As well as launching the Magic 6 Ultimate smartphone and RSR Porsche Design model, Honor has unveiled two new wearables at its big event in China.
The most interesting is the Watch GS 4, which comes with upgrades that address two of our biggest gripes with its predecessor. The firm also announced the Honor Band 9, which we’ll talk about in more detail later.
In our Honor Watch GS 3 review back in 2022, we were disappointed with the lack of NFC and support for iOS devices, but these are both fixed on the GS 4.
It’s compatible with devices running iOS 11 or later (and Android 9 or later) and should be able to make contactless payments with the addition of the NFC chip. However, we’ll have to wait to see if it comes to the UK, and which banks support it, with no sign of Google Pay.
It’s also unclear whether any third-party will be available on the smartwatch , due to it using Honor’s proprietary operating system rather than Wear OS.
Honor
Elsewhere, the Watch GS 4 packs some impressive specs and features, including a 1.43-inch AMOLED screen with 466×466 resolution (326ppi), which is housed in a 316L stainless steel case.
There are three colours available: Starry Sky Exploration, Galaxy Shuttle, and Jasper Astrolabe (names translated from Chinese) with the latter having a gold-plated case. They’re all 10.5mm thick with two buttons on the right and a 5ATM waterproof rating.
You also get impressive battery life claims, with its 14 days looking to rival the Xiaomi Watch S3 announced at MWC . Other hardware specs include Bluetooth 5.0, 4GB of storage, built-in microphone and speaker, dual-band antenna and a heart rate monitor.
The watch can also track your sleep, and stress, measure your blood pressure levels and detect atrial fibrillation. It supports more than 100 sports modes.
Available in China now , the Honor Watch GS 4 costs between CNY999 (£110/$140) and CNY1,199 (£130/$165) depending on which model you choose. Those converted figures are rarely accurate when it comes to European pricing, thought.
We hope to see it get a global launch, including the UK, soon.
Honor
Honor Band 9
Satisfying that ever-present need for an option in the budget fitness tracker market is the Honor Band 9, the latest in a long line of cheap bands.
This year’s model comes with a 1.57-inch rectangular AMOLED touchscreen with a 60Hz refresh rate and 402×256 resolution for a 302ppi pixel density.
It’s fitted to a polymer fibre case in purple, black, and blue colours with straps made from either silicone or leather. Like the Watch GS 4, it has a 5ATM waterproof rating and is compatible with devices running iOS 11 and Android 9 or later.
You get Bluetooth 5.3 as well as optional NFC for payments (with the same bank caveats as the Watch GS 4) and the Band 9 can track heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen, blood pressure as well as atrial fibrillation detection and menstrual cycle tracking.
Honor
The Honor Band 9 supports 96 different indoor and outdoor sports modes and can also apparently last for up to 14 days with typical usage. However, this supposedly drops to 10 days with heavy usage.
Honor is selling the Band 9 with NFC for CNY299 (£32/$40) or CNY249 (£27/$35) for the model without NFC. It’s available in China now and we’re hoping for a global launch.
With the Watch GS 4 and Band 9 be among the best smartwatches and best fitness trackers ? Time will tell.
Author: Chris Martin, Managing Editor, Tech Advisor
Tech Advisor Managing Editor Chris got his break as a reporter at infamous site The Inquirer and has been with us for more than 12 years. With a BA degree in Music Technology, audio is his specialism, but over the years he has reviewed all kinds of gadgets, from smartwatches to mesh Wi-Fi to coffee machines.
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