Honor Watch 4 Review: The Budget Smartwatch That Punches Above Its Weight

When Honor Watch 4 launched the Watch 4, they pitched it as a sleek, long‑lasting fitness smartwatch /honor-watch4-vs-huawei-watch-fit3 that felt premium without the premium price tag. And on paper, it checked many boxes: a large 1.75″ AMOLED display, BluetoothHonor Watch 4 calling, health tracking, and up to two weeks of battery life. But how does it perform once real‑world usage kicks in?

This review dives into the design, display, sensors, smart features, battery performance, user feedback, and ultimately, whether the Watch 4 deserves your wrist in 2025.


Honor Watch 4

1. Design & Display: Elegant Looks, Bold Size

Honor’s Watch 4 adopts a square face inspired by modern smartwatches, but built with 6‑series aluminum alloy for a light yet durable feel Reddit+15Honor+15evisos.info+15. At around 45 × 39 × 11.2 mm and weighing roughly 48 g (without strap), it’s surprisingly light — even with a chrome‑style finish that gives a premium vibe Gadgets 360+1mobilelab360.com+1.

Its standout feature is a 1.75‑inch AMOLED panel offering 390 × 450 pixel resolution (~340 ppi) and a fluid 60 Hz refresh rate Stuff+5Honor+5United News Bangladesh+5. You get over 300 downloadable watch faces to personalize your look evisos.info+15Honor+15mobilelab360.com+15.

However, not everything is perfect—there is no always‑on display (AOD), even though Honor claims it includes one. Reviewers frequently reported issues activating it, and the raise‑to‑wake gesture was the recommended alternative United News BangladeshTech Advisor.


2. Health & Fitness Suite: Solid, If Modest

Honor commits toHonor Watch 4 comprehensive health tracking with features like continuous heart‑rate, SpO₂, stress, sleep, and even a Fitness Age estimate based on VO₂ max and endurance metrics Stuff+5Honor+5mobilelab360.com+5.

The sensor array uses a micro‑optical lens design, which reliably tracks daily metrics and offers regular health insights, though not on-demand ECG or advanced diagnostics United News BangladeshOhsem Tech & Gadget Blogmobilelab360.com.

Built-in GPS supports outdoor tracking and “route back” navigation—basic but effective for casual runners or hikers Trusted Reviewsmobgadgets.com. However, interface lag in workouts and occasional inaccurate pacing and heart‑rate readings have been noted when compared to Garmin or Polar devices Reddit+6Trusted Reviews+6mobilelab360.com+6.

Overall, the Watch 4’s tracking is trustworthy enough for health-conscious users, but not precise enough for serious athletes relying on clinical-grade data.


3. Smart Features: Calling, Music, Notifications—Mostly Android‑Only

TheHonor Watch 4 Watch 4 includes Bluetooth calling, complete with a built-in speaker and mic, so you can answer or reject calls on your wrist (Android performs better than iOS here) World Today Journal+2Tech Advisor+2mobilelab360.com+2. Music playback is supported—you can store up to 1.8 GB of music (around 2,000 songs)—but syncing is Android-only and manual World Today Journalmobilelab360.com.

However, it lacks NFC, so no mobile payments, and no voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant are available United News BangladeshTech AdvisorWorld Today Journal. Notifications are quite basic—no emojis, no images, and third‑party app replies are unsupported Reddit.



4. MagicOS 7.2 & Honor Health App: Smooth, But Limited

TheHonor Watch 4 interface, powered by MagicOS 7.2, is responsive and feels snappy, with minimal bloatware and easy navigation through watch cards and widgets Reddit+6mobgadgets.com+6United News Bangladesh+6.

Still, the Honor Health app used to manage faces and health data occasionally mixes in Chinese acronyms, making the interface confusing for some users United News BangladeshTech Advisormobgadgets.com. Customization of workout data views is limited, and some advanced features feel absent compared to Wear OS watches.


5. Battery Life & Charging: Impressive Claims vs Realistic Use

Honor claims the Watch 4 houses a 451 mAh battery with up to 14 days of typical use. But independent reviewers found it lasted closer to 6–7 days with real-world usage—GPS workouts, Bluetooth calls, always-on gestures, and notifications included World Today Journal+7Trusted Reviews+7Reddit+7Reddit+15Honor+15mobilelab360.com+15.

Charging is fast—you get a full charge in about an hour, making it easy to top up for weeks of use evisos.infoDunia TimesOhsem Tech & Gadget Blog. If you enable AOD, Honor warn that battery life drops drastically—but you can schedule it to turn off at night to conserve power Ohsem Tech & Gadget Blog

External Links

Anchor TextURL
Official Honor Watch 4 Pagehttps://www.honor.com/pk/wearables/honor-watch-4
Honor Watch 4 on GSMArenahttps://www.gsmarena.com/honor_watch_4-12526.php
Honor Health App (Google Play)https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.huawei.health
Review by TechAdvisorhttps://www.techadvisor.com/article/2077832/honor-watch-4-review-2.html
Amazon Listing (for price reference)https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Honor+Watch+4

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6. User Feedback: Praises and Pitfalls

From Reddit users:

“Tracking of heart rate and steps is reliable. Battery life is good and the screen is nice and bright.”
“The limitations are that you can’t install extra apps, you can’t make payments with it and notifications are pretty limited.” Reddit

Another user noted:

“Speaker for calls is too quiet… it also has a limited connection range, often losing connection after 4 metres.” Reddit+1Reddit+1

Common complaints include no emoji support, RCS message incompatibility (Google Messages), buggy Arabic/Mixed-language display, lack of quick replies, and limited watch face variety Reddit+5Reddit+5Reddit+5.

That said, users appreciated how light the device is and praised its reliable health tracking and battery endurance for the price bracket.


7. Pros & Cons Summary

Pros

  • Sleek, lightweight design made of aluminum alloy
  • Large, vibrant 1.75″ AMOLED display with 60Hz refresh
  • Long battery life: up to 6–7 days in real-world use
  • Built-in GPS, Bluetooth calling, music, and route-back navigation
  • Comprehensive health tracking (heart rate, SpO₂, stress, sleep, Fitness Age)
  • Very affordable (~£130 / ~₹₹₹₹₹₹₹₹, ₹₹₹₹₹₹₹₹ approximate) Tech Advisor+4Gadgets 360+4mobilelab360.com+4Honor+3Stuff+3mobilelab360.com+3

Cons

  • Honor’s 14-day battery claim is overly optimistic
  • No NFC/mobile payments, no voice assistant
  • No always-on display support in many units
  • Notifications are basic—no emoji, limited formatting
  • Limited app ecosystem, no app downloads
  • Android-only support for music sync and calling
  • Reported UI bugs: RCS messages not shown, languages glitchy, weak speaker/audio Dunia TimesOhsem Tech & Gadget Blog+3Reddit+3Tech Advisor+3

8. Honor Watch 4 vs Competitors

FeatureHonor Watch 4Garmin Venu Sq 3 / Fitbit Versa 4Apple Watch SE (2024)
Display1.75″ AMOLED, 60HzSmaller AMOLED (~1.3″)Retina LTPO OLED
Battery Life~6–7 days~4–6 days~24 hours
Built-in GPSYesYesYes
Calls & Music (Android)YesYes (but no music storage)Full support
NFC PaymentsFitbit Pay / Samsung PayApple Pay
App EcosystemVery limitedBasic Fitbit app storeRich app ecosystem
Price (approx)£130 / ₹₹₹₹₹£200–250£250–300

Honor Watch 4 stands out for visual quality and battery value; but lacks features like in-app payments, deep app support, and iOS parity enjoyed by Apple or Samsung platforms.


9. Who Should Buy the Honor Watch 4?

Who It’s Ideal For:

  • Fitness-conscious users on a budget
  • Android users wanting calling and music control from your wrist
  • Those who value long battery life and a vibrant display
  • Users who want basic health tracking without needing advanced sensors

Who Might Pass:

  • Users wanting NFC payments or voice assistants
  • People who receive lots of emoji-rich messages or RCS notifications
  • iPhone users (functional but limited support)
  • Fitness enthusiasts relying on precise clinical sensor accuracy
  • Users wanting to install third-party smartwatch apps

10. Final Verdict: A Smartwatch That Knows Its Limits

The Honor Watch 4 positions itself well in the affordable segment with a refined look, strong battery life, and basic but capable health and fitness tracking. Despite falling short of some big promises—like 14-day battery life and full smart functionality—it still delivers solid value in its price bracket.

For Android users seeking a sleek fitness watch you can actually take calls on, plus enjoy music storage and sporting metrics, it’s a sensible, budget-friendly pick. Just don’t expect the bells and whistles of Wear OS, Apple Watch, or ecosystem-rich devices—nor the battery performance Honor advertises.


Final Thought

The Honor Watch 4 is a modestly powerful wearable with a stunning display, clean software, and health-focused features wrapped in an attractive package. It does many things right at a compelling price, but its limitations—no NFC, no voice assistant, limited app support, and battery over‑promises—mean it’s best suited for users who value efficiency over extravagance.

If you’re looking for a no‑fuss, visually smart, and reliably long‑lasting smartwatch—with Android calling and music playback—this might well suit your needs. Otherwise, consider devices with deeper ecosystem integration or advanced features such as Garmin, Samsung, or Apple.

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