HONOR Band 5 – Practical, Functional, and Healthful!

Every morning I awaken, not to the harsh blare of an alarm on my phone, but the gentle vibration on my HONOR Band 5. I'm not a morning person at all, but when I start off my day this way, I feel ready to face the world!

Fortunately, this is just first time, of many, that I'll interact with the band throughout the course of the day.

I rely on it heavily, to make sure that I'm living the type of healthy and active lifestyle that I couldn't trust myself to follow through with on my own. There's a treasure trove of handy features on the HONOR Band 5, but I don't have time to go over all of them here. Instead, I'll give a brief overview of some of health and lifestyle functions that I find indispensable for myself in daily life, or believe that many users could benefit from knowing about.

SpO2 measurements on demand

Blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) is an important health indicator that can tell a lot about the state of our respiratory system. It's pretty remarkable to get such useful health data at any time, with just the touch of a button.

A quick word on what SpO2 represents: A reading below 90% means that you likely have a low blood oxygen saturation, also known as hypoxemia, which can cause fatigue and anxiety, and lead to long-term health consequences.

Unlike most other bands, the HONOR Band 5 is able to measure SpO2, and how it manages this is quite incredible. By utilizing a wholly-optimized hardware optical path algorithm to leverage how oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin tend to reflect and absorb light in different ways, the band is able to guarantee result accuracy.

Fortunately low blood oxygen levels aren't a concern for me at the moment, but it's nice to have this capability easily accessible, in case I do need it.

Intelligent heart rate monitor

The HONOR Band 5 adopts a proprietary TruSeen heart rate monitor, which is bolstered by AI, and provides for accurate 24/7 heart rate readings. It utilizes a cutting-edge design that minimizes power consumption without compromising on precision or accessibility. Notably, the band has passed rigorous tests conducted at Harvard Medical School.

I use this feature to continually track my heart rate, as well as obtain more specific workout and resting heart rate values. If there's an abnormal change in heart rate, a reminder will display, providing proactive care at all times. Similar to the SpO2 reading, I'm young enough that I don't spend a lot of time thinking about my heart health, but this feature could be an incredible resource for many people!

Getting a heart rate testing is really simple, as it can be found in the scrollable menu and initiated with just a tap. For optimal accuracy, it's suggested wearing the band two finger widths below the wrist joint.

A sleep-aiding sleep detector

If you're like me, and have had trouble getting enough sleep, due to an irregular schedule or lifestyle choices, you could definitely benefit from the features on the band's sleep monitoring function. It provides me with the tools, not just to track how much sleep I'm getting, but also improve sleep quality in the process, thanks to a next-level technology called HUAWEI TruSleep.

The sleep detector is the result of an in-depth partnership between HONOR and Harvard Medical School (again! cool), and automatically recognizes sleep states (including light sleep, deep sleep, REM, and waking), and offers personalized suggestions for how to improve sleep, all of which are scientifically-grounded. To access this, all you need to do is download the Huawei Health app!

10 diverse fitness modes

The HONOR Band 5's six-axis sensor tracks high-level data for running, walking, cycling, swimming, rowing, and more. I'm fond of cycling, but only recently found out that I have to enter Workout mode and manually start a session to have my cycling data recorded. I'll definitely make a habit of enabling this tracker when I ride around town.

When I do go to the gym, I tend to find generic treadmill/stationary bike workouts boring, and prefer to work on core strength and overlooked muscle groups. That's why I was thrilled to see that both the rowing machine and free weights have their own dedicated workout modes.

Those are the four features on the HONOR Band 5 that I'd regard as standout capabilities, but please don't misunderstand me and think that the band is limited to these functions alone! There's also a whole range of settings, from weather alerts to posture reminders, and push notifications from your phone. I didn't mention them here, because though they're nice to have, but hardly life-altering the way the health and fitness features are.

Overall, it's pretty hard to get something so affordable, functional...and life-affirming, in such a small package. I'd definitely recommend that you try out the HONOR Band 5, if you're looking to implement some new lifestyle changes, as I've been able to!