Review of the Honor Band 3 bracelet – characteristics and functionality

Natalie Vesna 10/28/2020

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Our review of Huawei Honor Band 3 will reveal its characteristics and features. We will also provide instructions in Russian on how to connect it to a smartphone, and some user reviews will help make a general assessment of the device.

Since 2015, Huawei has separated the Honor line of devices into a separate sub-brand. Not the cheapest on the market (after all, the mother brand is one of the “proper Chinese”), but quite attractive. In addition to smartphones, the line of wearable devices also includes fitness trackers in the now familiar bracelet format.

Peculiarities

The main feature of the third Honor model is the expanded functionality with high-precision operation of sensors and meters. At the same time, the manufacturer reduced the price of the device, which expanded the user audience. Positive customer reviews increased the rating of the smart device. For 2021, the Huawei Honor Band 3 smart bracelet is recognized as the best budget tracker.

Features of Honor Band 3:

• Thoughtful design and user-friendly interface
• Advanced capabilities and accurate sensor performance
• Capacitive battery and extended battery life

Autonomous operation is another feature of the model. If you follow the standby mode, the battery will last a month without recharging. Active use will drain the battery in about two weeks (and this is a decent indicator even for an expensive tracker!). The manufacturer achieved such indicators thanks to a special economical operating technology, but we’ll talk about this later.

Equipment and design

Due to the budget price, the set does not include a power adapter. If necessary, purchase it separately. However, you can charge the bracelet without it, so this element is not necessary.

The following parts are supplied with the tracker:

• USB charging cable - Micro format
• Operating instructions - in Chinese
• Plastic holder – adapter platform for cord

The design of the bracelet is well thought out. The strap is removable and secured with bolts. No special screwdriver is required, a regular one will do. The bolts hold the case tightly, which is an advantage (at a frantic training pace, the case of the Xiaomi Mi Band flies out).

Design and materials

The appearance of the bracelet is laconic. The black rectangular case is attached to a silicone strap. The soft material fits your hand tightly, making the tracker sit tightly and not scroll. The strap is waterproof. It repels moisture and odors, making it ideal for training.

Impression

The first thoughts after you pick up the Honor Band 3 are “cool, the guys decided to make their own bestseller among inexpensive smart bracelets. A sort of Xiaomi Mi Band 2, but with full moisture protection.” But after a couple of days of use, the opinion about the device becomes more negative.

Design . As you know, people are greeted by their clothes. Therefore, it is logical to discuss appearance, because for a smart bracelet this is sometimes more important than functionality. It's no joke, but most users perceive fitness trackers as a fashion accessory, and not as a step counting tool. Most people just want to be in the know and don’t care what the device can do.

In this regard, Honor Band 3 is a complete failure. The design here is completely secondary, made with an eye on the popular Xiaomi Mi Band 2, and in general, the concept of a shiny capsule with a silicone strap was not played up only by the laziest Chinese manufacturer. All of Ali is littered with fitness trackers with similar designs.

Ease of use . Well, it’s okay, I thought, well, they copied a little design from other companies. Which Chinese manufacturer doesn't happen? Just think!

But after wearing the Honor Band 3 for a short time, my complaints about the bracelet were supplemented by questions about ergonomics. The bracelet is quite difficult to put on and take off. And all because of the excessively tight clasp in the form of a plastic button (also a so-so idea), which has to be pressed with force into the stubborn rubber of the bracelet. It gets tiring after just a couple of such manipulations.

In addition, the silicone of the Honor Band 3 strap (and it is non-removable for a second) seemed to me not as soft and pleasant to the touch as, for example, the Xioami Mi Band 2. I am completely silent about the divine silicone straps of the Sony Smartband 2, after them Touching the rubber of the Honor Band 3 is absolutely unpleasant.

Screen and controls . Fortunately, the Honor Band 3's screen and controls turned out to be okay. The gadget's screen is small, but bright and very contrasty; information can be read day and night. The screen does not go blind in the sun.

Honor Band 3 is controlled by touching the round touch pad under the screen, which simulates a button. The bracelet also understands gestures - you raise your hand and the screen lights up.

Software _ The Honor Band 3's software is also quite good. This is one of the few “amateur” fitness trackers on the market that can more or less passably count swimming activities. There is also a particularly advanced sleep phase recording sensor. It is unlikely to be better than Smartband 2, but more accurate than Xiaomi Mi Band 2.

For the bracelet to work, you need to download and install Huawei Wear (in this utility you can configure the device settings - alarm clock, notifications and much more), and if you want to admire your achievements, then Huawei Health.

Working hours . If you don’t torment the bracelet with constant heart rate monitoring, then Honor Band 3 will last about 15-20 days on a single charge (everything will depend on the frequency of notifications). In general, you can safely count on two weeks of work.

Technical specifications

Brief description of the Huawei Honor Band 3 fitness bracelet:

• Weight of 18 grams is not noticeable on the hand while wearing
• Removable strap can be easily replaced if it breaks
• The splash-proof housing is also dust-proof
• With 128×32 resolution, the screen image is clear
• Sensors include an accelerometer, gyroscope and heart rate monitor.
• Alerts and notifications are signaled by vibration feedback
• A 100 mAh battery provides two-week operation of the device

There is no NFC on Honor Band 3. Mobile communications and the Internet are also not included, which indicates the absence of a speaker and microphone. But the device regularly displays the date and time and accurately calculates health indicators. To learn more about the functions of the Honor Band 3 smart bracelet, read the information below.

Screen

The screen does not occupy the entire surface of the black rectangular body. The developers specially came up with such an illusion to make the appearance more presentable. If you look at the bracelet case at an angle in daylight, you will notice a small dark rectangle in the middle of the case. This is the screen. The approximate display size is 24 mm in length and 6 mm in width.

Monochrome screen type – PMOLED. Below the screen is a round black button. It is used to call up the menu, scroll through screens, start and stop recording a workout, start counting heart rate, etc. The rest of the control is carried out by the sensor and gestures. The Honor Band understands the gesture of viewing the time (activating the screen), circular rotations of the wrist (flipping) and lowering the hand (deactivating the backlight).

Honor Band 3

Elena V.

June 14, 2021, 11:38 pm Ownership period: several months Advantages:

• Comfortable
• Compact
• Stylish
• Heart rate monitor
• Alarm
• Sleep monitoring (including sleep heart rate)
• Long lasting battery
• Sturdy strap
• Convenient Huawei Wear app
• You can read part of the message by rotating your hand
• You can drop a phone call by holding down the button
• You can swim and dive (tested at a depth of almost 5 meters, but the instructions say up to 50 m.)

Flaws:

• Pedometer, I still don’t understand its operating algorithm, and I recommend not relying on it, I got up in the morning, walked 10 steps to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, went out and lo and behold, I have more than 100 steps, I left the source of the pedometer in my phone native, it GPS shows the distance much more accurately.
• You cannot configure the screen to turn on with a wave depending on the time of day (for example, at night it sometimes interferes, lighting up due to hand movements) But I think this can be fixed in new firmware! I hope the manufacturer does this.
• You cannot read the entire message on the watch.

Review:
The model is worthy of attention, especially for swimmers and freedivers, which I am. I use it together with iPhone SE. I recommend wearing the watch as stated in the instructions (see photo), so it does not get in the way and the likelihood of loss is minimized. I charge it once every 2 weeks, or less often, but I have automatic heart rate monitoring enabled. A very good feature is the alarm clock. When you don’t want your loved ones to wake up from the ringing phone, you just set an alarm on your watch and with its vibration it will wake up only you. They show who is calling, you can read part of the message (messengers, classmates, SMS and other notifications on the phone) by scrolling with your hand (although why not make it possible to read the entire message? Or am I doing something wrong. You can also drop an incoming call by holding down the button on a couple of seconds. For those who like to swim, the watch has a swimming mode, you select it, tap the button (for some reason I can’t turn on this mode the first time) and swim, and the program counts calories (conditionally), although I don’t understand how ( I swim breaststroke). Before the recent update, the sport modes included swimming and running, after the recent update they added a bicycle and a treadmill. The heart rate monitor works quite adequately, if the error is insignificant, I checked it, everything corresponds. During swimming, it seems that the heart rate measurement does not occur . I wear the watch all the time, I take it off once every 2 weeks to charge it. In general, the model is very worthy, if you have any doubts, take it, they are more than worth their price. Let's hope that the manufacturer will correct minor defects in new firmware.

Features and Application

Most of the functions of the fitness bracelet depend on the application, because... All settings are made via smartphone. Download the basic Huawei Health program to fully use the device's capabilities. This can be done in the Google Play and App Store.

Honor Band 3 can:

• Measure pulse beats per minute
• Count the number of steps taken
• Approximately calculate calories burned
• Determine the distance covered
• Track sleep quality, duration and phases

There is also a smart alarm function that works based on activity information. In accordance with daily load indicators, the smart bracelet will determine the correct rest time and automatically wake up the user.

Advantages and disadvantages

Positive qualities of the Honor Band 3 smart bracelet:

• Thoughtful design and sleek design
• High-quality materials and protection against splashes and dust
• Two-week work with active use and extended functionality
• Simplified management and clear application interface
• Gesture support and cost-effective screen technology

Among the shortcomings of the model, we highlight inadequate protection and the absence of a navigation system. However, all this is compensated by the price category of the product.