Mi Band 4 vs Honor Band 5 – Which one to choose?
Xiaomi is the No 1 in many segments and fitness bands is one of them. The success is mainly since their fitness bands are a lot cheaper than the competitors and covers most of the features that are needed on a fitness band. They have carved a niche for themselves and just when they started settling in it comfortably, Honor Bands came in. There are many fitness bands in the market, but nothing comes close to the Mi Band as the Honor Bands do.
Last year, when Mi Band 3 was launched, Honor Band 4 was launched with a color display and a host of other features. This year, Mi Band 4 has already been launched in China and Honor Band 5 has also been launched. Ahead of Mi Band 4’s launch in India, Honor Band 5 has been made available in India as well. Before we compare the Mi Band 4 with Honor Band 5, let’s take a look at the Honor band 5 compared to Honor band 4.
Honor Band 5 – how is it better than the Honor Band 4
I have been using the Honor Band 4 for a while now as my daily running companion. Frankly, it is one of the best fitness bands out there with a fantastic display and accurate tracking. Everything about the Band 4 is good, there is no room for improvement. I thought that the Band 5 would come with altimeter, if not GPS. But both the features did not cut in. Here are the major differences
- Better / Brighter display (Same size / AMOLED)
- SPO2 – Measure the oxygen level in the blood
- 3 More sports to track (Indoor walking, rowing, elliptical)
Otherwise, both the bands share the same design, dimensions, firmware and pairing ID with the companion app. Well, these are not notable changes compared to Honor Band 4 which disappoints me a bit, but is it any better than the Mi Band 4?
Mi Band 4 vs Honor Band 4/5 – Design
Mi Band 4 has AMOLED color display like the Honor Bands. It has 400 nits of maximum brightness and is visible clearly even under harsh direct sunlight. The design of the bands has a different language. In terms of look and feel, its a personal choice. Mi Band has a rounded design while the Honor Bands have a flatter and squarer design. Mi Band 4 has a cuff-link mechanism for the strap, while the Honor Bands have horse-shoe buckles. Honor Bands are of better quality, but Mi Band replacement is easily available. Honor Bands have larger icons and a larger touch area compared to Mi Band 4. Overall, I prefer the Honor Band 4/5 for the quality of the strap and better UI on the tracker.
Mi Band 4 vs Honor Band 4/5 – Companion App
The companion app is a huge win for the Mi Band. The Mi Fit app is one of the best-designed fitness apps. The data is stored in the cloud and you can retrieve it from any device you log in. It has a host of features and everything easily usable and adding good utility value. However, Huawei Health app has a long way to go. The track history is not stored in the cloud. The data is stored locally on the mobile. If you change your mobile or lose it, all data is lost and there is no way to export it. Mi Fit app is the reason Mi Band is a huge success and Honor needs to work on that.
Mi Band 4 vs Honor Band 4/5 – Accuracy
During my usual 5 KM runs, Mi Band tracks it as 4.25 km while the Honor band tracks it as 4.68 Km. But if you carry your mobile, Mi Band gets the GPS data from the mobile and tracks it accurately. Honor Band also takes GPS data, but only if the activity is started from the app and not from the band.
While doing other activities like driving or riding, the Mi Band 4 is more erratic in calculating false positives, compared to Honor Band 4/5. But heart rate tracking is a lot better than the Mi Band 4. It is accurate and also alerts you during activity. Mi Band 4 has heart rate alerts, but only if the activity is started from the app.
Both bands track sleep, show notification from mobile, and has interchangeable watch faces. Mi Band 4 has a better 3rd party support for watch faces, compared to Honor Bands.
Mi Band 4 vs Honor Band 4/5 – Battery
Mi Band 4 has 135 mAh battery, while the Honor Bands have 100 mAh. But in reality, they both have identical battery performance. With notifications on and frequent activity tracking, they both last for 15 days on a single charge. All the bands need proprietory docks for charging.
Verdict
Mi Band 4 is not yet available in India, but the expected launch price would be around Rs 2500. Honor Band 5 is available for Rs 2599 on Flipkart. You should get the Mi Band 4 if you are keen on better user experience and community support. Honor Band 5 offer better accuracy and versatile sports tracking. Mi Band 4 and Honor Band 4/5 are 5ATM waterproof and both have similar battery life and the design is your personal choice. Now that you know the differences between these bands, the choice can be made on what is important to you.
Here are the links to buy
- Mi Band 4 – Coupon price:$32.99 | Coupon Code
:BGM43C | Expirydate : August 15th - Honor Band 5 – Coupon price： $35.59 | Coupon Code: BGhonor5 | Expiry date : September 5th
