Xiaomi launched the Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra and Mi 11 Lite 5G at its big launch event yesterday. Alongside smartphones, the company also unveiled the latest iteration of its popular fitness band, the Mi Band 6. It brings several meaningful upgrades over its predecessor, the Mi Band 5. In this article, we'll see how the Mi Band 6 and Mi Band 5 compare with each other to help you make an informed purchase decision if you are planning an upgrade.

Starting with the screen, Xiaomi has used a larger 1.56-inch AMOLED screen on the Mi Smart Band 6. The screen has a resolution of 152 x 486 pixels with 326ppi and offers 450 nits of peak brightness. To put that into perspective, the Mi Band 5 came with a 1.1-inch AMOLED display with 126 x 294 pixel resolution and up to 450 nits of peak brightness. The dimensions of the Mi Band 6 and Band 5 are 47.4 x 18.6 x 12.7 mm and 47.2 x 18.5 x 12.4 mm respectively.

Aside from the increased screen size, the overall aesthetics and design choices remain the same. You get the same colorful silicone band and familiar form factor you'd expect from a Mi fitness band. Xiaomi has also added over 130 watch faces to help you choose the one you like the most.

The biggest change with the Mi Band 6 is the addition of an SpO2 oxygen sensor to track your blood oxygen levels. Although blood oxygen monitoring is not a new feature and is already available on other fitness bands, including the Honor Band 6 and the OnePlus Band, Mi Band users have been waiting for this upgrade with bated breath. In addition, the feature should prove useful for early symptom detection of the Coronavirus in current times.