So, it’s only fair that we pit both the fitness bands against each other. You can discover the salient features and functions to decide which one is more suitable for you.
Design and Fit
Let’s start with the design of the Xiaomi Mi Band 4. Similar to its predecessor, the Mi Band 4 has a rounded design. The panel sits lengthways along the wrist. You can easily change the panel if you want to pair a few colorful straps. Plus, this fitness band is light and comfortable. On the other hand, the Honor Band 5 adopts a rectangular approach, much like the Honor Band 4. It’s a tad sleek compared to the Mi band. Though both trackers sport TPU elastic bands, the locking mechanism is different. While Xiaomi has gone for the pin-and-tuck closure, the Honor Band has the traditional watch-like approach, and it is this feature that makes the Band 5 unique. The watch bands are perforated, which makes it easy for sweat and moisture to escape. Not only does it bumps up the aesthetic of the band, but also offers a more reassuring grip on my wrist. As opposed to it, the Mi Band may open up during strenuous physical activity. Buy
Honor Band 5
Display and Touchscreen
The Mi Band 4 is the first iteration to sport a colored display. It packs a 0.95 inch AMOLED color touch-sensitive screen. The colors are bright, punchy, which enhances the looks of this fitness band. What’s more, the sunlight legibility is great, and we did not face any issues related to the display. You can tune down the screen brightness as per your preference. Another good thing about the Mi Band 4 is that you can now cycle between different watch faces, even third-party ones. If you like your fitness band to have a PUBG themed watch face, you can go ahead and get it. When it comes to the Honor Band 5, it also comes with a 0.95-inch AMOLED color display which produces bright and vibrant colors. Even the Honor Band 4 came with a colored display. The Band 5’s display is easy to read even under harsh sunlight, especially when you’ve cranked down the brightness to the lowest levels. Though both devices register touch inputs without any issues, I found the touch sensitivity of the Honor Band 5 to bit more responsive. The Mi Band 4 tends to skip registering touch inputs. On some days, I had to tap multiple times just to select an option. On the downside, the Honor Band 5 has only 8 built-in watch faces, and you have to settle with them since there’s now way to add any third-party watch faces. Overall, I found the display color production and the touch-sensitivity of the Honor Band 5 to be superior to that of the Mi Band 4.
Battery — Size & Backup
When it comes to battery life, the Mi Band 4 doesn’t disappoint. It has a significant upgrade this year and boasts of a 135mAh battery which can last up to 20 days on a single charge. Unfortunately, Honor hasn’t made any upgrades in this year’s iteration. The Band 5 carries the same battery as its predecessor — 100mAh battery, which lasts around 14 days. And if you enable features like real-time heart rate monitoring or sleep tracking enabled, the battery life drops to roughly 10 days. Though the charging mechanism on both bands is the same, the charging approaches are different. With Mi Band 4, you’d need to pop the tracker module out of the strap and then plug it to the charging cable. Meanwhile, you can simply remove the Honor Band 5 from your wrist and clasp it to the charger. In a nutshell, charging the Mi Band 4 is inconvenient. However, the battery backup makes up for it beautifully.
Software Features and Tracking
Apart from the common (and basic) features such as pedometer, heart rate sensor, notification support, and alarm clock, the Mi Band 4 packs a new activity sensors capable of identifying workout tracking modes. And the story doesn’t end there. It can also differentiate between different swimming styles. The new sensors reportedly give more accurate readings. The Honor Band 5 comes with improved sensors for activity tracking and heart rate monitoring. Plus, there’s new blood oxygen level monitor, as we mentioned above. Aside from the eight sports modes, the Band 5 also boasts of Huawei TruSleep — Huawei’s flagship sleep monitoring program. That mechanism helps to identify general sleep disorders and will recommend ways to improve them. Though the Mi Band also tracks sleep, it only tells you the duration of Deep Sleep and Light Sleep, and nothing more. Plus, the Honor Band 5 can track your sleep at any time of the day, while the Mi Band only comes to action only during the night. However, Band 5 really shines when it comes to real-time tracking. There’s a continuous heart-rate monitoring feature to track your heart rate. However, it comes at the cost of battery life. When it comes to results, both bands provide almost accurate results. But if you want more detailed stats, the Band 5 is the clear winner here.
Measure Your Fitness Journey
So, which fitness band should you buy? If you’re just starting with fitness activities, the Mi Band 4 is a fantastic option. It has an excellent battery life, and the display is great too. And the new activity sensor is the cherry on top. Though it tracks your sleeping habits and heartbeat, the stats may not be as detailed as the Band 5’s. On the other hand, Band 5 will give you a detailed analysis of your activity levels, as well as for your sleeping patterns. Plus, you also get the advantage of Bluetooth 5.0, a premium design and improved sensors. If only it could deliver better battery life. Here’s a video on comparison of Honor Band 5 vs Mi Band 4 from our Guiding Tech (English) YouTube Channel: Buy
Honor Band 5
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