Honest review of Honor Band 5: comparison with Mi Band 4, reviews

Verdict and competitors

What I liked about Honor Band 5:

• design, materials, build quality;
• comfortable strap;
• color display with excellent brightness reserve;
• accurate heart rate monitor;
• advanced sleep monitoring and smart alarm;
• an abundance of statistics and its visualization in a proprietary application;
• Huawei Health sports functionality;
• convenient charging.

Disadvantages:

• mediocre battery life due to the old version of Bluetooth 4.2;
• flaws in the interface;
• the bracelet cannot use GPS separately from the application;
• few dials;
• lack of music control.

Honor Band 5 is a good budget fitness bracelet. It looks stylish, works correctly with notifications, and does almost everything that such a gadget should be able to do. If you are choosing your first tracker and you like its design, go for it, you won’t be disappointed.

But it would not be entirely correct to consider HB5 in isolation from its main competitor — Mi Band 4. And here the product from Xiaomi wins both in the little things related to the more thoughtful implementation of various functions, and in two really important parameters. The first is autonomy, the second, and most important, is the ability to control the player.

What do you think about the Honor bracelet? Write reviews if you want to see a separate article with a more detailed comparison of Honor Band 5 and Xiaomi Mi Band 4 (review via link).

Waterproof and swim function

Honor Band 5 is equipped with dust and moisture protection according to the IP68 standard, and also has a water resistance class of WR50 (waterproof up to 5 ATM). In fact, we do not recommend using the bracelet for diving or deep diving, but you can safely swim with it and also take it with you in the shower.

In addition, Honor Band 5 provides detailed statistics for each pool you swim through. Swimming style, time, number of strokes, SWOLF, pace — you can track all this for a specific pool. So, if you swam 10 pools, then on the “Segments” tab you will have access to statistics for each.

As an experiment, I changed my swimming style from breaststroke to freestyle every 2 pools. The bracelet defined both styles perfectly. As for strokes, in most cases the bracelet accurately determined their number, but there were times when the error reached 15%.

Synchronization and configuration

To connect the Honor Band 5 to the phone, use the Huawei Health application (not to be confused with Huawei Wear). The process is intuitive; if you bought the Chinese version of the bracelet, you won’t have to understand the interface with hieroglyphs — everything is done through the program. On the gadget’s screen, you just need to tap the checkbox to confirm synchronization, after which the tracker will be updated and switch to Russian.

The device is equipped with a Bluetooth 4.2 interface — the version is not the latest, but I did not notice any problems with the stability of the connection behind the bracelet. The tracker can be connected to the phone exclusively through a proprietary application. It does not appear in the list of Bluetooth devices, which makes it impossible to use the SmartLock function, in which the smartphone remains unlocked if a trusted device is within range.

With the number and variety of watch faces, things are not going well for the Honor Band 5. The developers are doing something, the number of watch faces available in the application is increasing (currently 40), but most of them are extremely mediocre.

But the bracelet’s memory stores 8 screensavers at once, which can be changed without using the phone. In MB4 there are only 4.

Comparison of honor band 5 and xiaomi mi band 4

1. Ergonomics
   . Honor Band 5 fits much more comfortably on your hand. This is largely achieved due to a higher quality silicone strap. But the device’s capsule form factor is also more sophisticated – Band 5 fits perfectly around the user’s wrist and has rounded display sides. Here Xiaomi Mi Band 4 loses in all respects.
   
   
2. Clasp
   . Xiaomi Mi Band 4 has a button-type clasp that can periodically come undone. Honor also has a buckle clasp that prevents spontaneous unfastening.
3. Charger
   . The charging cradle on Honor does not require separating the bracelet capsule from the strap; it is simply attached to the back of the tracker. In Xiaomi Mi Band, the capsule will definitely have to be pulled out of the strap.
4. Interface
   . The assessment of the interface cannot be called objective, but I liked the graphics better on the Honor Band 5, largely due to the more colorful and voluminous rendering of each element. Honor Band 5 also has a bolder and clearer font, which makes the screen less readable when exposed to direct sunlight.
   
5. Dials
   . On Honor Band 5, the dials have changed, become more detailed and increased in size. But the watch faces of the Mi Band are still not up to par. Xiaomi has several times more watch faces and their design is better.
6. Weather forecast
   . Honor’s fitness bracelet only shows the current air temperature. Xiaomi has a separate tab in the menu entirely dedicated to the forecast. There you will find a forecast for 4 days ahead with temperature and cloud cover.
7. Screen lock
   . It would seem such a simple function, but Honor Band 5 does not have it. You cannot forcefully lock the screen on the bracelet, only during training. On Xiaomi, the screen lock can be set in the settings.
8. Heart rate monitor
   . Although the Mi Band 4’s heart rate measurement is called constant, in fact it is not so, since the minimum measurement interval is 1 minute. Honor Band 5 can take real-time measurements. Regarding the adequacy of measurements, Honor Band 5 not only provides more accurate data, but is also more sensitive. So, the Honor bracelet will not measure the pulse of toilet paper or air, but the Mi Band 4 can. Honor also has more settings and features related to the heart rate monitor. As for the accuracy of the sensors, both bracelets calculate heart rate quite adequately.
   
9. Swimming mode
   . I swam 40 25 meter pools, which is 1,000 meters. Both Mi Band and Honor counted exactly 40 pools and 1,000 meters, as well as the same SWOLF indicator. But Honor is still the preferred gadget for swimmers, as it provides more detailed statistics (there are statistics for each pool completed), and also more accurately determines swimming style. Only general statistics are available on Xiaomi.
10. Training modes
    . 6 options for sports modes on the Xiaomi Mi Band versus 10 on the Honor Band 5. Interesting workouts on Honor include training on an elliptical and training on a rowing machine.
11. Step counting accuracy
    . After a thousand steps taken, Xiaomi showed 1010 steps, and Honor 1006 steps, that is, the results are almost the same. When calculating the distance traveled, everything is the same.
12. Display
    . Both bracelets have identical screens both in size and resolution.
13. Blood oxygen measurement
    . This is the feature Honor is most proud of, but experience shows that most users will only use it a few times. There is no such function on Xiaomi.
14. Activating the screen by raising your hand
    . On Honor Band 5, this function is too sensitive — you can activate the screen with the slightest change in the position of your hand. Moreover, the sensitivity cannot be adjusted, unlike the Xiaomi Mi Band 4, where there are 2 possible modes of operation of the function.
15. Autonomy
    . At maximum load, Honor Band 5 is capable of working for 5, maximum 6 days. Xiaomi Mi Band 4 at the same load level can operate for up to 10 days without recharging.
16. Bluetooth version
    . The tracker from Xiaomi is equipped with the fifth version of Bluetooth, and Honor Band 5 has Bluetooth 4.2 at its disposal. This negatively affects both the autonomy of the Honor bracelet and the synchronization distance with a smartphone.
17. Notifications
    . Xiaomi Mi Band 4 displays the notification itself, the name of the recipient, as well as the messenger or social network. the network from which the notification came. Honor Band 5, unfortunately, displays only the recipient’s name and message, but does not write where the notification came from. In addition, Honor limits the maximum number of notifications to ten.
18. Sleep monitoring
    . This is an unconditional victory for Honor Band 5. It determines the phases of sleep a little more accurately and can detect daytime sleep. The tracker from Honor also gives recommendations for improving sleep, generates one of the most detailed statistics on the market and has a smart alarm clock.
    
19. Music control
    . In Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 you can control music playback from any player or social network. Honor cannot boast of such functionality.
20. Additional features
    . Here Xiaomi comes out ahead, since the tracker application offers much more varied settings than the Honor Band 5. On Mi Band 4, you can create your own vibration pattern, set your own picture on the main screen, configure the smartphone screen to unlock when the bracelet approaches, etc. d. Honor Band 5 also has something to boast about: remote control of the smartphone camera (you can take a photo on your smartphone via a fitness bracelet), navigating through the menu by tilting your wrist.

Conclusion. Now let’s calculate the advantages of each device according to the following scheme: victory in each point – 1 point.

Honor Band 5: ergonomics, clasp, charger, interface, heart rate monitor, sophisticated “swimming” mode, number of training modes, blood oxygen measurement, sleep monitoring.

Xiaomi Mi band 4: watch faces, weather forecast, screen lock, screen activation by raising your hand, autonomy, Bluetooth version, notifications, music control, additional functions.

Both bracelets scored 9 points. They can truly be considered the best offers in terms of price/quality/functionality ratio. Xiaomi Mi Band 4 and Honor Band 5 are the main competitors in the modern sports gadget market, but have slightly different buyer profiles.

Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is suitable for those who are more in need of a modern, bright gadget that would have a lot of multimedia capabilities. You can use the tracker to control your smartphone’s player, view the weather, read SMS from instant messengers, change the design of the main screen to suit your style, etc. A set of sports functions will allow you to analyze daily activity and sleep quality.

Honor Band 5 is more aimed at tracking sports performance. If you regularly go to the gym, go jogging, or visit the pool, then you better pay attention to this bracelet. In addition to very detailed statistics, Honor has a lot of additional sports functions (measuring blood oxygen levels, constant heart rate monitoring, 10 types of training modes, etc.).

In any case, if you choose either of these bracelets, you are unlikely to be disappointed, since both trackers offer maximum features for a minimum cost.

We also recommend that you pay attention to a detailed review of the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 fitness bracelet:

Photos: appearance.

Although Huawei Honor Band 3 has a design very similar to Xiaomi Mi Band, it is quite difficult to confuse them. In the black version of the strap, like mine, the bracelet looks very minimalistic.

Moreover, the design is also different: if the first/second version of the Mi Band has a design with a removable capsule, then Huawei is a “solid device”. That is, you cannot remove the strap while walking.

The strap is made of polyurethane rubber.

The material of the strap is very pleasant to the touch — it is soft and easily takes the desired shape. In the cold, which is very important, the strap does not become dull.

The total length of the entire strap is 215mm, width — 15mm. It can’t be called big, especially compared to watch straps/etc., but for a fitness bracelet it’s not surprising.

There are enough divisions for any hand.

The bracelet is fastened into two divisions at once, as you may have already noticed. The system is completely similar to the Mi Band.

When fastened and tightened (although it is not recommended to wear it this way), there are no highly visible marks from the fasteners on the hand.

The outer part of the clasp looks reliable and has the inscription “Honor”.

The connection with the capsule is beyond doubt — there are no gaps at all.

It is connected using bolts located on the inside of the bracelet.

There you can also see: charging contacts, a heart rate monitor and a special recess for installing a docking station.

Again, there are no strongly protruding parts here. Although the bracelet is ~16mm thick.

The docking station is installed until it clicks, and when installed it holds tightly.

The bracelet capsule is made of high-quality plastic, including its front panel.

I have already tested the water resistance — I did not take off the bracelet in the bathroom. Actually, without any footnotes, it is declared as waterproof, so the bracelet does not need to be removed at all.

In general, there is nothing to complain about here. The bracelet looks and feels like a quality product. And in fact, such a design is definitely more reliable than the version with a removable capsule: at a minimum, the level of water resistance increases. In this case, of course, one of the advantages of possible replacement of the strap with a steel bracelet or something else more original than the standard version is lost.