Honor Band 4 Running Edition Review: Best in-class fitness tracker for runners

Price: 1,499

The young, health-conscious generation of the country is ready to invest a good amount in wearable technology to keep atrack on their healthy lifestyle. There are many smartwatch and fitness tracker brands in the market like Apple, Samsung, Titan, Fitbit and Fossil which offer high-end smartwatches and fitness trackers which are pretty expensive.

However, the average Indian consumer is more inclined towards the budget-segment smart bands, and Honor has come up with an affordable fitness tracker which comes with a whole lot of features at the pocket-friendly price of Rs 1,499.

Design: Decent and durable

The Honor Band 4 Running Edition is available in Yellow/Black, Blue/Black, Green/Grey, Red/Black, and Pink/Black color options. The fitness tracker feels very comfortable on the wrist. Quality strap materials carefully crafted using in-mold and dual-color injection molding technology, combined with inverted lock-in design of the body. This design ensures you will never have to worry about the band slipping off during an intensive workout.

The silicon straps are completely detachable which allow you to put the fitness-tracker in other straps. The quality of the materials used is very good and the band feels premium to the feel.

Water-resistant: Up to 50 meters

The Honor Band 4 Running comes with water and dust resistance up to 50 meters. I wore the band even in the shower and took a dive into the pool. I haven't faced any issues with the fitness-tracker in terms of performance or touch.

Display and features

In terms of display, Honor offers a 0.5-inch OLED display which works effectively with your smartphone. It sports a responsive round touch key on the display which delivers a smoother control. You can raise your wrist to wake the screen and lower the wrist to turn it off.

Basically, the display will show you the time, date, Bluetooth, and battery status on the lock screen. However, you can also check the number of steps you have taken, kilometres you have walked, calories you have burned during the entire day and so on. You can alsomonitor the sleep data directly on the band's display.

Apart from all this, I tend to misplace my smartphone many times while working. Sometimes it is under the desk or below the pillow, and in such situations I have used the band to find my phone. There is an option on the Honor Band 4 Running which will allow you to find the phone, Enabling the option will activate an alarm on your phone which will start making a beep sound even when your smartphone is on silent mode.

That's not all, the smart band will also alert you everytime you get an incoming call or message. Moreover, it will also remind you to be active and stretch when the device observes that you are sitting idol in the same position for a long time.

Professional Running Guide

Honor designed this band specially for running, to make sure that every step taken is accurately recorded. The Honor Band 4 Running is equipped with a new six-axis sensor, which is coupled with Foot Mode. These sensors are responsible for an upgraded running posture monitoring algorithm to deliver the accuracy of running distance measured to over 95 per cent.

It is able to detect seven kinds of fitness data, including foot strike pattern and impact, swing angle, eversion range, step length, cadence, and ground contact time. All the data will be analyzed by the technology developed by CISS to provide you with insightful running posture analysis and workout suggestions.

In simple words, you can attach the fitness-tracker to your shoe buckle to switch to Foot mode. Basically, you can switch between two different wearing modes instantly as per your requirement. I have also tested the band for a run and got some measurement. However, I can't tell how accurate it is because I don't have anything to cross-check its accuracy.

Sleep monitoring

I have used the device for more than two weeks and whenever I use it for sleep monitoring it has always showed me the accurate sleep data. I can see when I'm in deep sleep, light sleep, and when I'm awake. This will help adjust your sleep habits.

Battery performance

The Honor Band 4 Running comes with low-power-consumption processors. The company claims that it can last up to 21 days under standby mode and 2 weeks with regular use. During my use, I have noticed a battery life of more than one and a half weeks, after which I had to top-up the fitness tracker. However, it won't take too much time to refuel.

Verdict

At a budget price-point of Rs. 1,499, Honor has managed to offer a lot with the new Honor Band 4 Running. More importantly, if you are looking for something to keep a track on your running, then this is the best choice.

In addition to that, you also receive features like step count, sleep monitoring, calories burnt and more. But it lacks heart-beat sensors which most of the smart bands in the market are offering. Meanwhile, we can also not ignore the fact that it comes with a Foot Mode which is the main focus of the fitness tracker. If you are the one who cares more about your running than your heart -beat, then this is the best device you can grab from the market.