There seems to be a conundrum around wearables - both for consumers as well as manufacturers. The idea of a smart watch or a fitness band on your wrist that can help you take calls, reply to messages or just check the amount of calories you've burned was once a wonder. It's no surprise that smartbands are shaping the market in India. According to an IDC report, about 612,000 wearable devices were shipped in India in the Q1 of 2017. 90% of the shipped devices were accounted by fitness bands. Out of this 90%, close to 80% of the devices fell under the $50 (close to Rs 3,200) price bracket. It's no surprise that companies are largely channelling their energies on this segment.
Honor has launched its Band 3 in the market which will take on Lenovo's HW01 and Xiaomi's fitness trackers. We had a chance to test the capabilities of Honor Band 3 and this is what we found out.
Design
Honor has launched its Band 3 in the market which will take on Lenovo's HW01 and Xiaomi's fitness trackers. We had a chance to test the capabilities of Honor Band 3 and this is what we found out.
Design
Honor 3 has simplistic design but makes a real statement when you're out on the track. Unlike its competitors, this fitness tracker has a better feel on the wrist, and its screen has better functionality (more on it later in the review). The fitness band curves outward, which makes it suitable and comfortable to wear without any extra weight or thickness of the device itself.
Band 3 is available in three different colours but with a common one-size for all strap. It is also water resistant up to 50 metres, making it ideal for swimmers who want to complete a few laps in the pool. Band 3 also features Bluetooth 4.2, a 0.9-inch display, a heart rate sensor and a built gyroscope to track your movements.
Band 3 has a capacitive touch button that helps to navigate the different screens on the fitness band, and also read messages on the Band itself. The battery on the Honor Band 3 has a capacity of 105 mAh and comes with a proprietary charging cable in the box.
Performance
The Honor Band 3 stole our hearts for its performance and a few features that competing fitness bands are failing at. Band 3 easily lasted for more than 20 days at a stretch, with the screen turning while we took a nap. The slightest wrist movements would trigger the fitness band's screen to turn on and display the time. Had the feature been more refined, or the band used only during your fitness workout, it can push the battery for almost an entire month, something which the Mi Band 1 used to offer.
All fitness trackers available currently in the market are not 100% accurate when it comes to step counts or heart rate tracking. The Honor Band 3 is no different, as it tends to count a few extra steps. For fitness enthusiasts, perhaps the company is encouraging users to go the extra mile. Being a budget fitness tracker, the Honor Band 3 will give you enough incentive to reach your daily goals.
The strongest feature of the Honor Band 3 that takes it to the top of the budget fitness tracker list, is the navigation menu. Here you will see every activity being bifurcated and you can jump right into specific modes. For instance, your fitness regime includes cycling or swimming, the Band 3 gives you the option to jump right into the activity begins tracking immediately. The animations are also well designed, making this budget fitness tracker feel like a premium product.
With the Band 3, you get the advantage of reading entire text messages from most apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or even an SMS. There is, however, a catch to this. The message has to be composed in a single string, and you can use the touch capacitive button to scroll through. Multiple messages cannot be read one after the other.
There are a few downsides to the Honor Band 3, primarily the screen. The OLED display is tall compared to the Mi Band 2 or the Lenovo HW01 band. But, just like the latter, outdoor visibility is abysmal. In order to read texts or see any of the notifications, you would be covering up the top of the fitness band with your wrists and strain your eyes to read in direct sunlight. We would also like to bring to the attention of our readers, that there is no way of switching on/off the fitness band. So, keep the charger close at all times.
All the data that is synchronised between the Band and your smartphone is taken care by two apps. The Huawei Wear app assists in connecting your phone and the band. It is also through the same app that you can customise your health profile and the apps which can send notifications to your band. Huawei Health combines all the health data and presents it graphical formats. It is a pain to move from one app to the next, and we hope that Huawei combines all the features into a single app, considering that all wearables do now include fitness features.
It goes without saying that the proprietary charger provided is the only way of charging the band. Lose this and you would then have to rely on third-party chargers, which could further affect the product. The same issue does plague the Mi Band 2.
Verdict
The Honor Band 3, being the latest competitor fighting for the spot of best fitness trackers, is priced currently at Rs 2,999. It is by far the better choice than 2017's line up of Lenovo HW01 band or the Fastrack Reflex, as it has a better design and provides amazing battery life. Water resistance is also an added benefit. The Band 3 is indeed an 'honorable' fitness band of 2017.
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