Our Huawei review Honor Band 3 will reveal its specifications and features. We will also provide instructions in Russian for connecting it to a smartphone, and some user reviews will help make an overall assessment of the device.

Since 2015, Huawei has separated the Honor line of devices into a separate sub-brand. Not the cheapest on the market (after all, the parent brand is from the “correct Chinese”), but quite attractive. In addition to smartphones, the line of wearable devices also includes fitness trackers in the now familiar bracelet format.

Specifications and operating time

Huawei Honor Band 3 (also known as NYX-B10) is the most current and advanced Huawei tracker model today (only smart watches are cooler).

The display corresponds to the declared class and price category. It is monochrome, made using PMOLED technology, with a diagonal of 0.91 inches and a resolution of 128x32 (i.e. 1:4). Of course, not touch. However, the contrast is high enough for daytime work in bright sunlight. The screen is also protected by plastic. Below it is the only touch control button: this is enough to read notifications or call the clock.

The set of sensors includes the traditional accelerometer, gyroscope and optical heart rate sensor. The developers abandoned GPS in order to reduce the final price and reduce energy consumption. But NFC is present in a special version.

The battery capacity is 100 mAh. This should be enough for 30 days of work with pulse count turned off or 10 days with it turned on. The battery is fully charged in 90 minutes.

Display	OLED screen 0.91 inch 128 x 32 pixels
Sports	Run Swimming Education Walking
Tracking activities and fitness	Steps Activity calories Sleep monitoring Pulse Distance
GPS Compass Time Alarm Reminders Stopwatch Music Reports	Not Not Yes Yes Yes Yes Not activity, sleep
Battery	Capacity 100 mAh 30 days (without heart rate monitor), 10 days (with heart rate monitor) Charging time 1.5 h
Waterproof	5 ATM (50 m)
The weight	18 g
Dimensions	43x16.5x10.3 mm
Control smartphone	Notifications caller ID Call management
Bluetooth	Yes, 4.0
WiFi	Not
NFC	No (optional)
ANT+	Not
Compatibility	Android iOS

Equipment and design

The device comes in one of the most stylish packaging in its class. Unlike competitors, the third-generation Honor Band has a transparent box in the style of good headphones or chargers, so that the product can be seen in person. Included are:

• Fitness bracelet
• Instruction
• Charging platform
• USB to Micro USB cable

Like many other wearable gadgets, this one is charged using a special adapter with a magnetic mount. It is highly undesirable to lose it. Although, you may have time to order a new one on Aliexpress and wait for it while your tracker is running on the previous charge.

The Honor Band 3 bracelet does not belong to designer, but to utilitarian devices, yet it looks quite stylish, in the spirit of Huawei in recent years. The strap is made of silicone and fits comfortably on the hand, the double clasp ensures that it does not unfasten on the hand spontaneously. The capsule itself is plastic, the screen occupies most of the front surface. The device looks simple but stylish.

Note that the capsule is attached to the strap with two bolts that securely fix it. Even during the most diligent training, you will not lose the tracker (which cannot be said about competitors like Xiaomi). And if necessary, unscrew it easily and simply with a conventional screwdriver.

The strap can be in one of three colors: black (Carbon Black), orange (Dynamic Orange) and blue (Classic Navy Blue). And no "space edition" or "champagne" frills. The capsule is always black.

Functions and features

The display normally shows the time, but if necessary, displays the sensor readings or notifications from the smartphone. To activate the screen, you need to turn your wrist with a “look at the clock” gesture.

Phone notifications are displayed on the device screen in real time. The delay, if any, is symbolic. Vibration on your hand will not let you miss a message even in a noisy environment or, conversely, when the sound is turned off on your smartphone. The clock is called up on the screen by pressing a button.

Like a fitness tracker Huawei Honor Band 3 shows itself quite standard. It counts the number of steps (although, like other trackers, it sometimes takes other actions as steps - say, applause). Training mode allows you to manually select the type of activity:

• walking
• a ride on the bicycle
• swimming

You can even leave your phone in the locker room of the hall or pool; the data is stored in the bracelet's memory and synchronized as soon as the connection is restored.

Sleep monitoring works again by tracking the user's movements. By movements, the bracelet measures the duration of sleep and evaluates its quality. Smart alarm can be set to find the optimal sleep phase in a given period of time. Then the alarm clock itself recognizes the optimal moment for waking up and wakes you up with vibration. This technology is called Huawei TruSleep.

The operating time on a single charge is 30 days; if you keep the heart rate monitor constantly on - 10 days.

Fitness functions at the standard level for such devices. The tracker counts steps, distance (using GPS on a companion device), can track heart rate.

Connection instructions

To connect to a smartphone, you need to use free app Huawei wear. You can bind Honor Band 3 through the application for both Android and iOS, because. it is compatible with the vast majority of smartphones.

Smartphone connection

These instructions are roughly the same for iOS and Android. Do not try to connect to the tracker through standard Bluetooth settings! Instead, follow the connection instructions:

1. Install on your Huawei Wear smartphone
2. Turn on your smart bracelet or make sure it's turned on
3. Turn on Bluetooth on your smartphone
4. Launch Huawei Wear
5. In the list of devices, select "Smart bracelet"
6. Confirm pairing by simply pressing the touch button on the bracelet
7. Enter your details (height, weight, gender, date of birth)
8. If necessary, wait for the application to update the firmware itself

Now, through the application, you can simply set up a smart alarm clock, choose which notifications will be shown, set the exact time, choose the style of the clock on the screen, decide which wrist to wear the bracelet on, etc.

But there are still a couple of steps to fully exploit the device.

Health app

The previously installed Wear program provides communication between the smartphone and the tracker. But if you want to keep track of health, activity and sleep statistics every day, you should use the Huawei Health app. If you are using a phone from the same manufacturer, it is already preinstalled. For other manufacturers available on Google Play or AppStore.

Pairing is extremely easy. By installing the application, you will automatically import your Wear settings there. If necessary, you can connect it to the Google Fit service. It is this service that is designed to store data - measured heart rate, statistics of sports, steps, sleep, etc.

This is also where you select your workout mode, set goals, save your runs and bike rides, and more.

Conclusion, pros and cons

The bracelet appeared on the market in the summer of 2017. Since the release, enough time has passed for the owners to be able to form their opinion about it, and for some, to write a full review.

Fitness bracelet Huawei Band 3 Pro is a new smart bracelet with a color touch screen and water protection up to 5 ATM. Debuted with the flagship and smart watch in London on October 16th. The device will be a good choice for sports with many functions for tracking physical activity.

The Huawei Band 3 Pro offers an ergonomic design with a metal body and silicone strap. The device is equipped with a 0.95-inch AMOLED screen with 2.5D glass. The device is able to withstand pressure up to 5 ATM and provides water resistance at a depth of up to 50 meters. A 100 mAh battery is installed inside, which charges for 100 minutes. Battery life up to 7 hours with GPS enabled. In addition, there is an AI heart rate monitoring system and support for the TruSeen 3.0 function. The tracker is able to recognize 8 types of physical activity. Dimensions are 45 x 19 x 11 mm with a weight of 25 grams. Available in black, blue and gold color options.

The cost of Huawei Band 3 Pro is 99 euros, but the manufacturer did not mention the start of sales. You can also look at a recent novelty with the same functions but without GPS -.

Live photos of Huawei Bend 3 Pro and video:

At first glance, it may seem that the ability to replace the strap is a clear advantage of the Xiaomi bracelet. However, in fact, it also has a removable capsule. It is fastened with special clips on the inside.

If necessary, it will certainly be possible to buy alternative silicone straps or even metal bracelets on AliExpress. Although their choice is unlikely to be as wide as for Mi Band 3.

The buckles on the straps are different. The Xaiomi bracelet has a traditional metal “tooth”, while the Honor Band 4 has a more classic buckle with a frame. The latter usually provides a much more reliable fixation, which means that the risk of accidentally losing the tracker is much less.

Also, the original Honor Band 4 straps can be called more versatile, as they are suitable for wrists with a girth of 126 to 221 mm. Mi Band 3 has from 155 to 216 mm.

The capsule itself in Honor Band 4 has a slightly curved shape. At the same time, it is a little more compact in size: 43 × 17.2 × 11.5 mm versus 46.9 × 17.9 × 12 mm for Xiaomi. Accordingly, in everyday use, the Huawei bracelet may be more convenient.

Screen

Honor Band 4 received a 0.95-inch OLED color touch screen. Its resolution is not specified, but it is known that it can simultaneously display up to 45 Chinese characters. The Mi Band 3, which is equipped with a 0.78-inch monochrome screen, has 24 characters.

Honor Band 4 has a color display, which will fit much more information than on the screen of Mi Band 3. However, much will depend on localization.

You can control the functions of devices not only with the help of swipes and taps on the screen, but also through a separate touch button. In this regard, bracelets are similar.

Sensors and communications

Honor Band 4 was the first in the series to receive a six-axis accelerometer, which, in comparison with the three-axis analog Mi Band 3, should collect much more data on the user's physical activity. It is this sensor that allows you to accurately track your walks, runs, swimming and cycling.

Will such an accelerometer provide a higher accuracy of counting steps? Perhaps, but not necessarily. We can only say with confidence that the six-axis accelerometer allows you to implement more sports functions.

Both gadgets have a heart rate monitor with the possibility of constant automatic measurements.

Both bracelets are connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth 4.2. The NFC module in Honor Band 4 is by default, and in the case of Mi Band 3 - only in a special version. However, so far neither one nor the other outside of China will bring any benefit. Whether there will ever be support is still unknown.

None of the bracelets yet support contactless payment outside of China.

Functions

In terms of basic functionality, the bracelets are identical. In both cases, notifications from applications, tracking of physical activity and sleep, alarms and timers, weather information, the “search for smartphone” function and various reminders are available.

Bracelets can differ only in a set of sports functions. For example, Honor Band 4 should have separate modes for outdoor cycling and exercise on a stationary bike, as well as a special mode for swimmers with automatic recognition of swimming style.

autonomy

Despite the almost identical battery capacity, Mi Band 3 lasts an average of 20 days on a single charge, and Honor Band 4 - 14. This difference is fully explained by the less "gluttonous" monochrome display of the Xiaomi bracelet.

In the continuous heart rate monitoring mode, the autonomy of each device is reduced by about half. That is, Mi Band 3 will work for about 10 days, and Honor Band 4 - for 6 days. This will largely depend on the number of notifications from the smartphone.

Outcome

In China, Honor Band 4 is priced at 199 yuan (about 2,000 rubles). Xiaomi Mi Band 3 with NFC costs exactly the same. On sale both devices should appear in the second half of September. On AliExpress, they will cost about the same, which means that you will have to choose without regard to the price.

If you do not take into account the design features and types of straps, which in both cases are easy to replace, then there are only a few important advantages of these bracelets.

On the side of the Honor Band 4 is a more informative color screen and more sports features. If you visit the pool, go to the gym often, or just love cycling, then the Huawei bracelet is a good choice.

As for Xiaomi Mi Band 3, its main advantage was and remains the best autonomy. An additional trump card up the sleeve is the trust of users, many of whom have experienced more than one generation of Mi Band bracelets. Of course, Honor cannot boast of this. Mi Band 3 will be the best option if a color screen is not an important criterion and you need a bracelet exclusively for everyday use without an emphasis on sports.

A more visual comparison of the characteristics of the devices is in the table below.

• 1. Specifications
• 2. Packing and equipment
• 3. Design and ergonomics
• 4.Display
• 5. Interface and compatibility
• 6. Performance and functionality
• 7. Autonomy
• 8. Where can I buy
• 9. Conclusion
• 10. Video review of Huawei Band 2 Pro

The market for inexpensive fitness bracelets was quickly conquered by well-known Chinese brands like Xiaomi and Huawei. The latest Huawei Band 2 Pro tracker, reviewed below, appeared on the shelves of Russian stores not so long ago. The device offers a wide range of features and a GPS module for tracking running activity. What is the other advantage of this device over its competitors? Read below.

Specifications

• Display: OLED, 0.91 inches, 128×32 px;
• Processor: ARM Cortex-M4;
• Communication: Bluetooth2, GPS;
• Battery: 100 mAh;
• Protection: IP68;
• Dimensions: 10.3 x 44 x 19.7 mm;
• Weight: 21g

Packaging and equipment

Huawei Band 2 Pro is packed in a transparent plastic box, through which the device itself is perfectly visible. On the back of the package are the main specifications devices. Additional accessories complete set can be found in a cardboard box under a tracker.

• Dock station;
• USB cable;
• Documentation.

The average cost of Huawei Band 2 Pro in Russian online stores is 4000 rubles.

Design and ergonomics

At first glance, the hero of the review is practically no different from most of the same relatively cheap fitness bracelets. Outwardly, this is an unremarkable plastic capsule, mounted on a silicone strap. Next to a small OLED display on the top of the capsule is a touch-sensitive navigation button.

Under the capsule there are sensors for measuring the indicators of the carrier's body, a GPS module and a contact surface for charging the device from the docking station.

The Band 2 Pro strap comes in three color options: black, blue, and bright orange. The standard strap from the kit can be replaced with another, however, for this you will have to tinker with two small screws near the case. Silicone perfectly fits the hand without causing an allergic reaction. If desired, the diameter of the girth can be adjusted to fit your hand. The fastening is made in the form of two T-shaped pins, which are fixed in the oval holes of the strap. By the way, for a more accurate pulse measurement, it is recommended to wear the Band 2 Pro just above the wrist.

The bracelet is ideal for active sports, thanks to a weight of 21 grams, it is not felt at all on the hand, which cannot be said about the bulkier Android Wear smartwatches. Band 2 Pro is fully protected from water and dust, the gadget can withstand immersion to a depth of 50 meters. During the test, the body of the capsule remained intact, no small scratches appeared on the screen.

Display

The fitness tracker received a small 0.91-inch display with an OLED matrix. With a resolution of 128 × 32 px, it is not difficult to notice individual dots on the panel, however, at least the presence of a display is already a plus for the bracelet. The screen displays the most important information - time, date, number of steps taken, calories burned, battery charge, and even incoming notifications from a smartphone. The functions of the latter can be configured in a synchronized application, but you cannot change the style of displaying information on the tracker.

In Band 2 Pro, you can not manually adjust the display brightness, which is a small minus for the wearer's night sleep. The screen is activated with a wave of your hand, so the annoying blue glow can be a little annoying at night. Under the bright sun, the characters on the panel are read without problems, so there is no need to cover the display with your hand during outdoor exercises.

Interface and Compatibility

Band 2 Pro can be controlled using gestures and pressing the touch button below the screen. A light touch switches modes, and a long hold opens the details of each of them. You can customize the menu functionality in the synchronized application on your Huawei Wear smartphone. By default, there are seven interface items: clock, breathing activity, running, pedometer, bicycle, pulse and water exercises.

User activity is displayed in Huawei Wear in a small line, which displays the most main information- steps taken and calories burned. For a more detailed analysis of the wearer's physical activity, you will have to install another Huawei Health app. Here, each indicator is displayed in the form of detailed graphs with recent statistics.

Synchronizing Band 2 Pro with your smartphone takes a matter of seconds. After the first launch, Huawei Wear immediately detects a nearby bracelet (if it is turned on) and displays a confirmation window on the phone screen. After that, the user only needs to agree with the synchronization process. Subsequent activity updates appear almost imperceptibly in the application.

Performance and functionality

In addition to the standard set of all fitness trackers (accelerometer, cardiotachometer), Band 2 Pro also received a GPS module, which allows you to very accurately track the route, distance and speed while running. After launching the corresponding menu from a bracelet or an application on a smartphone, GPS is automatically turned on with information about the current distance traveled.

In general, Band 2 Pro is strongly sharpened for running. Huawei Health even has a "virtual trainer" that draws up a training plan based on goals previously set by the user. For example, a bracelet can remind you of the required number of races before the upcoming city marathon.

Thanks to the excellent moisture protection of the Band 2 Pro case, it is quite possible to use it for exercising in the pool, the corresponding mode is also present in the interface. True, the capabilities of the gadget in this matter are very limited, since the user is shown only the number of calories burned and the length of the swim. There is no information on the number of strokes and swimming style.

To track sleep phases, the Huawei TruSleep option is used. It determines the time of falling asleep, the duration of REM and deep sleep. According to the results of sleep quality, the device scores on a 100-point scale and gives a list of recommendations for falling asleep faster. Using Huawei TruSleep is best paired with a "smart alarm clock" that wakes you up at a certain time interval, taking into account the duration of the REM sleep phase. The function drains the battery quite quickly, since in order to constantly track the night time mode, you need to continuously read the user's heart rate.

By the way, Band 2 Pro can also track your heart rate throughout the day. The device records the measurement results in Huawei Health, where the data is presented in the form of a visual graph. Please note that continuous heart rate measurement drains the battery of the device very quickly, a corresponding notification is displayed before the mode is activated.

Another interesting mode is Breathing. After its activation, a pulsating sign is displayed on the tracker screen, which sets the rate of required breathing for the user. The result of the exercise is evaluated on a 100-point scale. In essence, this mode is a meditation aimed at calming and increasing concentration.

The bracelet can display notifications from instant messengers, mail and SMS in the form of a running line. An individual list of applications that are allowed to send notifications can be configured in the Huawei Wear settings. There is also a night mode that automatically turns off all notifications during sleep.

autonomy

A small 100 mAh battery is more than enough for about two weeks battery life bracelet in normal mode. Continuous heart rate tracking drains the battery twice as fast, and the included GPS module reduces the life of the device to just 3 hours.

Band 2 Pro supports fast charging mode from a branded docking station. From zero to 100%, the bracelet battery is filled in about an hour and a half.

Where can I buy

Conclusion

• The presence of a GPS module;
• Possibility of round-the-clock monitoring of heart rate;
• Waterproof body;
• "Virtual Coach" for running;
• Lightweight body with comfortable strap.

• Weak functionality in swimming mode.

Huawei Band 2 Pro is positioned as an advanced fitness tracker for amateur sports. It has everything you need: a GPS module, an abundance of workout tracking modes, and even your own “virtual trainer”. Professional athletes, alas, will miss the barometer, the correct swimming mode and a more accurate heart rate sensor. However, Band 2 Pro does not particularly pretend to compete with flagship devices. In its price category, the bracelet remains one of the the best options for beginner athletes.

If you are not afraid of the lack of GPS, you can buy Xiaomi Mi Band 2. A direct competitor costs almost half as much, but has a relatively identical set of functions.

We tested the new Honor fitness bracelet and wrote a review in which we talked about the pros and cons of the gadget.

Features Honor Band 3

• Monochrome PMOLED display with a diagonal of 0.91 inches, a resolution of 128 by 32 pixels.
• Cortex M4 processor.
• Bluetooth 4.2.
• Battery capacity: 100 mAh.
• Dimensions: 43 x 16.5 x 10.3 mm, Weight: 18 grams.
• Water resistant up to 50 meters deep.
• Compatibility: Android 4.4 and above, iOS 8.0 and above.

The price of Honor Band 3 on the official website is 2990 rubles.

The gadget is sold in three versions with a blue, black and orange bracelet. In this case, the central part (capsule with a screen) is always made in black. The fitness tracker arrived without a box, but with charger, which is attached to the inside of the gadget.

Ergonomics and feel

Honor Band 3 sits comfortably on your hand, you get used to it almost instantly, especially if you had it before. Looking ahead, we note that there will be many comparisons of two fitness trackers today - they are similar in many respects and are direct competitors.

Honor Band 3 is a monolithic device, it is difficult to replace the strap here (you need to look for a suitable one and unscrew the screws). The weight of the gadget is only 18 grams, like on the Mi Band 2, the materials of the strap are almost identical here - pleasant to the touch rubber with a light relief.

The device is fixed firmly, there are two latches at once. Also note that the bracelet has a lot of holes, so it can be comfortably adjusted on any wrist.

The central capsule is completely black and covered with glass, at the bottom there is a round touch button. Yes, yes, like on a device from Xiaomi.

Clicking this button changes the screens:

• time, date, charge percentage;
• the number of steps taken;
• pulse measurement;
• swimming.

To start measuring running and swimming, you must hold this button. If you do this on the steps screen, additional screens will open with sleep time, distance traveled in kilometers, calories burned, and time of inactivity. Of course, all this data will be available on the smartphone, but more on that later.

The screen itself is monochrome, its diagonal is 0.91 inches (resolution 128 by 32 pixels). The screen is quite clear, you can see all the information well, but it is inferior to Mi Band 2 in terms of brightness. This is especially noticeable in bright sunlight.

Connecting to a smartphone and Huawei Wear

Connecting a fitness bracelet is carried out in a simple and familiar way - you need to download the Huawei Wear and Health application (also from Huawei), activate Bluetooth and start searching for the device in the application. This procedure is very simple and takes minutes.

The main Huawei Wear app displays the name of the connected device, the percentage of its charge, the number of steps, calories and distance traveled.

In the application, you can customize the fitness tracker to your liking, for example, enable / disable the inactivity notification (the bracelet vibrates when its owner has been sitting without moving for more than an hour) and automatic heart rate monitoring. Activating the latter function will expand the information in the health application, as it will constantly measure the heartbeat, but it will also affect the battery life of the gadget.

In the settings there is an alarm section. Here you can set up to 5 alarms, one of which will be "smart". The principle of operation is simple - the alarm clock starts its mission 5-30 minutes before awakening (we select the time + manually). Moreover, the developers do not say that the fitness bracelet will wake up the user in the light phase of sleep, which will brighten up the gray morning - it's just a gradual awakening at a clearly defined time.

In the "Manage notifications" section, alerts are configured for each specific application installed on the smartphone. This bracelet notifies you with a slight vibration. It is noteworthy that information is even displayed on the gadget’s screen, for example, from whom the letter came or the call was missed.

We will not describe the rest of the settings in detail, they are rather additional and systemic.

Health (Huawei Health)

All the data that the smart bracelet collects is stored in the Health app. It presents the statistics of steps (numbers, calories, distance in km). This section stores information on days, weeks and months, and averages are calculated for each period.

A similar alignment with the pulse and sleep - there are convenient and understandable graphs with the necessary information.

There is also a workout mode in the Health app - you can count running, walking and cycling. Depending on the type of sports activity, the algorithms of the program will calculate information in different ways. There is no swimming mode here, although it can be activated on the screen of the bracelet itself.

It so happened that before testing Honor Band 3, I spent a year with Xiaomi Mi Band 2. Comparison of two almost interesting competing devices suggested itself.

In terms of structure and ergonomics, they are almost identical. Perhaps the design of the device from Honor looks more stylish, it is not so “bored” yet. At the same time, Xiaomi offers more personalization options - here you can easily change straps (from 60 rubles apiece on AliExpress).

Separately, we will talk about errors in measuring steps. It is difficult to determine what explains the significant discrepancies in the data, but the fact remains. Either the Honor Band 3 is downplaying the steps, or the Mi Mand 2 is downplaying.

In terms of measuring sleep and heart rate, the data is almost the same, credit for both gadgets.

Hours of Honor Band 3

As soon as the device arrived for testing, I charged it up to 100 percent, immediately connected it to my smartphone and put it on my arm.