Smartwatches like the Apple Watch or watches with Wear OS offer extensive functions and deep integration with the smartphone. Versions with eSIM are also suitable as stand-alone devices that can replace a cell phone. However, these devices all have one major weakness: the battery rarely lasts longer than two days.

A popular alternative are inexpensive smartwatches with a proprietary operating system. These do not offer extensive features or apps and require an active Bluetooth connection to the smartphone. However, the batteries last up to two weeks. The smartwatches record activities, measure the pulse and show the user notifications from the smartphone on the small display.

The Honor Watch 4 is a smartwatch of this kind. Strictly speaking, it is more of a fitness tracker than a full-fledged smartwatch. Thanks to GPS, you can also record a route while running without having to take your smartphone with you. For just under 115 euros The Watch 4 appears affordable and collects health data during everyday life, sleep or sports. This test report shows how the watch performs in practice.

The Honor Watch 4 has a rectangular design in the style of an Apple Watch, but without being too blatant to copy the brand with the apple. The case is made of aluminum and has a single button. This takes you to the menu with all functions, such as training functions, heart rate measurement, weather, telephony, music and more.

Silicone is used for the strap, and the watch is available in anthracite with a black strap or in gold with a white strap. The workmanship is good, but the watch does not seem as high-quality as you would expect for the price. The Watch 4 is more reminiscent of a cheap fitness tracker. The watch is comfortable to wear due to its low weight, but in the long run the silicone strap could be uncomfortable on the skin for sensitive people.

The Honor Watch 4 is waterproof up to 50 meters. So you can also wear it for swimming. The OLED display with touchscreen has a diagonal of around 1.75 inches, making the watch about the same size as an Apple Watch Series 9 (test report) with 45 millimeters or a Huawei Watch Fit 3 (test report). The resolution is 450 × 390 pixels. The Watch 4 is slightly lighter than Apple’s smartwatch, but not quite as lightweight as the Huawei model. The display remains readable outdoors, but is not as bright as the Watch Fit 3.

The Watch 4 measures your pulse using an optical sensor. The watch also provides an estimate of your blood oxygen level. The watch also monitors your sleep and documents it in an overview, divided into different sleep and wake phases. The watch recognizes a nap, for example. If you sit for a long time, the Watch 4 reminds you to move around – practical in everyday office life.

A microphone and speaker are also available, so you can also make phone calls with the Watch 4 if it is connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth. GPS is on board. There are no apps; the Watch 4 shows notifications that come in on the smartphone. However, it is not possible to reply to short messages, for example with emojis or a pre-selection. The pre-installed features also include a weather widget, a stress level display and tools such as a compass, a stopwatch or a timer. You can also control music playback on your wrist using your smartphone.

The connection between the Watch 4 and the smartphone is made via Bluetooth with the Honor Health app. The structure of this is very similar to the counterpart from Huawei’s former parent company. The app is available in both the Play Store and the Apple App Store. The Health app provides an overview of all collected health data.

The display of activities from steps taken, calories burned and completed training sessions in a diagram consisting of three circles is copied from Apple. The app also offers a wide range of watch faces (both free and paid) to choose from.

Numerous training profiles for running, cycling, free training and more can be found on the watch. There are also some courses for runners and small workouts that you can start directly from the watch. More courses are available in the Honor Health app. You can also determine your “fitness age” through a 25-minute exercise session.

The pulse measurement is largely accurate, but does not keep up as quickly with strong fluctuations in the load (interval training). In comparison, the Huawei Watch Fit 3 (test report) was more precise. In the app, users will then find an evaluation after completing the training with an indication of the respective heart rate during the course of the activity.

In the test, the watch lasted more than ten days. We did a workout four times a week, but didn’t regularly wear the watch to sleep. Honor even states a battery life of up to 14 days. If you use the always-on display or frequently do outdoor training with active GPS, the running time is noticeably shorter. A wireless, magnetic charging pad with a USB-A plug is used for charging, which requires a power supply. The watch is charged in just over an hour.

The Honor Watch 4 has a recommended retail price of 150 euros. You can now get the smartwatch from 114 euros in Black also for 118 euros (Price comparison) in Gold with white ribbonThe price seems a bit too high considering the features available.

The Honor Watch 4 is a seemingly inexpensive smartwatch with a long battery life and a good OLED display that is waterproof to a depth of 50 meters. It is a reliable companion on the wrist for displaying notifications from your cell phone and measuring sports activities or sleep. Due to the limited features, it is more of a fitness tracker with integrated GPS. The price seems a little high to us, especially since there are inexpensive alternatives with similar functions.

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