Honor Watch 5 Ultra Review: Standing Out From the Crowd

Value When Reviewed

Unavailable within the US

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 provide 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 charge 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 bunch 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 measurement choice
• Appropriate for freediving
• Obtainable with brown and black straps

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

It’s out there in only a 46.3mm case measurement, making it roughly the identical measurement 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.

Mike Sawh

The case is comprised of grade 5 titanium, providing one thing that’s powerful but mild and offers the Extremely a fairly pleasing matt look that does really feel like an improve on the stainless-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 through 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 effectively 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 measurement choice, however typically it’s been a snug watch to put on with out ever feeling too hulking in stature. 

Mike Sawh

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

The crown works effectively and you’ll assign that backside button to do issues like show coronary heart charge readings or open up the Bluetooth calling display screen as an alternative.

Following within the footsteps of different smartwatches that characteristic extremely within the identify, Honor provides 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 screen & 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 inside that grade 5 titanium case, which does help an always-on mode and guarantees a refresh charge as much as 60Hz to maintain these visuals trying easy.

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

Mike Sawh

The display screen high quality general is ok. This isn’t the very best AMOLED panel you’ll discover on a smartwatch, neither is it essentially the worst. Colors are correct, black ranges are strong general 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 mild.

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

It’s not a significant shock to search out there’s no LTE connectivity on provide, although Honor does embody a microphone and speaker to allow you to make calls through Bluetooth. As soon as permitted by means of the Honor Well being app, it’ll pull by means of contacts and provide you with a effectively optimised keypad to kind 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 for those who really 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 gives a portion of the 8GB of storage to retailer audio on.

Mike Sawh

The watch software program is fairly simple to familiarize yourself with and doesn’t spring quite a lot of surprises.

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

The watch faces is a kind of areas as is the menu styling which can be reminders that you simply’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 information does a great 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 for those who’re on the lookout for 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 snug no, however there’s sufficient that’s good about it to ensure you get a great general smartwatch expertise.

Health & Monitoring 

• Over 100 sports activities modes
• Consists of free diving mode
• ECG measurements not out there

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

That is performed by means of its well being scan characteristic that captures readings alongside ones on your SpO2 ranges, stress whereas additionally retaining 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. 

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

Mike Sawh

Delving into that information, I may see that, typically, coronary heart charge readings have been rather a lot increased and that was the same story for coronary heart charge ranges and through fairly steady-paced exercises.

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

Mike Sawh

Each day step monitoring was properly in step with two different health trackers, although it lacked any actually form of helpful options to inspire you to maneuver extra regularly. When you’ve dropped your step rely 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 bunch of extra profiles that may be added. You’ve additionally acquired entry to health age, VO2 Max and fatigue coaching insights which can be reliant on GPS and coronary heart charge monitoring to be correct.

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

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 provide 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 situation. You continue to get the choice of utilizing the equipped 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 every day and in a single day drop-off wherever from 3-5% and means you may comfortably get by means of per week’s use and longer when utilizing the elevate to wake gesture show mode.

Mike Sawh

Swap 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.

Swap the scheduled always-on show mode and it does a a lot smarter job of retaining that display screen on throughout hours if you really have to stare at it.

The extra charging help is good to see. I had no issues utilizing it with a couple of 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 massive reveal at MWC 2025 that it’s going to be priced at €279 with no UK pricing as but supplied. It’s not going to be one you may seize within the US very like different Honor smartwatches.

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

Must you purchase the Honor Watch 5 Extremely?

The Honor Watch Extremely 5 isn’t Extremely in the best way that the Apple Watch Extremely 2 or the Samsung Galaxy Watch Extremely is. This isn’t a smartwatch constructed for rugged use, however as an alternative 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 great 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 unhealthy or badly executed; it simply doesn’t have that very same polish or degree of options you’ll discover from watches round this worth.

There are undoubtedly issues to love concerning the Honor Watch 5 Extremely, however for those who’re on the lookout for the very best smartwatch for the value, there are higher choices.

Specs

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