Honor Choice Watch Review: Snazzy looks, decent performer – HT Tech

Honor (or HTech) has made a strong comeback in India since leaving the country under controversial circumstances a few years ago. Now, it is back with a suite of devices in different smartphone segments. It is also looking to take on the heavyweights in the Indian smartwatch market with its latest offering, the Honor Choice Watch. But does it perform well at its competitive price of Rs. 6499 while facing cutthroat competition from the likes of Noise, boAt and Nothing’s CMF? Know it in our review.

Honor Choice Watch: What’s good

The Honor Choice Watch is definitely a looker! With a 1.95-inch AMOLED display housed in a square dial, you can easily mistake it for an Apple Watch. I received the black variant of the Honor Choice Watch which looks quite chic, especially at its price point. It also has a sturdy build, which several of its competitors do not have. Like the Apple Watch, the Honor Choice Watch comes with interchangeable silicon straps, increasing the customization potential of the smartwatch. Talking about customization, there are a plethora of watch faces available via the companion Honor health app. It sports a single digital crown which can be used to access the menu interface. Weighing just 45 grams, the smartwatch is comfortable to wear, even during the sweaty and hot Indian summers. It also offers 5ATM water resistance so if you’re thinking about taking a dip in the pool to get rid of the heat, you’d be good to go.

The Honor Choice Watch has a crisp AMOLED display that almost looks too good to be true at its price point. Budget smartwatches often boast AMOLED displays but have low pixel density, but that’s not the case here. While it is just a smartwatch screen, everything looks sharp without any visible pixelation. It promises up to 550 nits of peak brightness and viewing under direct sunlight is not a problem on most occasions. The display also comes with always-on-display functionality which has become a staple these days.

Swiping down from the top presents the quick access menu with options like DND, alarm, torch, mute, settings, draining water and search. On the other hand, swiping from left to right will get you to widgets. There are also music controls and you can read notifications from your smartwatch, although you cannot reply. The UI is simple to use and is lag-free most of the time, something which has become a rarity in a market flooded with options for budget users.

Like any other smartwatch, the Honor Choice Watch comes with a plethora of health sensors and fitness features. Common health-tracking sensors such as SpO2 and heart-rate monitoring were on point on most occasions.

The Honor Choice Watch also supports Bluetooth calling which has been a pleasant surprise. The call quality is excellent most of the time with the recipient being able to hold a conversation, even in crowded places. Another highlight of the smartwatch is its built-in Multi-System GNSS which can help you navigate straight from the watch, and it works as advertised, albeit with a few misses here and there.

Honor Choice Watch: What could’ve been better

While the display of the Honor Choice Watch is great, the bezels aren’t. The smartwatch has chunky bezels which, although aren’t visible to others, can be a sore to the otherwise pleasing experience. Moreover, the smartwatch does not feature an ambient sensor, meaning you’ll have to turn down the brightness manually every time you step inside after spending time under the Sun.

Another disappointing area was the step count, which I found to be iffy at times. On one occasion, it started counting steps when I was sitting at the desk. While the battery life on the Honor Choice Watch is decent, it is a long way from the 12-day battery life advertised by the company. On most occasions, it lasts 7-8 days.

Honor Choice Watch: Should you buy it?

The Honor Choice Watch can be a great buy for those who want a smartwatch for looks but don’t really care about fitness or health features. While it does support those features, it is far from being the best in the business. Priced at Rs. 6499, it looks like an Apple Watch cousin with a square dial and crisp display, albeit with chunkier bezels. It has plenty of customization options too with watch faces and the ability to change straps. Although it does not quite match its 12-day battery life promise, it lasts 7-8 days on a single charge which is fine considering its price point.