Highlights
Honor has made a name for itself by offering smartwatches that deliver more than meets the eye, but its journey comes with a unique challenge: a limited presence in the U.S. market due to its ties with Huawei. Despite this, Honor has thrived in other regions, bringing high-tech health features and sleek aesthetics to users who don’t want to compromise between style and functionality. With a focus on cutting-edge health monitoring and AI-driven fitness insights, Honor appeals to those looking for more in their wearables without the premium price tag.
Product Selection
The available Products of this company's devices include smartwatches and fitness bands- respectively, the Honor Watch 5, Watch 4, Watch 4 Pro, GS3, and GS Pro, along with the Honor Band 7 and Band 6. The Watch 5 is more health-focused, boasting a larger 1.85-inch AMOLED, while the Watch 4 Pro is positioned to be far more premium with connectivity options like e-SIM support. The rugged GS3 and GS Pro cover outdoor activities, while the Band 7 and Band 6 provide a more budget-friendly entry point for users who center on basic fitness tracking. The lineup goes from high-end wearables to cost-effective fitness bands, depending on one's preference.
Affordability
Generally speaking, Honor has always provided good value: the Honor Band 7 and Band 6 are reasonable options for basic fitness tracking, coming in aggressively at around $50-$80. The mid-range Watch offerings, like the Watch 4 and GS3, are priced at about $150-$200, balancing price adequately with features. The Watch 4 Pro and GS Pro occupy a more premium bracket at about $250-$300. This makes Honor appealing for many customers, offering competitive features at different price points.
Reputation
Having first begun as a sub-brand of Huawei, the company established its foothold in the industry as a developer of budget-friendly, high-quality smart devices that took advantage of Huawei's technological know-how. After its breakup from Huawei, it continued to expand its line of smart devices in the health and fitness tracking sectors. Their smartwatches are known for solidly built designs and long battery lives, appealing to users who need reliability for everyday and outdoor usage. It is, however, still not present in the U.S. market because of its association with Huawei, meaning its availability in Western markets remains limited while it continues to perform well in Asian and European markets.
Battery Life
Honor is predominantly known for its outstanding battery performance in its smartwatches. Probably the best of them is the GS Pro, with up to 25 days of battery life in power-saving mode, making it an excellent choice for long-term use. Otherwise, a typical use would be provided by both Watch 4 Pro and Watch 5: 10-14 days, which means reliability without frequent charging. Long battery life is also provided in the Band 7, making it suitable for users who want low-maintenance wearables. This focus on longevity makes it a good opportunity for users seeking extended battery performance.
Performance
With MagicOS inside these smartwatches, both the Honor Watch 4 Pro and Watch 5 are seamless in providing smooth experiences from applications to notifications. The GS Pro and the GS3 are for outdoorsmen, optimized for outdoor activities with multi-GNSS support that enables accurate tracking. The Honor Health app offers an easy way to review and analyze health metrics comfortably. However, the selection of apps remains more limited compared to others, such as Wear OS or watchOS. The best performance of Honor fits those users who are looking for seamless navigation and reliable tracking.
Design & Style
The Honor Watch 4 Pro and Watch 5 have sleek AMOLED displays with stylish designs, offering the modern look most users want, while the GS Pro targets a rugged aesthetic, built for harsh conditions and appealing to outdoor enthusiasts. Both the Band 7 and Band 6 take a more minimalist approach, featuring lightweight construction and easy-to-read displays. Overall, Honor's design strategy blends functionality with style across diverse user needs.
Build Quality & Durability
he Honor Watch 4 Pro and GS Pro have stainless steel casings, while the latter comes with MIL-STD-810G durability for outdoor usage and rough conditions. The GS Pro is good to go in extreme temperatures and shocks, making it ideal for adventure lovers. The Watch 5 and Band 7 feature robust builds with 5 ATM water resistance, suitable for swimming and day-to-day use. Honor focuses on durability, ensuring the watches can withstand daily wear and tougher environments.
Health & Fitness Tracking
All of Honor's devices have health features, but it covers the spectrum from there. The Watch 5 brings 24/7 heart rate monitoring, SpO2 tracking, and sleep analysis. The Watch 4 Pro ups the ante with e-SIM capabilities, so users can get health data even when they go out of their phone's reach. Both the GS Pro and GS3 come with GPS tracking for outdoor sports, and even include stress monitoring, making these wearables good for athletes. The Band 7 is more basic, housing a suite of health traits such as steps, sleep, and heart rate; integration with the Honor Health app allows deeper insights into those, making the device versatile for everything from casual to rigorous fitness tracking.
Smart Features & Connectivity
The features in the Honor Watch 4 Pro include eSIM for standalone calling and messaging, plus Bluetooth connectivity to easily pair with a smartphone. The Watch 5 and GS Pro also add GPS and NFC for the convenience of contactless payment. For their part, the principal functions of the Band 6 and Band 7 are to deliver notifications and provide basic music control. While the app ecosystem is limited compared to more extended platforms like Wear OS, Honor focuses on providing practical software features that are decently integrated with an Android device.
Conclusion
Honor excels in providing affordable smartwatches with advanced health capabilities, making them a solid choice for users seeking value-packed devices. Its emphasis on elegant design and detailed health tracking makes it competitive in markets outside the U.S., offering a strong alternative to pricier brands. However, its absence in the U.S. and a smaller app ecosystem can limit its appeal for those looking for broader compatibility and app support. Still, for those who can access Honor’s products, the brand offers an enticing mix of innovation and affordability, proving that you don’t need to sacrifice quality for price.
