 2 Lite has a 262mAh battery which according to Xiaomi can last up to 10 days in typical usage mode and 5 days in heavy usage. The term “heavy use” includes enabling always-on SpO2 monitoring, always-on pressure monitoring, and all other features.
In my week of testing, I easily got four days of battery life on a single charge in heavy mode. It’s actually not good but not bad at the same time so I like to call it average. The Redmi Watch 2 Lite has a magnetic charging cable, unlike the Redmi Watch which has a separate charging stand. The watch takes about 2 hours to fully charge.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6:
Xiaomi claims a total battery life of 14 days, with a 35% drop after 4 days of wear, and the ambitious time frame doesn’t seem out of the question (I’ll update this review with more exhaustive data after a longer wear/utilization ). This churn rate is also related to Heart rate SpO2 monitoring and sleep tracking are also enabled.
The Mi Band 6 is equipped with a 125mAh battery, which can be charged to 50% in 39 minutes in the test, and a full charge takes 102 minutes.
4) Features
Redmi watch 2 lite:
Redmi Watch 2 Lite is a great accessory for fitness lovers. It has a good amount of features, proving that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get some good health and fitness tracking features.
The watch is equipped with an optical heart rate sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and an electronic compass. Watch 2 Lite also supports independent GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/BeiDou to track outdoor activities.
In addition, Redmi Watch 2 Lite has more than 100 exercise modes. I tried some of them and they worked fine. I’d like to point out that the watch can only store 30 fitness modes, and you can use the Mi Fitness app to add or remove activities of interest. It can also detect some of these fitness activities automatically and prompt users to enable active tracking.
In terms of activity, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite showed as accurate data as my Fitbit tracker. Yes, there is a 5-8% error, but that’s not a huge problem with every smartwatch. Because it’s not meant to be hardcore fitness equipment. Overall, if you jog, work out, or play sports on a regular basis, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is a good option at this price point.
Furthermore, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite includes all of the basic health features that we would expect from a low-cost watch. It allows you to track your heart rate, SpO2, sleep, and stress levels, as well as perform basic breathing exercises. The sleep and heart rate tracking appear to be fairly accurate.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6:
It’s time to talk about this fitness tracker’s health-tracking features. Xiaomi has increased the total number of sports modes on the Mi Band 5 from 11 to 30 its successor. More importantly, the Mi Band 6 completes the company’s line of low-cost wearables by including blood oxygen saturation monitoring.
Unfortunately, it does not support continuous SpO2 monitoring like the slightly more expensive Huawei Band 6. I compared its SpO2 data to that of the Huawei and Honor Band 6 and discovered that all three produce similar results with a 1-2% difference. Throughout the review, I noticed that the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 was a little faster at recording your blood oxygen level on the majority of occasions.
5) Price
Redmi watch 2 lite:
The Redmi Watch 2 Lite comes in a variety of colors such as ivory, black, blue, pink (strap), olive (strap), and brown (Strap). As previously stated, I purchased my unit directly from AliExpress, and you can find it on the platform for around $60, excluding shipping, or on local e-commerce sites, though availability may be limited.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6:
The Mi Band 6 costs 40 British pounds, or approximately $55. It is available in the United Kingdom through Xiaomi’s online store. Anyone in the United States will have to import one, though the Mi Band 6 will be available on Amazon, just like the Mi Band 5. One thing to keep in mind is to get the UK or “global” version, as the China-specific features will not work.
Which Is the Better Option?
Both Amazon Halo and Whoop have pros and cons. To help you decide which tracker is best for you, here’s a breakdown of each one:
Pros and cons of Redmi watch 2 lite:
Pros
- GPS support
- Various sports modes
- Lightweight design
- Decent build 5ATM rating
- Good App support
Cons
- Old design
- No AMOLED display
Pros and cons of Xiaomi Mi Band 6:
Pros
- Lightweight
- Affordable
- Excellent display
Cons
- No on-board GPS
- Workout data inaccuracies
- Uninspiring design
FAQs
Which is better, the Redmi watch 2 lite or Xiaomi Mi Band 6?
Unexpectedly, the Mi Smart Band 6 wins this contest. It provided the most accurate readings during our tests, particularly during sleep sessions.
Is the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 water-resistant?
The Xiaomi Mi Band 6 has a water resistance rating of 5ATM. This means you can go swimming and dive up to 165 feet.
Conclusion
After reading this detailed comparison between the Redmi Watch 2 Lite and the Xiaomi Mi Band 6, it is clear that there are some key differences between these two devices. If you want a wearable with GPS and a variety of sports and activity modes and don’t want to carry your smartphone with you when you go sports, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is probably the best option for you because you won’t find anything comparable for this price.
If the GPS isn’t as important to you because you always carry your smartphone with you when you’re doing sports, it’s no problem, and you want something that goes unnoticed on the wrist. As a result, the Mi Band 6 is an excellent choice in this case. Ultimately, the best choice for you will come down to your personal needs and preferences.