At the launch event of the Honor 9X and Honor 9X Pro, the Chinese company also unveiled new Honor Band 5. The successor to Honor Band 4 carries various new advancements, including the ability to measure the blood oxygen level. It is an incremental upgrade over the Honor 4 and now competes with Xiaomi Mi Band 4. However, the looks and design are similar to that of the Honor Band 4. There are no significant identical changes in the new fitness band. Honor has just announced the band in China and will go on sale from July 29th. The Standard edition Band 5 costs 190 Yuan which roughly translates to $28, and the NFC enabled version comes for 220 Yuan (~$32).
The Honor Band 5 features a 0.95-inch color OLED display having the resolution of 120 x 240 pixels. It comes with a water-resistant 5ATM certification – withstands pressures equivalent to a depth of 50 meters. There are several fitness features like heart rate monitor, step counter, calorie count, and newly added blood oxygen saturation monitor. The SpO2 sensor helps users to measure blood oxygen level. It is useful during trekking and doing other adventurous activities. Moreover, it can display SMS, WeChat, and QQ messages from the smartphone. Honor Band 5 comes with ten different sport modes, including swimming, running, etc. The special edition also supports NFC in the connectivity options. It’s 100 mAh battery can sustain up to 14 days without any charging.
However, the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 goes nip and tuck with the Honor Band 5. There are some differences which we will uncover in the specs comparison of Honor Band 5 vs. Mi Band 4.
Specs comparison: Honor Band 5 vs. Mi Band 4
| Honor Band 5 | Mi Band 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 22.7 g | 22.1 g |
| Size | 43 mm × 17.2 mm × 11.5 mm | - |
| Display | 0.95” color AMOLED Display, 120 x 240px RGB | 0.95" AMOLED Display, 120 x 240 RGB |
| Charging time | 1 hour for 100 mAh battery | ≤ 2 hours for 135 mAh battery |
| Band material | TPU | TPU + TPE |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, NFC | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GLONASS, NFC |
| Blood oxygen detection | Support | Not support |
| Water Resistance | 5ATM | 5ATM |
| Battery | 100 mAh | 135 mAh |
| Shape of the dial | Rectangle | Elliptical |
| Sensors | 6-axis accelerometer, PPG heart rate sensor; Infrared Sensor; | 3-axis accelerometer + 3-axis gyroscope; PPG heart rate sensor; Capacitive proximity sensor |
There’s a little difference between both the fitness bands. Both the companies have added the best features on both the devices. It’s quite difficult to compare these devices, but still here’s an attempt to clarify some differences between Honor Band 5 and Mi Band 4.
Display
The newly launched Honor Band 5 carries a 0.95-inch AMOLED true-color RGB display with 282 PPI of pixel density. The improvised user interface and different watch faces make it attractive. It carries 2.5D tempered glass for protection against common falls and also saves display from fingerprint touches. Whereas, the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 comes with a similar-sized AMOLED display having the resolution of 120 x 240 pixels and 24 bit of color depth. Users can even use it easily under the direct sunlight, thanks to its brightness ability of 400nits. The display on Mi Band 4 is protected with 2.5D tempered glass carrying anti-fingerprint coating.
Design
The Honor Band 5 carries the same design aesthetics as like of its predecessor. Without any notable change in the design, Honor Band 5 still fares well against the competition with bright color options. It easily fits on the hands and looks beautiful. A square-shaped fully touchscreen is present along with a home button at the bottom. Its silicon strap measures 115mm in length. Both the Standard and NFC version carries the same build material. It is available in three different colors of black, blue, and light pink.
On the other hand, Xiaomi Mi Band 4 carries round-edged display with similar corners. It’s 0.95-inch colored display with elliptical shape looks great with a feather touch button placed at the bottom. A charging port is present on the bottom with a PPG heart rate and capacitive proximity sensor. It is still one of the best generic-looking fitness band. The beautiful display makes it look better. It comes with a silicone strap for a comfortable feel.
Battery
The battery life of the wearable device plays a pivotal role in its popularity. It is a crucial decision-making metric while buying the wearable. The Honor Band 5 carries 100 mAh battery with the standby time of 14 days. Meanwhile, the 135 mAh battery on the Mi band 4 can withstand 20 days. In detail, Honor Band 4 can sustain for six days upon extensive usage. However, the Honor Band 5 can charge within an hour, and the Mi Band’s little big battery takes 2 hours to get fully charged. There’s a slight difference in the battery standby time, but we think it is manageable with SpO2 availability in the Honor Band 5.
Software
Honor Band 5 comes with a preset eight dial themes, whereas the Mi Band 4 comes with four preset dial themes. The new band from Honor supports up to 11 different types of activities, including treadmill monitoring, outdoor running, cycling, walking, swimming, etc. It can count steps, distance and calories burned.
Just like the Honor Band 5, the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 offers health features such as sleep monitoring, heart-rate monitoring, all-day heart rate checking, heart rate chart, idle alerts, etc. There are a lot of other features like Night Mode, Do not disturb, Bluetooth Broadcasting, etc. Xiaomi’s wearable band does not support blood oxygen detection.
In NFC, Honor Band 5 supports 252 City bus cards in China. It even facilitates the removal, recovery, and relocation of traffic cards. Whereas, the Mi Band 4 supports bus cards across 218 cities of China.
Pricing
The pricing of both the fitness bands are the same, but the one from Honor is a little expensive. Honor Band 5’s ability to monitor the oxygen level makes it little heftier. It is available for 189 Yuan, which roughly translates to $28. The NFC version of Honor Band 5 will retail at 219 Yuan (~$31). The Xiaomi Mi Band 4 was launched with the price tag of 169 Yuan (~$24.5).
If users are looking for detailed health metrics and more advanced health monitoring functions, then Honor Band 5 is the perfect choice for them. Otherwise, the Xiaomi Mi band 4 is also not a bad choice at a lesser price.
