HONOR Band 5 Sport: Adjust the Strap, and Get Your Game On!

The HONOR Band 5 series was announced alongside the HONOR 9X smartphone models, and is designed to empower users with accurate and convenient health and fitness tracking. I'd initially missed out on the news, but when I heard a friend filled me in by recommending the dedicated HONOR Band 5 Sport variant, I looked into it and followed his advice, getting one for myself the next day.

Minimalist, trendy exterior

The image above shows everything that comes in the box: an HONOR Band 5 Sport band, shoe buckle, charging cradle, and the Quick Start Guide.

The charging cradle is really easy to use. Simply pluck the band out, and place the metal dots on it with those on the cradle, and you're ready to go.

The band looks marvelous, and is the perfect size – not too small to be inaccessible, or not too large to be obtrusive. The display is limited, granted, but I've found it to be more than sufficient for my purposes. Under the touchscreen you'll also find a touch button that allows you to give commands. The surrounding frame is made of a soft plastic, easy on the skin.

The braided cloth strap is extremely comfortable around the wrist. Even if you prefer a tight fit, like I do, you can wear it all day without the slightest skin irritation.

50-meter water resistance

Water resistance is basically a must-have for smart bands in 2019. Imagine you had to take off your band before showers or swims…sounds like a recipe for losing it at the gym or forgetting it at home. The HONOR Band 5 Sport band has got you covered, in this respect.

I submerged my band under 10cm of water for several minutes, and it still continues to work like a charm. Don't think I'll get the chance to go 50 meters below surface anytime soon, but if I ever manage to do so, I hope to live to tell the tale and let you know how my band's doing!

Basketball performance tracking

The major draw of this model, jointly developed by the basketball research team of a famous sports university in Beijing, are the high-level performance metrics it tracks. The band breaks down on-court performance into several categories, and provides a precise rating for each. I was most intrigued by the jumping and motion data. The first day I got the band, I went straight to the YMCA for a pickup game. My game data is shown below.

Please ignore the 4-hour duration. I simply forgot to turn off the Basketball mode… (so that it makes more sense for you that I was active for less than 11 mins…)

The data is quite a revelation. For example, I jumped an average of 21 cm, 46 times, with an average hang time of 578 milliseconds! OK, NBA scouts are hardly knocking down my door knowing that, but it's really cool to get a close look at my performance as if I were playing at a super high level. There are similarly breakdowns that track my motion speed while playing. If you're committed to working on your game, as I am, it's great to have such a wealth of data for reference, which will allow me to identify areas for improvement!

The band comes at a budget price, and does all the things that an expensive band is capable of. In addition, it has this groundbreaking basketball performance tracker that's like something a trainer for an NBA team would use. Quite the steal!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm about to hit the gym. My friend's hang time and jump height were higher by leaps and bounds, and I want that to change… sooner rather than later!