Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro Router Comparison

Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro Router Comparison | Specs, Features, Speed (Compared)

Previously, we did a Redmi AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro router comparison. However, on August 12, Redmi released another WiFi 6 router (God too many WiFi 6 router now) known as Redmi AX6 router. It is said to have the same hardware as the Xiaomi AIoT router AX3600 and is 230 yuan ($33 USD) cheaper. With the Redmi AX5 losing to Huawei AX3 Pro, is the bigger brother able to beat it? Let’s find out in this Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro router comparison:

Please don’t buy a global version of the Huawei AX3 Pro which doesn’t have the two 2.4G amplifiers and is stuck on an old update. Because of this, the global version’s range is pretty limited. The Chinese version is the best and the webpage can be translated via Chrome auto translate feature.

Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro Router Comparison – The Fight For The Best Price-Performance Router

Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro Router – Specifications (Specs) Sheet Comparison

Basic Information
Model AX6 AX5 AX 3 Pro
Company Redmi Redmi Huawei
Release Date August 12, 2020 August 5, 2020 June 1, 2020
Design & Appearance
Dimensions 284 x 186 x 186 mm 247 x 141 x 180 mm 225 mm x 159.2 mm x 39.7 mm
Weight 560 grams 500 grams 403 grams
Design The traditional rectangular thick box design The traditional rectangular thick box design The sleek and minimalistic angular design
Material (Built) Plastic Plastic Plastic (molded for premium feel)
Port Distribution 1 x WAN port 1/10/100/1000M

3 x LAN port 1/10/100/1000M

1 x WAN port 1/10/100/1000M

3 x LAN port 1/10/100/1000M

1 x WAN port 1/10/100/1000M

3 x LAN port 1/10/100/1000M

LEDs Two LEDs for network and system status Two LEDs for network and system status One LED for both
Buttons Reset Button Reset Button H button for one-key pairing and WPS compatible Reset Button
Antenna Configuration
Numbers of Antennas 6 4 4
2.4G amplifiers 2 2 2 (not present in global version)
5G amplifiers 4 2 2
Signal Strength 5dBi 5dBi 5dBi
Hardware Configuration
SoC Qualcomm IPQ8071A 6 core SoC Qualcomm IPQ6000 5 core SoC Lingxiao 4-core SoC
Cores 6 (CPUs + 2 NPUs) 5 (4 CPU + 1 NPU) 4 (CPUs only)
CPU 4 x Core A53 @1.0GHz, 14nm 4 x Cortex A53 @1.0GHz, 14nm 4 x Cortex A53 @1.4GHz
NPU Yes, 2 x NPU (1.7GHz) Yes, 1 x NPU (1.5GHz) No
RAM 512MB 256MB 256MB
ROM 256MB 128 MB 128 MB
Supported devices 128 devices (advertised) 128 devices (advertised) 128 devices (advertised)
WiFi Technology & Speed
Dual Band Yes Yes Yes
Technology WiFi 6 WiFi 6 WiFi 6+
Speed (2.4G) 574 Mbps 574 Mbps 574 Mbps
Speed (5G) 2402 Mbps 1201 Mbps 2402 Mbps
Speed (Total) 2976 Mbps 1775 Mbps 2976 Mbps
160MHz bandwidth Yes, both hardware and firmware support it Yes, not available since the firmware doesn’t support it Yes, both hardware and firmware support it
MU-MIMO Yes, 4 x 4

(160MHz supported by 2×2 only)

Yes, 2×2 Yes, 4×4
Features & Functions
OFDMA Yes (up to 1024 QAM) Yes (up to 1024 QAM) Yes (up to 1024 QAM)
NFC No No Yes
IPv6 Yes Yes Yes
Mesh networking Yes (need update)

Only with its own brand routers

Yes

Only with its own brand routers

Yes

Only with its own brand routers

Guest WIFI Yes Yes Yes
Game acceleration Yes (Trial and Paid) Yes (Trial and Paid) Yes (Free)
Software
App Mi WiFi Mi WiFi Huawei Hi-Link
Web-Page in Chinese in Chinese Multilingual
Firmware OpenWRT (Chinese) OpenWRT (Chinese) OpenWRT (Chinese and Global)
App ratings on Play Store 2.9/5 2.9/5 4.1/5
Price (in China)
Price 369 yuan 289 yuan 329 yuan

WiFi 6 vs WiFi 6+ Technology – What’s the Difference?

Before moving to the actual Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro router comparison, we should know the difference between the WiFi technologies all three routers offer.

WiFi 6 is the default standard offered in Redmi router AX5 and AX6. Huawei has implemented an updated technology private agreement based on WiFi 6, named WiFi 6+ which is present in AX3 and AX3 Pro. Since it’s a private agreement it must have its own limitations. To get the “+” performance of Huawei WiFi 6+, it must meet the requirements of routers and devices (phones/tablets) which are obviously the Huawei routers and Huawei/Honor devices with WiFi 6+ module.

Compared with the WiFi 6 of the WIFI Alliance, Huawei WiFi 6+ mainly adds two technologies.

  • The first is the long-distance scenario: the maximum range can be increased by 6dB. Through SoC-level collaboration and dynamic narrow bandwidth technology, the power spectral density (PSD) of Huawei WiFi 6 + phones and other devices can be greatly improved. And that’s the only difference you should know.
  • Generally, WiFi 6 routers and phones can only communicate with a minimum bandwidth of 20MHz, while Huawei WiFi 6+ can communicate with a minimum bandwidth of 2MHz. This can improve the signal quality of phones at long distances, up to 6dB, and eliminate the problem of weak signals. In the long-distance case, it can achieve the effect of passing through a wall. While the second is the close-range case, the speed is doubled.
  • End-to-end supports 160MHz ultra-wide bandwidth. In close-range scenarios, the speed is twice that of 80MHz.

In case you don’t have Huawei devices that support WiFi 6 or have devices with the standard WiFi 6, you shouldn’t be worried about WiFi 6 and WiFi 6+ differences. Huawei AX3 Pro will run on the standard WiFi 6 which the device isn’t compatible with WiFi 6+.

Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro Router – Price Comparison

Let’s start the Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro router comparison with the price tag of each router.

Redmi AX5 is the cheapest one which is priced at 249 Yuan (35 USD). Huawei Router AX3 Pro price is 329 Yuan (46.5 USD). Redmi AX6 price is 369 yuan (53 USD) making it the most expensive one in the list. The router which offers the best price/performance is still Huawei router AX3 Pro (explained later in this comparison).

Model Redmi Router AX6 Redmi Router AX5 Huawei Router AX3 Pro
Price in Yuan 369 Yuan 249 Yuan 329 Yuan
Price in USD 53 USD 35 USD 46.5 USD
Price in Euro 45 euro 31 euro 41 euro
Price in Indian rupees Rs.3978 Rs.2656 Rs.3510

Winner: Redmi router AX5 (Best Price)

Winner: Huawei router AX3 Pro (Best Price/Performance Ratio)

Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro router – Design Comparison

Starting with the similarities, all three of them have the same rectangular shape design (slightly square) with a minimalistic approach. It’s not like the Xiaomi AIoT router AX3600 and the Xiaomi Router AX1800, the design has kept simple to reduce the cost of designing for all three routers. However, the Huawei router AX3 Pro looks more beautiful thanks to the sleek design which also matches the sleek antennas. Meanwhile, Redmi router AX5 and AX6 has a much cheaper look with the thick traditional box-type design.

Redmi router AX6 images:

Redmi router AX5 images:

Huawei router AX3 Pro images:

We can see that how similar the Redmi AX5 and Redmi AX6 looks. They appear almost the same with only the LED lights shifted from the top (Redmi AX5) to the more convenient front side in Redmi AX6. Also, the edges are more pointy in AX6 and curved in AX5. That’s all.

In terms of heat dissipation,  Redmi AX5 has the best heat dissipation  even though the ventilation is excellent and almost the same. However, since Redmi AX6 has a much higher hardware configuration (6 core SoC, 160MHz support, and 2.4Gbps speed) the heat generation will greater. I really loved the ventilation done on both routers. The top is covered with a tiny shaft like holes and at the bottom, you can clearly see internal parts with large holes.

While for Huawei router AX3 Pro, the ventilation is on the sides and occupies a few areas, not like Redmi AX5 and AX6. Both devices don’t get too hot, Redmi router AX5 and 6 have a uniform heat distribution on both the top and bottom, while Huawei is fairly hot from the sides and bottom. However, since it’s WiFi 6, heat dissipation matters the most, and regular restarts are recommended.

As for the LED indicators, Redmi router AX5 and AX6 has two LEDs for system and network status (different positions), while Huawei only has one LED for both the network and system status.

In terms of dimensions, the Redmi router AX6 occupies the most space of, meanwhile, the Huawei router AX3 Pro occupies 225 mm x 159.2 mm x 39.7 mm making it the most compact and look at that thickness of only 39.7mm. Redmi router AX5 is slightly smaller than Redmi router AX6 with 247 x 141 x 180mm as the dimensions.

In terms of weight, Redmi AX6 is the heaviest router among all three, then comes Redmi AX5, and Huawei router AX3 Pro is the lightest of them.

Ending this section of the Redmi AX6 vs Redmi AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro Router comparison, Huawei AX3 Pro is the best-looking router among three and Redmi AX5 has the best heat dissipation.

Winner: Huawei AX3 Pro (in terms of appearance)

Winner: Redmi AX5 (in terms of heat dissipation)

Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro router – Antenna Distribution

Redmi AX5 and Huawei AX3 Pro routers have the same number of antennas which are four. These include 2 x 2.4GHz antennas and 2 x 5GHz antennas. The antenna strength is also 5dB.

Redmi AX6 wins this section thanks to the six antennas consisting of 2 x 2.4G antennas and 4 x 5G antennas. The antenna strength is the same as the other two routers.

The antennas on the Redmi router AX5 and Redmi AX6 are rotatable as well as foldable. While for the Huawei router AX3 Pro, the antennas are only foldable to 90 degrees. This might affect the signal transmission. Both of them have a 4-way signal amplifier.

Winner: Redmi router AX6

Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro router – Hardware Comparison

Redmi AX6 has the high-end Qualcomm IPQ8071A 7 core SoC (14nm, 4x A53 @ 1GHz CPU + 2 x 1.5 GHz NPU). The SoC is coupled with 512MB RAM and 256MB ROM similar to the Xiaomi AIoT AX3600 router.

Huawei AX3 Pro and Redmi AX5 have the same RAM, and ROM (256MB RAM and 128MB ROM). However, the difference is in the SoCs. For the Redmi router AX5, we have the American Qualcomm IPQ6000 5 core SoC (14nm, 4 x A53 @ 1GHz CPU + 1.5 GHz NPU).

While for Huawei router AX3 Pro we have the Chinese Lingxiao 4-core 1.4 GHz SoC (4 x A53 @ 1.4GHz, no NPU),

In terms of frequency and single-core performance, Lingxiao is superior in performance, however, we do miss the NPU here which is essential for efficient device management, and considering the Pros of WiFi 6 technology and AIoT configuration, having a dedicated NPU is a must. So, Qualcomm IP6000 SoC and IPQ8071A are better in power management. The strongest is the IPQ8071A with dual-core NPUs and further supported with 2x the RAM and ROM of AX5 and AX3 Pro.

Redmi AX5 and Huawei AX3 Pro can support up to 128 devices. While Redmi AX6 can support up to 248 devices.

Winner: Redmi AX6

Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro router – Connectivity & Speed Comparison

Let’s head towards the connectivity and speed comparison of the Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro router comparison. All three routers are Dual-Band (2.4G and 5G). All of them have the option of intelligent connection (connects to the suitable band automatically) and switch to only one preferred band as well from the web page (sadly in Chinese for AX5 and AX6).

As for the 2.4G, all three support a maximum speed of up to 574Mbps with two antennas dedicated.

As for the 5G, we have a huge change and probably the downside of the Redmi AX5. The Redmi AX5 supports MIMO 2×2 (only 2 streams) which restricts its maximum speed to 1201Mbps. However, that’s not the case with Huawei AX3 Pro, which has MIMO 4×4 (4 stream channels) and has a speed up to 2402 Mbps.

Redmi AX6 which is the upgraded version of AX5 has the same 5G speed as Huawei router AX3 Pro which is 1201 Mbps and four antennas to distribute the speed (so yeah, better speed results than AX3 Pro).

Moreover, as for the 160MHz bandwidth support, Huawei AX3 Pro’s both hardware and software support it (out of the box). However, Redmi router AX5’s hardware does support 160MHz but the default firmware doesn’t. They have said that they might provide it in the next firmware update for the AX3600 router, AX1800 router, and this AX5 router.

The Redmi AX6 also has 160MHz bandwidth support (out of the box), but it’s limited to the 2×2 MU-MIMO. That’s right you won’t be getting it on 4×4 MU-MIMO (four-stream channels).

All three routers support Mesh networking but only with their respectively family/series products. Huawei router AX3 Pro and Redmi router AX5 have already got the mesh update. Redmi AX6 is new and will soon receive the mesh update.

Since Huawei AX3 Pro has complete 160MHz bandwidth support and the same max speed as Redmi AX6, it’s the winner of this section.

Winner: Huawei AX3 Pro

Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro router – Functions & Features

Considering the functions and features of each router in this Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro Router comparison, all three routers support WiFi 6 technology and enjoy the benefit of  OFDMA (up to 1024 QAM) and MU-MIMO.

Huawei has an upper hand here because it has three ways of connecting to the device. First is the traditional, password insertion connection. The second is via Hi-button (which also acts as a WPS button). The third and the most important is via the NFC module (the phone must have the NFC feature).

As for Redmi router, AX6 and AX5 only have the traditional way of connecting for a device.

Considering the features we have the same features for Redmi AX5 and Redmi AX6, while the features for Huawei AX3 Pro are different:

  1. For Huawei AX3 Pro: WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK/ WPA3-SAE encryption, Huawei HiLink & 802.11v protocol, IPv4 / IPv6, PPPoE / DHCP / static IP address / Bridge WAN connection methods, Wi-Fi timer, Guest Wi-Fi, Device speed limiting, MAC address filter, Parental control, VPN pass-through, DMZ / virtual server, Game acceleration (free), hidden SSID
  2. For Redmi AX5: WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK/ WPA3-SAE encryption, wireless access control (black and white list), hidden SSID, intelligent anti-scratch network, IPv4 / IPv6, PPPoE / DHCP / static IP address / Bridge WAN connection methods, Guest WiFi, Parental control, Game acceleration (premium, trial)

Huawei AX3 Pro slightly more features including the VPN pass-through, DMZ / virtual server, and the device speed limiting which are missing in Redmi AX5 and AX6. Plus, we can’t ignore the Hi-Link and NFC feature as well. So the winner here is:

Winner: Huawei AX3 Pro

Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro router – Web Page & App Comparison

Moving to the app and web page Ui of the Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro router comparison, the two routers from Redmi have the Web page in Chinese and the default location set to China. Since it’s the Chinese firmware and global firmware isn’t out yet, you can’t change the language and location options. If you do change the location option, you will experience connectivity issues with the router. Google translate can help you.

Meanwhile, Huawei router AX3 Pro now has global firmware and supports multiple locations and languages. The web page can be easily changed to many different languages. However, it doesn’t have the two 2.4G amplifiers so I would recommend staying away from it if your concern is getting more range from the router.

Moving to the App section, we have Redmi AX5 and AX6 running on the Mi WiFi app and Huawei router AX3 Pro running on the Huawei Hi-Link app. So we have the Mi Wifi (2.9 ratings) vs Huawei Hi-Link (4.1 ratings).

Both apps support multiple languages. Android and iOS operating systems and the user interface is easy to use. However, if I want to select one app, it would be the Huawei Hi-Link because:

  • detailed device management page
  • device network limiting feature
  • the iconic speed testing which tests the speed of both, from the router to the networking cable, and from the router to the smartphone (helpful in finding which is causing bottleneck)
  • Oh, the game acceleration feature is free on Huawei by the way.

Other features such as parental control are the same. Mi WiFi has this complaint of disconnecting frequency with the router (mostly due to the default location change and some with the phone compatibility issues).

Here are the screenshots of Mi WiFi app (sorry for the Chinese here):

Here are the screenshots of Hi-link App:

Winner: Huawei AX3 Pro

The Verdict

 Redmi AX6 (2 Points) | Redmi AX5 (2 Points) | Huawei AX3 Pro ( 4 Points) 

Overall Winner: Huawei AX3 Pro

Ending this Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro Router comparison, the choice of selecting a router really depends on the choice of the user and the budget. If you are looking forward to buying a router for the  best price, better heat dissipation, good hardware, don’t care about the looks , Redmi router AX5 is the choice. The downsides are the 2×2 MIMO limited speed which is (1201 Mbps) for 5G and fewer features, and the less detailed, low rated Mi WiFi.

If you are looking for a  premium-looking router, better performance and signal reach (WiFi 6+), better speed (4×4 MIMO, 2402Mbps 5G speed, 160MHz), better features, and functions (NFC, Hi-Link connect, etc.) and most importantly a detailed app,  Huawei router AX3 Pro is the choice. The downsides are the slightly expensive price and slightly lower hardware (not that much).

As for the newly released Redmi AX6, I don’t know what to say.  It’s the same look as Redmi AX5, higher max speed than Redmi AX5, the most expensive router in this comparison, and 160MHz for 2×2 MU-MIMO only. Though it has the best hardware (similar to Xiaomi AIoT router AX3600) among the three and more area coverage, and device support . Even the Redmi router AX5 and Huawei router AX3 Pro hardware is incredible for running the WiFi 6 network.

Why Huawei AX3 Pro is the best price/performance router?
I said that Huawei router AX3 Pro is still the best price/performance ratio even if the Redmi AX6 is out now with the same hardware as Xiaomi AIoT router AX3600. This is because:

  • It is cheaper than Redmi AX6
  • It supports complete 160MHz bandwidth support
  • Same max speed as Redmi AX6
  • Better App
  • Global Firmware and Web page

You can grab these routers for the best price from Aliexpress.

You can also grab these routers from Amazon as well:

Disclaimer: If you are looking forward to buying this product, please buy from the links given above which offers the best price. We will be getting a small commission on the purchase which will be beneficial for the maintenance of this website.

You can also read our Huawei AX3 Pro review and Redmi AX5 review as well.

I hope you loved this Xiaomi Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro Router comparison. Let us know what you think about these routers here and don’t forget to rate this comparison as well.

Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro Router Comparison
Redmi AX6 vs AX5 vs Huawei AX3 Pro Router Comparison | Specs, Features, Speed (Compared)
Summary
Huawei AX3 Pro remains the best price/performance router even after the arrival of Redmi AX6.
Reader Rating6 Votes
8.2
10
Total Rating
  1. I read that the Huawei AX3 Pro supports 4×4 MIMO. Is this in both versions (AX3 Pro and AX3 Pro WiFi 6+)?
    I thought it was 2×2 MIMO and the Redmi AX6 was 3×3 MIMO.
    In power is the Redmi AX6 better than the Huawei AX3 Pro?
    The marketing department of both needs to improve in the nomenclatures, they cause a lot of confusion and often users buy wrong because they imagine it is the desired model, since the names are practically the same.

    1. Only the old Huawei router AX3 Pro (CN version) aka WS7200 supports 4×4 MIMO on 80 MHz and 2×2 on 160MHz bandwidth. The new Pro model WS7206 now come with a dual-core SoC similar to the non pro version and only supports 2×2. That is why you are seeing that.

      For Xiaomi Redmi AX6 router sadly supports 2×2 only for both the 80MHz and 160MHz bandwidth. The wireless chip QCN5054 inside it supports 4×4 MIMO under 80MHz bandwidth and 2×2 MIMO under 160MHz bandwidth, but the CPU limits it to 2×2.

      Obviously, Huawei AX3 Pro (CN version), the one with quad-core SoC is more powerful given the fact that its CPU do support 4×4 MU-MIMO while the Redmi AX6 doesn’t. I don’t know if 160MHz is now enabled on Xiaomi’s AX5/AX6 or not.

      Oh, and my advice before you go buy Huawei AX3 Pro, be careful as the Chinese sellers are confusing customers with the Brazilian and now the new WS7206 version. So do read the description carefully before buying.

      If you want absolute performance Xiaomi also has AX9000, AX6000 and AX3600 as well

  2. AX3Pro has 4 antenna but in Antenna Configuration Section in this review, you wrote 6. I think this is false. And also I want to see the speed and signal comparison.

    1. Hi BTopbas!
      Thanks for the correction. It’s done. The no.of antennas are 4 for Huawei AX3 Pro which I mistakenly mentioned as 6 in the specs sheet. I really appreciated it!

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