Honor Watch 5 Ultra review

The Honor Watch 5 Extremely is Honor’s first Extremely smartwatch, however this isn’t essentially like placing an Apple Watch Extremely 2 or a Samsung Galaxy Watch Extremely in your wrist.

It does supply some qualities of these extremely smartwatches like providing you with a dive-friendly design and introducing an ECG sensor to supply extra correct coronary heart price readings, and does that for significantly much less cash.

Not like the Honor Watch 5, the Watch 5 Extremely is enjoying at a barely totally different finish of the smartwatch spectrum. One the place there are some fairly nice smartwatches from Huawei, Xiaomi together with a number of WearOS-packing watches. It’s additionally going up towards the Apple Watch SE 2, which suggests it’s up towards some fairly stiff competitors.

Design & Construct

• Only one case dimension choice
• Appropriate for freediving
• Out there with brown and black straps

The Watch Extremely 5 appears completely nothing just like the Honor Watch 5 and will actually be seen because the successor to the Honor Watch 4 Professional.

It’s obtainable in only a 46.3mm case dimension, making it roughly the identical dimension because the 4 Professional (46.4mm) and matching as much as smartwatches just like the OnePlus Watch 3. Honor opts for an octagonal case design, which helps to make sure it doesn’t simply disappear right into a sea of the numerous very similar-looking spherical smartwatches.

The case is constructed from grade 5 titanium, providing one thing that’s robust but gentle and offers the Extremely a reasonably pleasing matt look that does really feel like an improve on the chrome steel used on earlier Honor smartwatches.

That case is matched up with both a brown leather-based or a black fluoroelastomer strap, with every simply detachable by way of the small sliding button mechanism on the again. The brown leather-based strap I had partnered up with the silver titanium case is a tried and trusted look that works nicely for a lot of watches and it’s no totally different right here.

I do assume it will be good to have a smaller case dimension choice, however basically it’s been a cushty watch to put on with out ever feeling too hulking in stature. 

Mike Sawh

Just like the Watch 4 Professional, you’ve bought a twisting crown button on the highest proper aspect of the case and that can be utilized to scroll by screens and push you into the primary app display. The button beneath acts as your shortcut to the exercise monitoring display as default.

The crown works nicely and you may assign that backside button to do issues like show coronary heart price readings or open up the Bluetooth calling display as a substitute.

Following within the footsteps of different smartwatches that characteristic extremely within the title, Honor gives a degree of waterproofing that makes it appropriate for freediving as much as 40 metres. That’s so as to add to a 5 ATM score, which suggests it’s match for being submerged in water as much as 50 metres depth with pool and open water swim monitoring modes each at your monitoring disposal.

Display & Audio 

• 1.5-inch AMOLED show
• Sapphire crystal glass
• Helps Bluetooth calls

Honor vegetation a 1.5-inch, 466 x 466 decision AMOLED touchscreen show within that grade 5 titanium case, which does help an always-on mode and guarantees a refresh price as much as 60Hz to maintain these visuals wanting clean.

The display doesn’t solely attain the sting of that case with a mediumly thick black bezel surrounding that display, which is extra noticeable whenever you’ve bought a lighter-coloured watch face in place.

Mike Sawh

The display high quality total is okay. This isn’t the perfect AMOLED panel you’ll discover on a smartwatch, neither is it essentially the worst. Colors are correct, black ranges are strong total and it’s properly attentive to swipes and faucets.

I did discover I wanted to make use of it with it set to close to the utmost brightness setting when utilizing it in brighter outside gentle.

What is sweet to see is that this AMOLED panel is being guarded from scratches by sapphire glass, providing you with the sort of display defence normally reserved for costlier watches and smartwatches.

It’s not a significant shock to seek out there’s no LTE connectivity on supply, although Honor does embody a microphone and speaker to allow you to make calls by way of Bluetooth. As soon as permitted by the Honor Well being app, it’ll pull by contacts and provide you with a nicely optimised keypad to sort out numbers on together with a name log to see earlier callers.

I discovered name high quality completely acceptable, if not the clearest, with good quantity that does make it usable in the event you truly wish to intercept a name out of your smartphone.

Software program & Options 

• Runs on Honor MagicOS working system
• Works with Android and iOS
• Music participant entry for Android solely

Honor as soon as once more depends by itself MagicOS working system to supply the software program expertise on the watch, which nonetheless has a Huawei HarmonyOS and LiteOS really feel about issues.

It’s appropriate with Android telephones and iPhones with some options off-limits for iPhone customers, like entry to paid watch faces and making use of the built-in music participant that provides a portion of the 8GB of storage to retailer audio on.

Mike Sawh

The watch software program is fairly straightforward to familiarize yourself with and doesn’t spring a variety of surprises.

Notification help works nicely and widgets for objects just like the climate and well being and wellness metrics are nicely offered. I simply assume there’s simply an total feeling that the person interface feels a bit low-cost in locations.

The watch faces is a kind of areas as is the menu styling which might be reminders that you just’re not enjoying with an Apple Watch or a WearOS smartwatch right here.

Mike Sawh

The Honor Well being smartphone app that’s required to set issues up and can host your knowledge does a very good job of presenting well being and health stats and providing you with entry to Honor’s watch face market.

There isn’t an app retailer entrance or contactless funds, however in the event you’re in search of a smartwatch that handles options like notifications, climate, music controls and playback (for Android telephones), the Watch 5 Extremely can cowl these issues. Is it the slickest working system you’ll discover on a smartwatch proper now? I’d say that’s a cushty no, however there’s sufficient that’s good about it to ensure you get a very good total smartwatch expertise.

Health & Monitoring 

• Over 100 sports activities modes
• Contains free diving mode
• ECG measurements not obtainable

The Watch 5 Extremely has lots to supply on the well being and health monitoring entrance and, notably, now guarantees to allow you to take ECG coronary heart price measurements.

That is achieved by its well being scan characteristic that captures readings alongside ones to your SpO2 ranges, stress whereas additionally conserving tabs on sleep and weight (if manually added within the app) to supply a extra insightful image into your well being and energy morning updates on developments. 

Nonetheless, the ECG characteristic didn’t seem dwell in my testing nor does it appear to hold the identical regulatory approval that different ECG smartwatches supply in detecting indicators of significant coronary heart well being circumstances.

Mike Sawh

Delving into that knowledge, I might see that, basically, coronary heart price readings have been lots greater and that was an analogous story for coronary heart price ranges and through fairly steady-paced exercises.

It carried out higher monitoring my sleep the place knowledge like sleep scores and length have been just like the identical knowledge captured by two different sleep trackers. Mild and REM sleep phases additionally chimed with related knowledge with shortcuts obtainable within the Honor Well being app so as to add sleep music or respiration workout routines to your pre-sleep routine to enhance your bedtime.

Mike Sawh

Day by day step monitoring was properly in step with two different health trackers, although it lacked any actually type of helpful options to inspire you to maneuver extra frequently. For those who’ve dropped your step depend from yesterday, it’ll present you that within the app, however that’s actually about so far as issues go. 

Whenever you’re monitoring exercises, there’s every thing from cross coaching to rowing coated with a number of extra profiles that may be added. You’ve additionally bought entry to health age, VO2 Max and fatigue coaching insights which might be reliant on GPS and coronary heart price monitoring to be correct.

GPS-tracked routes appeared fairly good, although basically tended to underreportthe distance coated. VO2 Max estimates have been surprisingly just like a sports activities watch with really helpful restoration time after exercises a bit on the beneficiant aspect even for shorter, low-intensity periods.

Battery Life & Charging

• As much as 15 days battery life
• Helps wi-fi charging
• Reverse charging with appropriate telephones

Honor guarantees some enhancements on the battery entrance in comparison with the Honor Watch 4 Professional. There’s a 480mAh capability battery that ought to supply as much as 15 days battery life in typical utilization.

That’s as much as a day on the Watch 4 Professional in the identical state of affairs. You continue to get the choice of utilizing the provided proprietary charger or topping up wirelessly utilizing a QI-certified wi-fi charger. It additionally helps reverse charging with smartphones that provide it.

The battery efficiency has been strong in my testing with a day by day and in a single day drop-off anyplace from 3-5% and means you possibly can comfortably get by per week’s use and longer when utilizing the elevate to wake gesture show mode.

Mike Sawh

Change to always-on show mode, and, unsurprisingly, the battery drop is extra extreme because it does immediate when enabled. I discovered it was extra like 3-5 days relying on the options in use throughout that interval, exterior of core smartwatch ones like notifications.

Change the scheduled always-on show mode and it does a a lot smarter job of conserving that display on throughout hours whenever you truly have to stare at it.

The extra charging help is sweet to see. I had no issues utilizing it with just a few totally different wi-fi chargers, together with the PowerShare characteristic on a Samsung smartphone.

Value & Availability

The Honor Watch 5 Extremely was formally introduced in March 2025 and at present doesn’t have an official launch date. Honor’s international web site nonetheless says ‘coming quickly’.

We do know that from Honor’s huge reveal at MWC 2025 that it’s going to be priced at €279 with no UK pricing as but offered. It’s not going to be one you possibly can seize within the US very like different Honor smartwatches.

A easy conversion suggests roughly £235 or a $300 value level, so this can be a Honor smartwatch that ought to value greater than the Honor Watch 5 (£129.99) and is extra prone to sit up towards smartwatches just like the Huawei Watch GT 5, Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional and the Amazfit Steadiness.

Do you have to purchase the Honor Watch 5 Extremely?

The Honor Watch Extremely 5 isn’t Extremely in the way in which that the Apple Watch Extremely 2 or the Samsung Galaxy Watch Extremely is. This isn’t a smartwatch constructed for rugged use, however as a substitute one which seeks to marry good-performing software program with a extra elegant look than Honor’s non-Extremely Watch 5 

It does ship on offering a very good look and bringing in design supplies normally reserved for costlier smartwatches. The place issues take a downturn ios the watch software program, which isn’t essentially dangerous or badly executed; it simply doesn’t have that very same polish or degree of options you’ll discover from watches round this value.

There are undoubtedly issues to love concerning the Honor Watch 5 Extremely, however in the event you’re in search of the perfect smartwatch for the worth, there are higher choices.

Specs

• Sapphire glass 
• Titanium alloy case
• As much as 15 days battery life 
• 100 sports activities modes
• Tracks coronary heart price, stress, SpO2
• 40 metres freediving mode
• Works with Android and iOS