Xiaomi and Honor compete with each other both in the speed of releasing new versions of smart bracelets and in their
What it is?
Smart bracelet with a color AMOLED display thatcan count steps, track nine types of sports activities, and monitor sleep and heart rate. The key difference between this model and its predecessor – measuring oxygen levels in the blood. The Ukrainian price for the device is 1400 UAH.
What does he look like?
There is a lot in the appearance of the bracelets of the two competitorsin general, and Honor Band 5 also has a lot in common with Honor Band 4. More precisely, the cases of the two generations are identical, the design of fonts and icons has changed, as well as the material of the strap.
The bracelet is fastened with a strap with divisions ina few millimeters. It is convenient to select the optimal size. But I have mixed feelings about the strap material in this model. On the one hand, it feels cheaper, harder and more plastic (Band 4 felt closer to silicone). On the other hand, this one holds on very tenaciously, the bracelet is difficult to unfasten, even if you really want and need it, but by accident – never like that. Band 4 used to come unfastened.
On the front panel of Honor Band 5, in addition to the largeThe display only has a touch-sensitive “Home” key. It recognizes two types of clicks – short and long. A long one is needed, for example, to complete a workout or stop an alarm. Short – to snooze the alarm, return to the main menu and turn on the screen, etc.
Rear – charging contacts and sensorpulse Traditionally, a separate charging device is needed. But it is compatible with the previous generation. Unlike Xiaomi, the Honor bracelet does not need to be taken out of the strap, which, firstly, is more convenient, and secondly, more practical – there is less chance that the strap will die quickly.
Overall, the appearance of the Band 5 – typical forThis class of device, it looks neat, but not to say that it’s like an expensive accessory. This begs a comparison with the first generations of Samsung fitness bracelets, which had a lot of gloss. This model – more like an ordinary soldier in a well-tailored uniform.
How much does he work?
The Band 5 battery capacity is 195 mAh.I had all the capabilities of the device turned on to their fullest – constant heart rate monitoring, the most accurate sleep monitoring. In this mode, it worked for about a week on a single charge. The manufacturer promises up to 12 days, but this is apparently at minimum wages.
Speaking of charging.If you are in a hurry somewhere, and the charge is running low, you can leave the device for 10 minutes, it will gain about 10%, and you can already live with this, even for a tracking workout for one and a half to two hours. Or for a day of work.
Is the screen good?
Great.This is an AMOLED with a diagonal of 0.95 inches and a resolution of 120x240 pixels. Covered with curved 2.5D reinforced glass, which is at least as durable as the previous generation (I haven’t scratched the Honor Band 4 in eight months). The oleophobic coating could be better, but it exists at a minimally acceptable level. The screen is bright. On the street, I did not change the brightness settings from the default ones (⅗ from the maximum). Reacts to pressure quickly and sensitively.
The colors are rich, there are eight dials in the bracelet menupieces, there are those that only show the time, there are – steps spent during activity calories, distance. But if this is not enough, in the application – a few dozen more, although they are more about design and fun than about utilitarianism.
What can he do?
In the fifth generation model, the interface design has slightly changed, the icons have become richer, brighter. But it seemed to me that the interface began to jerk when moving between screens.
Honor Band 5 is equipped with a 6-axis motion sensor.It recognizes nine sports: running on the street and on the track, walking on the street and some other type of walking for which there was no signature in the interface, exercise bike, orbitrek, rowing machine, swimming in the pool (by the way, it can withstand immersion to a depth of up to 50 m) and free training. Moreover, in each of the specific sports, it only tracks heart rate, duration of training, calories burned and some other typical little things. Detailing is only available for running and walking outside. There in the application you can see the average speed, average frequency and length of steps. There are no such details in orbitrack or rowing machine mode. If you forgot to turn on workout tracking – it can be added after the fact. The application also gives a detailed report of your heart rate during training, divided into five modes.
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Modes can be configured individually in the “Me” section.
The application also shows all connected to itdevices (by coincidence I had two), they can be configured separately. Configure – This is to set an alarm clock, watch face, sleep monitoring mode, heart rate, notifications, weather and everything else.
I like that Honor bracelets even capturewaking up at night, when you don’t seem to move and generally lie half asleep, and they are taken into account in the statistics. At the same time, the phases of deep sleep look suspicious. Xiaomi's sensitivity, on the contrary, is lower. That is, the phases of deep sleep – longer, but he may not notice the awakening. It happened that Honor Band 5 considered going to the cinema a light dream. But basically I’m more satisfied with his monitoring than not. I find a lot of interesting things for myself, for example, that the duration of the deep sleep phase is related to the time of falling asleep. Or with silence in the room. That is, these devices for people who have sleep problems and would like to understand them should be useful as a guide.
I used the bracelet in conjunction with twodevices. One – mid-range smartphone and second – basic, on Android Go. So, on the second, for some reason, the TruSleep mode failed from time to time. This is a more detailed sleep monitoring mode that takes into account the time of light, rapid and deep sleep.
The bracelet has a “smart alarm clock” that you canadjust at intervals at a certain time. For example, you need to wake up at 9:00, but the alarm can go off 20 minutes earlier if your sleep phase is right. But at the same time, it works even when the user has long woken up and is even walking, running, etc. To be honest, I don’t notice any benefit from such alarm clocks, so I can’t evaluate the quality of work. It seemed to me that it would go off at the same time, sometimes 10 minutes later.
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There is a section with medals in the application menu– for those who lack their own motivation. And get some – a task at the level of almost impossible. Marathon or supermarathon, for example. Or a 100 km bike ride. The “My Achievements” section shows all the statistics that the bracelet has collected. I was surprised to learn that in 10 days I burned “14.2 chicken legs” worth of calories. An interesting unit of measurement, it’s a pity that it’s too abstract.
The main difference between this model and the previous one– the presence of a function for measuring oxygen in the blood. At the same time as oxygen, the pulse is also measured. For oxygen, the norm is from 90% to 100%, if less – It’s worth moving, and if it’s less than 70% – consult a doctor. The measurement is started on the device; this data cannot be found in the application menu. As far as I understand, statistics are not kept on them. There is no automatic measurement either.
In addition, the bracelet menu has the following functions:like a stopwatch and timer, unlike the previous model, this one allows you to count not only hours and minutes, but also seconds. Using Honor Band 5, you can search for a phone, view notifications from your smartphone (applications are selected in the settings). The duration of the backlight can also be controlled from the device menu. And through the application menu – Enable movement reminders every hour.
What are the alternatives?
The two main competitors of this model – XiaomiMi Band 4 and Honor Band 4. I wrote about the differences from the previous generation in the review. Personally, I like the smart bracelets of this brand, but for me, the innovations in the fifth generation of the bracelet are not so critical, you can pay extra for them, or you can get by, the update itself is passable and looks more like marketing – release a model with a larger index in the name than that of a competitor.
Xiaomi Mi Band 4 – interesting device, andchoosing between the two is, in my opinion, more difficult. I prefer the Honor interface – both the bracelet and the application, as well as – sleep tracking. With physical activity, everything is not so simple. Mi Band 4 counts more calories at the beginning of a workout and counts more steps, but overall counts fewer during an hour-long workout. I was more inclined to trust the Honor bracelet, but it used to total more than 1000 calories in an hour of intense training, which is already prohibitively high. On the Mi Band 4 side – better autonomy (twice) and music control.
In the dry residue
In general, I like Honor smart bracelets.But this update is more of a marketing thing and a reason to take a closer look at the previous generation in the line, which will probably lose several hundred hryvnia after the release of the “five”. I currently use this brand’s bracelet as my main one, I’m satisfied with the interface and quality of monitoring, but I’m not sure that the oxygen sensor and a couple of new training modes, which do not detail specific activity – this is a reason to upgrade or buy a more expensive model.
2 reasons to buy Honor Band 5:
- Are you a fan of the Huawei / Honor brand and are considering a smart bracelet?
- you have an older than the “four” generation of Huawei / Honor bracelets, it's time to upgrade, and you want to stay with the brand (and the application).
2 reasons not to buy Honor Band 5:
- Honor Band 4;
- Xiaomi Mi Band 4.
Honor Band 5 Bracelet Specifications
Dimensions and weight
43x17x12 mm, 23 g
Special features
waterproof, 24/7 heart rate tracking, TruSleep sleep monitoring, activity recognition
Display
touch, 0.95″, AMOLED, 240x120 pixels, 2.5D glass
Sensors
6-axis accelerometer, heart rate monitor, IR sensor
Protection class
protection against water with pressure up to 5 atmospheres
Bluetooth version
4.2
Battery
lithium polymer, 195 mAh
Working hours
up to 12 days
Compatibility
Android 4.4 / iOS 9.0 and above
Fitness bracelet Honor Band 5
Smart bracelet for owners of smartphones Huawei and Honor
Updated version of the Honor Band 4 fitness bracelet.Honor Band 5 is a smart bracelet with a color AMOLED display that can count steps, track nine types of sports activities, and monitor sleep and heart rate. The key difference between this model and its predecessor is the measurement of oxygen levels in the blood. Direct competitor of Xiaomi Mi Band 4. Optimal for purchase by owners of Huawei and Honor phones - it uses the Huawei Health application to work.
Buy on AliExpress
competitor Xiaomi Band 4
For those who want to know more:
- Xiaomi Mi Band 4 Review: New Standard of Fitness Bracelets
- Top 7 best fitness bracelets of 2019
- Xiaomi Mi Band 3 review: three times the hero of smart bracelets
- Xiaomi Mi Band 2 review: why buy a budget smart bracelet?
- 10 best selling gadgets on AliExpress
Thank you
Editorial gg thanks to the online store iLounge for kindly providing the Honor Band 5 bracelet for this review.