Review of the Huawei Band 4 fitness bracelet. Should I buy it or not?

This year, HUAWEI continues to actively update its line of wearable electronics and, following the second generation of Watch GT watches and the Band 3 Pro bracelet, we will get acquainted with one of the most affordable fitness trackers from the company - HUAWEI Band 4, which turned out to be inexpensive, nice, but controversial .

HUAWEI Band 4 Graphite Black (55024462) Smart watches and fitness bracelets on

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Main characteristics of Huawei Band 4

• Screen: 0.96 inches, TFT;

• Screen resolution: 160*80 pixels;

• Processor: Apollo 3;

• Memory: ROM: 384 KB, ROM: 1 MB, Flash: 32 MB;

• Sensors: 3-axis acceleration sensor, infrared sensor, optical heart rate sensor;

• Battery: 91 mAh;

• Battery life: 6 – 9 days;

• Compatibility: Android 4.4 and above iOS 9.0 and above; Water resistance: 5 ATM (up to 50 meters);

• Dimensions: 56 mm (length) × 18.5 mm (width) × 12.5 mm (thickness);

• Weight: 24 grams.

Review of the Honor Band 4 fitness bracelet

In this review we will talk about the inexpensive Huawei Band 4 fitness bracelet. I purchased them 2 years ago and still use them. I will try to tell you everything about this watch.

Content

• Where can I buy?
• Characteristics
• Additional information about my watch
• Options
• Appearance and features
• Connecting your watch to your smartphone
• Functions and capabilities of the watch
• Price
• Flaws
• Conclusion

Where can I buy?

Buy Huawei Band 4

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Characteristics

Additional information about my watch

I would like to note about the watch that one of the straps is shortened and it lacks a trench (Honor Band 5 is pictured in the photo).

Options

Unfortunately, I threw away the packaging for the watch, but it is quite simple, blue in color and basically everything is written on it in Chinese. The kit includes: a fitness bracelet, a charging cradle, a USB - micro-USB cable and instructions in Chinese.

Appearance and features

There is also Honor Band 5 at hand and from a design point of view they are no different. If we compare it with the previous version, that is, Band 3, then Band 4 and 5 have become more convenient, since the strap fastening has changed and the button has become clearly visible.

Honor Band 4 Honor Band 5

Buy Huawei Band 5

Strap fastening, like all typical watches:

At the bottom there is a heart rate sensor and charging contacts.

As for removing the straps, this is done simply; to do this, you need to pull out the plastic lock on both sides, and then remove the straps.

Of course, the colors and styles of straps are not limited in any way.

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What the watch looks like together with the cradle:

On my hands:

Connecting your watch to your smartphone

To connect, you need to install the Huawei Health app, which is also available on iOS.

Google Play

App Store

Next you need to select a device.

Once connected, the watch will have the same language as the one installed on the phone. There are no problems with the Cyrillic alphabet.

Functions and capabilities of the watch

This same dial will be installed initially, where it shows: weather, temperature, bluetooth icon (if the indicator is active, it means that the watch is connected to the phone), message icon (if there is, it means there are unread messages), charge level, time , date and number of steps.

After release there were only 5 watch faces to choose from, but now there are 8 and I can tell you that software updates are still being released. (you cannot add watch faces). Let's go through each:

Using the bracelet, you can see who is calling you and using a swipe you can reject an incoming call.

We will go from the initial page to the top, and at the top there is the “Messages” section. It is possible to read one message at a time, but there is a limit on the number of characters displayed. Also, incoming messages are accompanied by vibration.

After the “Messages” section there is “More” where the clock settings are located.

In the settings you can:

• Change watch faces
• Turn on the “find phone” function and your smartphone will start shouting “I’m here, I’m here”, even though you have the sound turned off
• Timer (when it starts, the clock will turn off)
• Stopwatch (and when you start the stopwatch, the watch will no longer turn off)
• You can adjust the screen brightness (there are 3 levels + the “reduce brightness at night” function, I always have it on, and the level is 1)
• Reset
• Reboot
• Turning off (if you turn it off, you can only turn it on using a charger, that is, a cradle)
• Regulatory acts (everything is in Chinese)
• And lastly, you can view the watch information, that is: device name; MAC address, SN, software version

Timer

Stopwatch
There are three brightness levels, the difference is felt. My brightness is always at level 1 and that’s enough for me.

Next comes the “Training” section:

There are different types of activities: running, treadmill, walking, cycling, swimming in the pool, exercise bike, free training.

In each workout, you can set goals and set intermediate signals:

You can set goals in different categories. Workouts can always be paused and started again.

Next comes the “Sleep” section, and sleep details can be found in the application.

Next comes the “Pulse” section

Next comes the “Day Statistics” section, where you can see:

The default goal is 10 thousand steps per day. Here you can also see data on steps and other parameters.

After turning on the camera on the phone, a camera icon appears in the bracelet and you can take a photo from it and start/stop the video.

The order of the sections can be adjusted to suit you; for example, I removed Alipay altogether, since it only works in China. To do this, go to the “Huawei Health” application > devices > select your watch > device settings > function settings.

Let's move on to the application itself. Here's what the primary screen looks like (I have dark mode on my phone, but I'll show you in light mode).

We chose our device, where we can already see all sorts of data.

There is Huawei TruSleep sleep monitoring. I’ve never used it myself, but I saw online that this function is praised. But, I can say about monitoring the light/deep phase of sleep that fitness bracelets are not yet capable of showing accurate sleep data, as has been proven by scientists. There is also a “continuous heart rate monitoring” function, where you can turn on a notification when a certain amount of heart rate is exceeded.

There is a smart alarm clock and 4 regular ones, the functions of a smart alarm clock are written in the photo below (bottom of the screen)

In the “Other” > “Device Settings” section there are 5 functions: (about setting functions, see above)

Setting up notifications:

Graph for tracking sleep and heart rate for a day/week/month/year (pulse is empty because I don’t use eternal heart rate monitoring).

Load tracking (steps):

Yes, I am a real athlete. Workouts can be started not only through the watch, but also through the phone. The phone will conduct GPS tracking.

There is a personal profile where you can specify:

• floor
• Date of Birth
• height
• weight

In “Settings” you can specify: the goal and set the threshold and heart rate limits.

The “Send data” function will make it possible to send your data to the application and you will receive, as I understand it, additional statistics. Notification management:

You can change the system of measures (there are metric and imperial). You can also clear the cache.

Price

After release, Honor Band 4 cost approximately 2,500 rubles. I bought them myself from Aliexpress for 2,200 rubles. Now they can be purchased for about 1,700 rubles (the price depends on the configuration).

Flaws

• When there are more than 4-5 messages, the clock starts to slow down, but after the “delete all” action, the operating speed immediately becomes normal.
• There are not enough winter sports in the training section
• The screen can be activated by hot water, that is, in the shower, the clock will often turn on.
• Deep/light sleep tracking does not work correctly. This is not surprising, and yes, scientists have proven that fitness and smart watches are not yet capable of properly tracking sleep. And the time spent in sleep shows correctly.

Conclusion

In fact, I am very happy with my purchase, and as I said, I still use them. They work normally, notifications are received. Software updates are still coming out, at the moment the version of my watch is: 1.0.10.78. I would like to note the vibration motor in the watch, which works nicely and can wake you up. The Honor Band 4 screen has become much more comfortable when compared with the Honor Band 3. The picture fades a little from the sun's rays, but remains quite visible. My watch has taken a lot of hits on the screen, and you may have noticed that there are a few scratches on it, but they are almost invisible. In the “All inclusive” mode, the watch lasts for about 6 days; I myself have never used it in this mode, since I don’t see the point in it. I charge my watch myself ~ every 10 days. I also went to the bathhouse in them many times, and I continue to do so, and as you understand, everything is fine. That's all, thanks for your attention!

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The Honor Band 6 watch has also appeared, which can be viewed at the link below.

BUY HUAWEI BAND 6

Created a telegram channel where new products from Xiaomi manufacturers are published. You can go by clicking this link.

Equipment

The delivery set is spartan. Inside a small box made of loose cardboard is the bracelet itself in a plastic stand, a short user manual and a warranty card in several languages, including Russian and Ukrainian. That's it, there's nothing else in the box! No cables, no charging docks. They are simply not needed here. At one end of the case there is a USB connector that can be plugged into any power adapter or laptop connector.

Design and screen

The case is made of plastic, the strap is made of very soft and pleasant to the touch silicone. The strap clasp is also plastic.

Huawei Band 4 is available in three color options: Graphite Black, Pearl White and Amber Sunrise, or, more simply, black, orange and pink. The lower part of the case is the same color as the strap.

If we compare Band 4 with all previous fitness bracelets produced under the Huawei and Honor brands, the most significant external difference is the way the strap is attached to the capsule. Now you don't need to unscrew the screws or remove the plastic bracket, like with Honor Band 4 or 5.

Just press the button on the inside of the strap and it comes off easily. One minus is that it is unlikely that additional straps or bracelets for this bracelet will be found in the near future.

Huawei decided to save money on the display. Probably, I really wanted to make a bracelet cheaper than the popular Xiaomi Mi Band 4. Previous models are equipped with an AMOLED matrix, but here it has a TFT panel with a diagonal of 0.95 inches. The resolution has decreased: 160 * 80 pixels (Honor 240 * 120), but this did not particularly affect the detail. The picture quality is at a quite decent level, the brightness is sufficient, the colors are contrasting.

There are three watch faces available in the device memory for the main screen. There are about 60 more different options in the mobile app.

Do the characteristics correspond to the declared ones, according to buyers?

Most buyers are satisfied with the new product; according to their reviews, Honor Band 4 is multifunctional, easy to use and stylish. However, some users found shortcomings in the performance of the fitness bracelet.

According to customer reviews, the device has an excellent bright display, does not cause discomfort when worn, and is suitable for fitness:

According to owner reviews, Honor Band 4 has a comfortable strap and does not allow you to miss important calls or messages:

Users are satisfied that the fitness bracelet is comfortable and works for a long time without recharging. According to their reviews, Honor Band 4 calculates sports parameters with minimal error. Most owners of this gadget like that it has a swimming mode.

According to reviews, Honor Band 4 does not connect well with phones that run on the IOS platform, which does not allow you to try most of the functions of the fitness bracelet. Users also don’t like that some options can only be activated through the application.

Reviews from some Honor Band 4 owners are very mixed. Some are satisfied with the quality of the display, the function of sleep monitoring, and phone search, but they claim that the fitness bracelet does not work correctly in swimming mode.

Others also like the screen, but are unhappy with the notification function:

But, according to reviews from most users, Honor Band 4 meets the stated characteristics and copes with its functions.

As you can see, reviews about the Honor Band 4 are mixed, but they will help you weigh the pros and cons to make the right choice.

Application operation and management

To fully use all functions and to configure the tracker, you must install the Huawei Health mobile application on your smartphone. You can download it both from the Play Market and the App Store. But before pairing, the bracelet must be turned on. To do this, the capsule must be connected to a power source.

After downloading and installing the application, you need to register an account, and then follow the prompts to pair with your smartphone. Once connected, the bracelet will automatically pick up the smartphone's language, time and date.

We will not dwell separately on the Huawei Health application. You can read about it in detail in the instructions for Honor Band 4 and Band 5.

The tracker is controlled by a touch screen with gesture support, as well as a “Home” touch area located under the screen.

By default, the Huawei Band 4 interface consists of the following items:

• Main screen (tapping on the main screen brings up the screen with the battery and connection status, as well as the current weather forecast);

• Activity (steps, calories, distance, activity time);

• Pulse;

• Sleep (duration of sleep over the current day);

• Training;

• More (timer, stopwatch, dials, phone search, brightness, battery status, reset settings, restart and turn off the tracker);

• Messages.

In the application, you can change the order in which screens are displayed or remove unused ones.

Functional

To monitor the activity and condition of the body, the bracelet was equipped with an optical pulse sensor and a three-axis accelerometer. Honor Band 5 is equipped with a six-axis accelerometer, but, as it turned out, this does not particularly affect the accuracy. During testing, both bracelets showed almost the same data.

Pulse

To start measuring your pulse, just tap on the heart icon on the tracker screen. You can also set up automatic 24/7 measurement and notifications for high or low heart rates, but this will significantly affect battery life.

Dream

The bracelet can automatically track sleep. Using TruSleep technology, it not only recognizes the time of falling asleep and waking up, but also divides sleep into phases and provides more than 200 personalized recommendations for improving it.

Steps, calories, distance

Huawei Band 4 takes a little more steps than Honor Band 5, but the difference is insignificant. As for calories and distance, everything is almost the same here. The results can be seen in the screenshots below (Huawei Band 4 on the left, Honor Band 5 on the right).

Steps

Distance

Calories

Training

The tracker can track 9 sports modes:

• Running outside;

• Running on a treadmill;

• Walking outside;

• Walking on a treadmill;

• A ride on the bicycle;

• Exercise bike exercises;

• Ellipse;

• Rowing;

• Free training.

There is no proprietary GPS module, so you can use the GPS module of your smartphone to obtain data on distance, pace and route during training. Yes, although the case is waterproof up to 50 meters (5ATM) and you can safely swim with the bracelet, for some reason there is no swimming monitoring mode.

Notifications

You can set notifications for each application on your smartphone. When a notification is received, the tracker vibrates several times and the text of the message is displayed on the screen. The 10 most recent messages are stored in memory.

When you call, the phone number or contact name is shown on the screen. It is possible to reject the call.

Other options

In addition to all the above functions, there is also a timer, a stopwatch, a phone search function, control of its camera, an alarm clock (smart and regular), and a warm-up reminder.

Pros of a device from Huawei

According to customer reviews, Honor Band 4 has the following advantages:

1. It has a bright screen on which you can easily view information even in the sun.
2. Comfortable strap with a secure clasp. The fitness bracelet does not fall off during training or changing clothes.
3. The monitor is covered with glass, which is resistant to scratches and other damage.
4. High moisture protection, the ability to swim in the pool.
5. The user can select a suitable training mode, such as walking, running, cycling, swimming.
6. Ability to set training goals (distance, laps, time).
7. Counts steps with minimal error.
8. Reminds you of prolonged inactivity and motivates you to get up and stretch.
9. Tracks sleep phases, determines the time when a person wakes up, and shows the actual duration of sleep.
10. Constantly measures the pulse, reports an increase in its threshold, and builds a daily schedule.
11. The alarm clock awakens a person at the appropriate time with a soft but expressive vibration that will not disturb family members.
12. Ability to select applications from which notifications will come.
13. The function of activating the screen with a wave of your hand and scrolling through the menu with a rotation works well.
14. Shows the contact's name, as well as who the message came from, and partially read it.

According to most reviews, Honor Band 4 has excellent quality and build, and copes with its functions with a bang.

Important! Users are satisfied with the appearance, ease of use of the fitness bracelet, as well as the option of measuring heart rate and monitoring sleep. They claim that even a beginner can figure out the device settings.

Buyers like how the notification function for calls, SMS, as well as notifications from social networks or instant messengers works.

Owners of smartphones that run on the iOS platform claim that Honor Band 4 works perfectly with mobile devices. According to reviews, the fitness bracelet has good autonomy, and it is really not afraid of water.

As you can see, this is indeed a worthy gadget that you should pay attention to.