Honor Band 6 instructions in Russian. Connection, setup, functions

Specifications

Display

On the one hand, the device looks like a bracelet. However, the screen and the smart module are much larger than what we are used to seeing in smart bracelets. This is an almost rectangular 1.47-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 368 × 194 pixels and a pixel density of 282 ppi. The image is not pixelated, and the colors are as saturated as required from such a gadget.

Photo: Maxim Dyachikhin specially for Wylsacom Media

By default, the display is set to the third of five brightness levels. This surprised me - such brightness is quite enough even on a sunny day. Just for fun, I set the brightness to level five - it became much more comfortable. An interesting effect is when we get used to what we have, believing that it cannot be better.

The display sensor clearly reads every touch. No false positives. Although what false positives or lack of response to touches could there be in 2022? This is simply unacceptable now.

Photo: Maxim Dyachikhin specially for Wylsacom Media

Honor Band 6 – smart watch or fitness bracelet?

It's something in between. Unlike all previous models, Honor Band 6 is visually more reminiscent of a smart watch. In terms of screen size (1.47 inches diagonal), this device is also closer to a smartwatch. But when it comes to functionality, Band 6 is closer to fitness bracelets. There is no way to install additional applications, download music, connect a Bluetooth headset, or answer messages or calls. Honor Band 6 can be called a fitness watch rather than a smart watch or fitness bracelet.

Multitasking

Fitness bracelets from Honor are distinguished by the presence of multitasking, which, however, always only applies to the operation of a stopwatch and timer. So, the user can run the stopwatch in the background and use any other functionality of the device, and then return again and check out the progress.

While training on Honor Band 6, you can control music and also access the Alipay service.

It is worth noting that the bracelet did not receive full multitasking functionality. You won't be able to, for example, start a stopwatch during a workout, and you won't be able to exit a workout at all without first completing it.

What versions of Honor Band 6 are there?

It's easy to get confused with the versions of Honor Band 6. The fact is that the fitness bracelet was released on the Chinese market at the end of 2022, that is, before Honor became a brand independent from Huawei. Therefore, all the first batches of devices for the Chinese market were produced by Huawei. And now they can still be found on sale.

The Huawei bracelet has two versions:

• ARG-B19 - version without NFC
• ARG-B29 - version with NFC

After the split, Honor began releasing its versions of the Honor Band 6:

• ARG-B39 - version without NFC
• ARG-B59 - version with NFC

What is the difference? Almost nothing. At the moment, the only significant difference is different firmware. Along with the new firmware, bracelets produced by Honor began to receive a translation into Russian, while versions ARG-B19 and ARG-B29 have not yet received a firmware update. And it is not known whether they will receive it at all. By the way, the first buyers of these models managed to receive the update number 10.1.2.12 with the Russian language, but then it was withdrawn.

The version with NFC is visually different from the version without NFC by the small microphone hole at the bottom at the end where the key is located.

We previously had a detailed review of the fitness bracelet version ARG-B19. It has not yet received an update, so in the photo in this manual you can see the interface in English. But the appearance of the icons, their location and all settings for all versions are absolutely identical. By the way, these instructions are also suitable for the Huawei Band 6 fitness bracelet.

Localization

Contrary to expectations, the Chinese version of the bracelet does not currently support the Russian language, but you can install English.

I dare to suggest that the Chinese version of the bracelet will not receive the Russian language at all, as was the case, for example, with the Huawei Band 4 Pro. Therefore, for those who definitely want to have a Russified device, I recommend waiting for the global version to appear on AliExpress, or even buy a bracelet in one of the official stores when it starts being sold in our country.

Updated: Russian-language firmware has yet arrived for the Chinese versions of the bracelets, so you can safely take the CN version, which is 10% cheaper than the global one.

How to see the version of Honor Band 6?

The model number is laser-etched on the back of the device above the optical sensor, under the word MODEL.

You can also see what version of your device you have in the settings. To do this, go to Settings (gear icon in the quick access menu or in the main menu). Next, scroll to the “About” item and find the model number at the bottom of the screen that opens.

Below you can find the MAC address, firmware version and serial number.

Features of Honor Band 6

The fitness bracelet has a fairly impressive set of functions:

• Call and message notifications
• Monitoring 10 sports modes
• Step, distance and calorie counter
• Real-time and 24/7 heart rate measurement
• Stress monitoring
• Measuring blood oxygen levels
• Breathing exercises
• Sleep tracking
• Smart alarm clock
• Prolonged immobility reminder
• Phone playlist management
• Smartphone camera shutter control
• Weather forecast
• Flashlight
• Women's calendar
• Stopwatch and timer
• Find Phone function

How to turn Honor Band 6 on and off?

Inclusion

Honor Band 6 is turned on in two ways:

1. The device will turn on automatically when charging.
2. By pressing and holding the button on the right side of the case. If the battery is low, a notification will appear on the screen asking you to charge. After two seconds, the bracelet will turn off.

Shutdown

1. To turn off, press and hold the button for 3 seconds. Next, select the “Power off” option.
2. The second method is to go to Settings > System > Power off.

How to reboot and reset Honor Band 6?

Reboot

1. To reboot, press and hold the button for 3 seconds. Next, select the “Restart” option.
2. The second method is to go to Settings > System > Restart.

Reset

There are two ways to reset the fitness bracelet to factory settings:

1. Settings > System > Reset
2. Via the Huawei Health app. Go to the "Devices" section, select Honor Band 6, then "Reset settings" and confirm by pressing the "Reset" button.

Design

Now the moment has come, which some have been looking forward to, while others feared - Honor has introduced a generation of fitness bracelets, not much different in size from smartwatches. Moreover, the sixth Band looks very similar to the Honor Watch ES. Some even dare to call it a junior version of the aforementioned smartwatches.

For comparison, here are images of both devices:

The bracelet has a rectangular flat capsule, the length of which has increased by only 0.11 mm compared to Band 5. But the width of the case has become significantly larger - 25.4 mm versus 17.2 mm for the previous model. Such changes greatly affected the appearance of the device - it began to look more solid and premium. Many will not be able to distinguish this bracelet from a smart watch.

The case, made of matte plastic, has the Honor logo on the left edge and a mechanical button with a red line on the right. This gives the design of the gadget the details missing from previous models. The display, protected by tempered glass with rounded edges, occupies the entire space of the front side, which again has a beneficial effect on the appearance.

The widening of the strap at the point of attachment to the body slightly smoothes out the feeling of bulkiness of the device. The strap itself has 3 color options: black, gray and pink. It’s a pity that you can only choose the color of the strap; the capsule will always be in black.

In general, the design of the device can be called original among fitness bracelets. The appearance of the Honor Band 6 is hard to come by; it really looks very stylish. For this, the tracker gets a well-deserved 9.6 points

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How to charge?

Most manufacturers recommend using a 5V, 250mA (0.25A) power supply. But, in fact, the power source can be any serviceable 5-volt power supply, regardless of the number of amps. The device will not take more current than it needs. The USB port of a computer, laptop or power bank is also suitable for charging.

Charge the Honor Band 6 battery using the included cable. First, align the contacts on the back of the band with the contacts on the charging cable. It will not be possible to connect incorrectly, since the magnet will simply displace the connector if the polarity is incorrect. Then connect the USB-A connector to a power source. After this, the charging indicator will show the battery charge level on the screen.

A full charge takes approximately 65 minutes. 5 – 10 minutes of charging is enough for several days of battery life. It is advisable to prevent the battery from being completely discharged.

Bottom line

The official price for Huawei Band 6 in Russia will be 3,990 rubles. But during pre-order, which opens on April 29, there will be a special price of 3,490 rubles.

Huawei Band 6 proves to be an excellent device with a nice design, simple interface and simple customization options.

I would like a little more correct operation of the accelerometer or some kind of “sleep” mode, where the Huawei Band 6 does not turn on the screen in any way when the owner is sleeping - the bright light of the bracelet woke me up, so I could not sleep with it.

Photo: Maxim Dyachikhin specially for Wylsacom Media

Is Huawei Band 6 worth the money? Yes I guess. It has excellent capabilities not only for keeping the user in shape, but also for bringing his morale back to normal. The color range of the bracelets themselves is also pleasing: there are neutral black and green bracelets, as well as bright orange and pink. The design is pleasant, but does not attract undue attention. The bracelet copes with its tasks perfectly and will definitely please its owner.

The text was written with the support of the Russian representative office of Huawei.

Controlling the Honor Band 6

All control of the Honor Band 6 interface is carried out using touches and swipes on the touch screen, as well as by pressing a physical key on the side. A short press of the button returns to the main screen from any interface. Pressing the button on the main screen opens the main menu or the shutdown menu if pressed for a long time.

Tapping and holding on the home screen gives you access to all watch face options available in the fitness bracelet's memory. Swiping down the screen brings up the quick access menu (“Do not disturb”, active screen time, searching for a smartphone, alarms, going to system settings), swiping up opens the notification menu. In the menu, use up/down gestures to scroll through the available settings.

Swipe left/right to cycle through up to 5 main widgets. The order of their arrangement can be configured in the bracelet menu. A total of 7 widgets are available: weather, heart rate, stress, activity, music, AliPay and sleep. Swiping to the right on the screen in the menu and its sections takes you back one step, and in the notification menu it is used to delete a message.

Personal impression

Oddly enough, Honor Band 6 managed to surprise all fans of fitness bracelets. Apparently, it was not for nothing that the company deviated from the tradition of releasing trackers at the end of summer. I assume that such a late release of the new generation was caused by certain circumstances, namely the announcement of Xiaomi Mi Band 5, which immediately attracted great interest.

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 review

Honor Band 6 gave me rather conflicting feelings. I feel very good about Honor and expected that the expected release date of the bracelet was postponed due to hard work on the new generation, which was supposed to surprise all competitors, but it turns out that the company's specialists were simply simplifying the Honor Watch ES. It’s a shame, because I wanted to see something in line with the line’s previously set line of development, something that would continue to form an alternative to smartwatches.

It seems to me that the company should under no circumstances abandon the production of devices of a standard form factor for the fitness bracelet segment. I would like to see the imminent release of Honor Band 6i, which would become a smaller copy of its older brother.

In conclusion, I can say that Honor Band 6 is a completely new device that has nothing in common with previous models in the line. On the one hand, this is a big minus, but on the other hand, most users of such gadgets have long been expecting a degeneration from the narrow category of “fitness bracelets” into the more expanded category of “fitness watches.”

How to connect Honor Band 6 to a smartphone

Honor Band 6 is compatible with phones running Android 5.0 and above or iOS 9.0 and above. To pair with a smartphone, use the Huawei Health application. You can download the application from both the App Store and Google Play. But, due to sanctions, the Health application in the Google store has not been updated since July 15, 2020.

Now, in order to use Huawei and Honor watches and fitness bracelets, their owners are required to use the services of this company, whether they like it or not. You can download AppGallery to your smartphone using this link: https://huaweimobileservices.com/appgallery/. After that, you need to download Huawei Health from AppGallery.

Let's move on to pairing.

• Download and install the latest version of the Health application on your smartphone. Open the application.
• Go to the "Devices" section and click "Add".
• Wait for the app to find the bracelet and select the device by clicking the “Pair” button, or search again if the device is not found.
• Allow Bluetooth synchronization and wait for pairing. An icon will appear on the device screen indicating pairing is complete. Confirm pairing by tapping the icon and tap the Done button in the app. Data synchronization will take a few seconds (2 – 3 seconds).

Next, you can move on to the settings.

Form factor

Band 6 has become a slightly lighter version of Huawei Watch Fit: it is smaller and lighter. The weight of the new Huawei bracelet without a strap is 18 grams, and with a strap - 29-30 grams. And you can’t feel it on your hand at all.

The case is plastic. The surface of the visible parts is glossy, but does not give the impression that they are easy to scratch.

Four colors will be available to Russian customers:

Source: Huawei

The screen is covered with tempered 2.5D glass, which facilitates interaction with the bracelet with its rounded edges. The surface of the bracelet, which is adjacent to the hand, is made of plastic that is pleasant to the touch. It does not irritate the skin in any way.

Photo: Maxim Dyachikhin specially for Wylsacom Media

Rumor has it that the strap can be replaced, but I don't understand how. The design looks reliable and even solid. Due to the large number of holes, the strap itself has a very fine adjustment for the circumference of the wrist: if you feel that it is pinching, just relax it by one notch, and everything will be fine.

Photo: Maxim Dyachikhin specially for Wylsacom Media

Setting up Honor Band 6

First, let's look at the settings available in the application. It would be correct to first fill in your personal information, such as gender, date of birth, height and weight. This data is needed to more accurately determine the distance traveled, the number of calories burned, etc.

To do this, go to the “Me” section and select “Profile”. Fill in all the fields.

To set up the tracker, go to the “Devices” section and select Honor Band 6. On the first screen you can see the connection status, battery charge, number of steps taken for the current day, calories burned and distance. Below is the watch face store and all the basic settings of the device.

How to customize the watch face?

To change your watch face style, go to Devices > Watch Face > More. Select the option you like and click “Install” below it. Wait for the installation to complete. The device's watch face will switch automatically.

There are two ways to change the dial style from the bracelet:

• Touch and hold the Home screen until your device vibrates. Swipe left/right on the screen and tap the one you like to install it.
• Select Settings > Display > Watch face. Swipe left/right on the screen and tap the one you like to install it.

Health monitoring

The following settings are available in the indicator monitoring section:

Huawei TruSleep . When you activate this function, you will receive more detailed information about the quality of sleep and breathing with analysis of sleep phases and diagnosis of 6 types of sleep problems. Personalized assessments and recommendations for improving sleep quality will also be available. Enabling this feature increases the device's power consumption.

Reminder . The bracelet will notify you if you have been motionless for more than an hour.

Continuous heart rate monitoring . Here you can activate automatic heart rate monitoring, as well as set up notifications for high and low heart rates.

Stress level test . If you enable stress monitoring, the bracelet will evaluate movements and fluctuations in heart rate values, calculating a numerical score using a 100-point system, where:

• 1-29 – relaxed state
• 30-59 – moderate stress level
• 60-79 – average stress level
• 80-99 – high stress level

Setting up notifications

When the bracelet is connected to the phone and is on your hand, when an incoming call comes in, the screen will activate and the bracelet will begin to vibrate. The contact's name or phone number appears on the screen, along with a button to reject the call. If the device is not on your hand, the screen will light up, but the gadget will not vibrate.

In the Notifications section, you can select the apps from which you want to receive notifications. Absolutely all instant messengers and applications installed on the phone are supported.

To view received notifications, select Notifications from the bracelet menu or swipe up on the screen. A maximum of 10 unread messages can be stored in memory. To delete one notification, open it and swipe right. You can delete all messages by clicking “Clear” at the bottom of the list. After viewing a message on your smartphone, it is deleted automatically from the bracelet.

Alarm

For Honor Band 6, you can set alarms both in the application and in the bracelet menu.

In the app, select Alarm Clock . At the top of the screen is the smart alarm setting. If you turn it on, the alarm may go off a little earlier than the set time if it detects that you are not in deep sleep.

You can add a regular signal by clicking the “Add” at the bottom of the screen. Up to 5 signals can be set.

On your device, go to Menu (button press) > Alarm. The next window will already have the “Smart alarm clock” option. You can turn it on and off, adjust the response time, and the repetition cycle. If you do not specify alarm days, the alarm will sound once.

To add a new signal, click “+” at the top of the screen, set the time and frequency of operation.

Device Settings

In this section of the menu, only three functions can be configured:

• Music playback control . This function only works on smartphones with ANDROID version 5.0 and later. You can control both the native player and players of third-party applications.
• Bluetooth disconnect notification.
• Activate the screen by raising your wrist.

Software Update

To check for available software updates, go to the Software Update menu and click check for updates. The application will search for available updates and, if a new version is available, will offer to update following the on-screen instructions.

Weather forecast

To get a weather forecast, go to Settings, tap Weather Forecast, turn on Weather Forecast, and select the temperature unit.

The rest of the settings are made in the Honor Band 6 menu.

Start a workout

You can start tracking your workout both from the device menu and from the application. To run from the bracelet, go to the main menu and click “Workout”. Next, select the desired type of workout from the list and click on its icon. In the next window, you can set your workout goal (distance, time, calories) by clicking on the gear icon. You can also set alerts based on heart rate or distance. By pressing the side button you can pause the workout, end it or continue.

You can also start tracking your workout using the Huawei Health app. To do this, go to the “Exercise” menu, select the desired type of workout at the top of the window and click the “Play” icon to start. In this case, during the lesson, the GPS smartphone module will be used to record the route, determine the distance, pace, speed, etc.

From the Honor Band 6 menu, you can also start tracking using a GPS smartphone, but this function works correctly mainly with Huawei/Honor smartphones. It is better for owners of phones from other manufacturers to start tracking from the application.

Honor Band 6 also supports automatic detection of several types of training: walking, running, elliptical and rowing machine. The bracelet will automatically remind you to start or end your workout when it detects a change in activity intensity. This function must be activated in the tracker settings. For this:

• Open the main menu.
• Go to Settings.
• Select Workout settings.
• Activate automatic tracking.

Screen and widget settings

To adjust brightness, watch faces and screen activity time, go to the device menu, then “Settings”, then “Display”.

In the same menu, you can configure the number and order of widgets, which can be scrolled by swiping left/right from the main screen. To do this, select the “Favorites” item, use the “-” buttons to delete the unnecessary widget, and use the “Up” button to move the widget forward.

Vibration settings There are three vibration settings available: strong, weak, no vibration. To change, open the main menu, then “Settings”, then “Vibration” and select the desired mode: Strong, Soft or None.

Breathing exercises

From the list of applications, select Breathing exercises. In the next window you can set the duration (1, 2 or 3 minutes) and tempo (fast, medium or slow). After the exercise, the score, duration and heart rate will appear on the screen.

Camera control

In the bracelet menu, select “Remote shutter”. Tap the screen to take a photo. By clicking the icon at the top of the screen, you can set the trigger timer (2 or 5 seconds). The camera control function of smartphones running EMUI 8.1 and higher works correctly.

Connection

Huawei Band 6 works using the Huawei Health application. It is available on both Android and iOS.

Connecting the bracelet is quite simple: press the button on the device itself and select the language you need. Then open the application and in the "Devices" section, add the bracelet.

Photo: Ilya Kichaev / Wylsacom Media

You will probably have to upgrade the bracelet before use. The whole process takes about ten minutes, but is quite demanding on battery resources: my setup, update, and the first night consumed about 50% of the charge.

The process of updating the bracelet firmware. Photo: Ilya Kichaev / Wylsacom Media

In “Huawei Health” you can also track all the achievements you have earned, customize the bracelet, select watch faces, and also track all the indicators that the bracelet has counted.

Questions and answers

Is it possible to swim in Honor Band 6?

The water resistance level of Honor Band 6 is 5 ATM. This protection is enough not to remove the bracelet when washing hands, during rain or swimming at shallow depths. It is better to remove the bracelet before showering, diving or scuba diving. Over time, protection may deteriorate. Water resistance can be affected by shocks and falls of the device, contact with various substances, for example, soap, oil, shower gel, etc. Also, using the device in conditions of high humidity and high temperatures may not work well.

What types of workouts does the bracelet track?

Honor Band 6 can track 10 types of workouts:

• Running outside
• Treadmill
• Walking outside
• A ride on the bicycle
• Exercise bike
• Swimming in the pool
• Walking
• Rowing machine
• Ellipse
• Free workout

Does the bracelet count floors (height)?

No. Honor Band 6 does not have a barometric altimeter.

Can Honor Band 6 measure blood pressure?

No, Honor Band 6 cannot boast of such a function. You can get acquainted with the best models of fitness bracelets with a pressure measurement function in this rating.

What is real autonomy?

The gadget is equipped with a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 180 mAh. The battery life declared by the manufacturer is up to 14 days in normal mode or up to 10 days with active use. In general, these data are true. Even with constant monitoring of heart rate and stress, as well as a fairly large number of notifications, the bracelet will work for 10 days without charging.

Does NFC work in Honor Band 6?

Owners of Honor Band 6 with NFC in China can pay for transport fares using the fitness bracelet, use it to link access cards and pay for purchases using AliPay QR codes. In other countries, Honor Band 6 with NFC can only be used to link access cards, and even then, not all of them, but only those operating at the same frequency as the NFC module in Honor Band 6.

The process of linking an access card was described in sufficient detail by one of the device owners on the w3bsit3-dns.com forum (here).

Does this bracelet have GPS?

No. But during street training, Honor Band 6 connects to a smartphone and takes data from its GPS module.

For what period are statistics saved in the fitness bracelet’s memory?

Without pairing with a smartphone, Honor Band 6 stores heart rate and sleep data for 7 days, and stress data for 10 days.

How to replace the strap on Honor Band 6?

To remove the strap, unfasten the bracelet, use a sharp object to pry the bracelet clasp at the point where it is attached to the body and gently pull it up. Remove the strap without force by disconnecting it from the case. The strap is attached in the reverse order. The clasp is very small, making it easy to lose during replacement.

Where to buy a strap for Honor Band 6?

Many owners of Honor Band 6 complain that the coating on the “native” strap may peel off after a short period of use and the device loses its aesthetic appearance. Purchasing a new strap is a bit of a hassle. Many sellers on Aliexpress sell replacement straps for Band 6 at a fairly reasonable price.

We have selected some of the most interesting offers:

Silicone strap. From 1.4$

Metal bracelet (price $7.39 - 12.59)

Metal bracelet (Milanese weaving). Price $7.46 – 12.98

Leather strap (from $9.33)

Autonomy

180 mAh battery compared to the Xiaomi Band 6 . This should mean that Huawei watches will last about 45% longer. Manufacturers claim 2 weeks in normal use and up to 10 days in active use. But you and I know that in practice these figures are always less, by at least a third.

The charging connector was replaced with magnetic contacts. A full charge takes 1.5 hours. And even after just 5 minutes of recharging, the watch should last at least 2 more days.

Moisture protection is stated to be standard for this level and implies 5 ATM . Feel free to wash your watch together – this will only make it cleaner!