The Honor Watch X5i costs 69 euros for the smartwatch – comes with an AMOLED display and up to 21 days of battery life

The watch features a 1.97-inch AMOLED touchscreen display with a resolution of 450 × 390 pixels. The refresh rate reaches 60 Hz and the display aspect ratio is reported to be 78 percent. The width of the screen’s side edges is approximately two millimeters. There are over 180 different watch faces available.

The design is lightweight. The watch’s case weighs approximately 28 grams without the bracelet, and its thickness is 10.9 millimeters. The bracelet uses the usual 20-millimeter attachment, so the user is not tied to the manufacturer’s own straps alone.

A rotating crown button and another function button are placed on the side. The body is made of PC and ABS plastics, so the material selection has been kept within the price range, instead of using metal construction.

In basic functions, the Watch X5i goes further than the simplest activity trackers. A microphone and speaker have been integrated into the watch, so calls from a paired phone can also be answered from the wrist via Bluetooth connection. The connection uses Bluetooth 5.4.

In addition, the watch displays notifications received on the phone, controls the music playback, and can be used as a remote for the camera. According to Honor, the latter requires a compatible MagicOS device. The Honor Health app, intended for Android and iOS devices, is used to access the watch’s settings and view the collected data.

On the health and activity front, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, stress levels, steps taken and sleep can be monitored. In sleep tracking, distinctions are made, for example, between light, deep and REM sleep. Honor also reminds us that this is not a medical device, so the measurement results are not intended to serve as the basis for diagnosis or treatment.

There are a total of 109 exercise rooms. Goals can be set, for example, regarding the duration of the exercise, the distance, and energy consumption, and the Honor Health app also provides exercise and stretching instructions.

As a sports watch, the Watch X5i doesn’t change that much on its own. The watch doesn’t have a built-in GPS receiver, so you have to rely on a paired phone for route navigation. This is one of the most obvious points where the $69 price point comes into play.

A compromise has also been made regarding water resistance. The watch is declared to be 1 ATM water resistant, so it is not designed to be a true swimming or water sports watch. This distinguishes the model from many more expensive sports watches that typically use a higher water resistance rating.

Perhaps the most interesting technical feature of the X5i is the 420 mAh battery. At its best, it promises up to 21 days of use on a single charge, or three weeks of use.

However, the reading should be viewed through the usage profile defined by the manufacturer. In Honor’s laboratory test, continuous smart heart rate and sleep tracking were enabled, the display was checked 200 times per day, messages were received 50 days per week, and Bluetooth calls were used for half an hour per week. Exercise included 90 minutes per week. The actual battery life therefore depends heavily on the usage patterns.

Still, the premise is interesting. While many smartwatches have accustomed users to charging the device every few days or even one day per week, the Watch X5i is built with a significantly lower charging rhythm in mind.