Honor Band A1: compact fitness tracker for big achievements

Characteristics

Equipment

The Honor Color Band A1 fitness bracelet comes in a fairly compact box of a deep blue color that is pleasing to the eye. On it we find information about the main features of the smart bracelet, in addition to standard entries. The bracelet itself is placed in a compact insert, which completely secures it and, I think, provides good protection for the device.

Expecting something extraordinary to be included in the package is absurd. Look at the cost of the accessory. That’s why inside there are short instructions, a warranty card, a Micro USB cable, magnetic charging and, in fact, the tracker itself.

Advantages and disadvantages

The device performs all main functions. Has the following advantages:

1. Correctly calculates the number of steps taken.
2. Easy to sync.
3. Has good dust and moisture protection.
4. It has a large battery capacity.
5. Counts the duration of sleep not only at night, but also during the day.
6. The gadget determines the intensity of ultraviolet radiation.
7. Gives recommendations on improving nutrition, sleep, and physical activity.
8. Beautiful design.

The main advantage of Honor color band a1 is how long it holds a charge, at least two weeks.
Disadvantages of the bracelet:

1. No heart rate measurement.
2. The connection between the device and the phone is interrupted at a distance of more than 10 m.
3. Data statistics are not saved when communication with the application is disconnected.
4. Performs a small number of tasks compared to other bracelets.

The device is reliable.

Design

Band A1 (otherwise called Color Band A1) consists mainly of three parts:

• from the core, which is encased in a tightly sealed metal case;
• hand strap;
• rivets, which are easily removed, but also stay on the belt quite securely.

The device module is made of metal and has a slightly curved shape with “ears” along the edges where the strap is threaded. On the outside there is an LED and an ultraviolet sensor, and on the inside, adjacent to the hand, there are charging contacts. The locking clasp is also made of metal and has the inscription “honor” on it. The main part is removable, has two colors: steel and gold, the color depends on the color of the selected strap, but in Russia only steel is available.

The design of the strap is in the style of previous models of the Honor line: laconic, minimalistic, strict. The bracelet comes in two types: hypoallergenic silicone or leather (of course, this modification differs in price). The silicone model, like the cult Honor Zero model, has a bracelet made in the form of a prism: it is perforated with intersecting diagonal stripes - glossy and matte. Looks stylish.

The silicone version received four color options for the bracelets - black, turquoise, pink and white. Black is undoubtedly the most popular, especially among men, as it has the most neutral appearance.

Since the strap hides the core itself with the main hardware, it attracts the lion's share of attention. Accordingly, when discussing the design of the A1, we are talking primarily about the design of the bracelet, 80 percent, and 20, or maybe less, left to the gadget itself.

As for the overall appearance: the design is pleasant and not aggressive, suitable for almost anyone in clothing style, be it for training or daily wear.

Convenience

Speaking about ergonomics, we can say that Honor Color Brand A1 is quite flexible and can take almost any position with your hand without restricting movement or interfering. I wonder how it will behave with a leather strap, but with a silicone one - no problems. A large supply of sizes - suitable for absolutely any hand, be it a strong man's or a fragile woman's (there are 10 holes in total in the bracelet). By the way, your hand does not sweat under the strap.

The bracelet is comfortable to use – you don’t feel it on your hand (the gadget weighs only 20 grams). The material of the bracelet does not cause any discomfort, the rivet fits tightly. It is also not possible to lose it - you need to make some effort to simply unscrew the rivet, however, if you succeed, the safety loop will hold the device on your hand. Personally, I completely forgot about the existence of the bracelet and it did not bother me day or night. Perhaps this is one of the main advantages for wearable electronics.

The next point: the Honor smart bracelet received protection from moisture and dust according to the IP57 standard, which allows you to wash your hands without fear during everyday use without removing the bracelet.

After a month and a half of continuous wear, the back side began to wear slightly. Otherwise, there are no external traces, although I can’t say that I only work in offices and am generally a careful user.

Possibilities

There are only two sensors inside the Honor Band A1: a three-axis accelerometer that measures acceleration, and an ultraviolet sensor for monitoring the intensity of ultraviolet radiation. Great, but what can the bracelet do in practice?

Accurate statistics

The Honor Band A1 fitness bracelet is equipped with a high-precision three-axis accelerometer that records workout time, distance traveled and number of steps. The accelerometer recognizes more than a hundred characteristics, including the degree of acceleration and load intensity. The Honor Band A1 fitness bracelet uses a self-learning algorithm to automatically recognize activity.

Physical activity recognition

Having studied algorithms for various scenarios of the state of physical activity and rest, and processed a huge amount of data, the development team of the Huawei Research Center managed to achieve high accuracy in recognizing types of physical activity (walking, running, cycling) and sleep state.

Setting goals

Calculation of the load and calculation of burned calories are carried out in accordance with your physical condition.

Sleep monitoring

Thanks to the self-learning algorithm, accurate recognition of sleep states, including daytime sleep, and registration of sleep stages (deep sleep and light sleep) are performed. The polysomnography technologies used in the fitness bracelet allow you to accurately assess the quality of your sleep. This data will help you study and evaluate your sleep patterns and improve your sleep quality.

UV monitoring

The Honor Band A1 fitness bracelet monitors the intensity of UV radiation and gives tips and recommendations for protection from the negative effects of sunlight.

Notifications

Set up smart notifications and your fitness band will vibrate and its indicator light will flash when you receive an incoming call or message. You won't miss an important call or notification when your phone is in your bag or you're in a noisy place.

Main functionality and interface

The result of all measurements can only be seen in the Color Band A1 application installed on a smartphone. The tracker performs a basic set of tasks:

1. Counting the number of steps and distance traveled.
2. Determining the type of load - walking, running, cycling.
3. Display of the distance traveled.
4. Vibration to wake you up at the right time.
5. Sleep control, monitoring of its phases.
6. Measuring the number of kilocalories burned.
7. Alarm about incoming calls.
8. "Smart" notifications.

Using sensors, the accelerometer determines acceleration and the type of sports activity based on their intensity. To determine the characteristics of cycling or running, you need to enable the “Trajectory” item on the right side of the application screen.

Monitors sleep. Sets its duration and phases. Gives recommendations for improving the quality of rest.

A smart alarm clock recognizes sleep phases and wakes you up at the most appropriate moment.

The Smart Alarm function will vibrate during light sleep at the right time.

Not only the number of kilocalories spent is indicated, but also the corresponding food equivalent, for example, their correspondence to one chicken leg, etc.

In addition to the standard set of tasks, it is possible to determine the intensity of ultraviolet radiation. The bracelet will warn you about the need to take an umbrella, raincoat, use sunscreen or dark glasses.

Connection

It's worth making a quick note about the inclusion of the Honor Band A1. There is no button anywhere to activate the gadget. At the very beginning it needs to be charged, preferably to 100 percent. When there is battery charge, the device works; when it is 1 percent, it turns off. This is the simple principle of operation of the device.

Of course, all management, configuration and statistics tracking takes place in the application. It is clear that the utility is located on the smartphone, and our hero connects to it via Bluetooth.

And now it’s time to scold the tracker. The thing is that once the connection is lost, it no longer connects to the smartphone on its own. That is, you paired it with your smartphone, configured the accessory, notifications of incoming calls via vibration, and so on. As long as the connection is not accidentally broken (maximum distance 10 meters), everything will be fine.

Once the tracker loses sight of your smartphone once, it will no longer vibrate when calls come in. In fact, this is particularly annoying, because at such moments you have to resynchronize the device with the head unit. The synchronization process itself goes like clockwork, but doing this several times a day is a shame. By the way, it has been tested with at least five different smartphones, including Honor 6X.

Application

The gadget is compatible with iOS and Android devices. By the way, there was no information on the application on the box, and in the standard for all Huawei Wear bracelets, the tracker itself was not in the list of devices. The gadget has its own Color Band A1 application. In terms of its use cases, color scheme and button positions, it is very similar to Huawei Wear before the update in November-December 2021, only with a new menu for working with information from the UV sensor.

In general, the application is quite simple to understand and without pitfalls, everything is accessible and extremely clear, so even an amateur can figure it out. The device synchronizes with it via Bluetooth 4.2 with devices Android 4.4 and higher and IOS 7 and higher and, by the way, very quickly. Next, we enter personal data: gender, height, weight and date of birth so that the application can analyze the information received from the bracelet. Then the capabilities of the gadget open up to us.

So, the application has loaded, the charged device has been paired, and we’re ready to go. There are three dots on the central screen, indicating three sheets of statistics - pedometer, sleep and UV. Clicking on the chart in the center reveals additional details.

Main functionality of the application:

• Training data

Recording and monitoring of physical activity data depending on the type of physical activity - walking, cycling, running.

In this mode, the bracelet records training time, distance traveled and number of steps. It is noteworthy that the gadget is able to recognize more than a hundred characteristics, including the degree of acceleration and load intensity. As a result, it determines exactly what you are doing - walking, cycling or running. As you use the bracelet, accuracy increases thanks to a self-learning algorithm.

During training, the application displays kilometers traveled, number of steps, calories burned, speed. You can also see the route you took if you had a smartphone with you.

Like other fitness apps, Color Band A1 lets you set a goal. For example, walking so many steps a day to burn so many calories. Interestingly, for clarity, calories are also written in food equivalent. For example, 200 calories is one chicken leg.

Read also:  How to register a Mi Fit account and create a personal account
• Sleep monitoring

Monitoring the quality and phases of sleep - shallow sleep, deep sleep, wakefulness.

Perhaps the most interesting feature. After all, without special monitoring, we can judge the quality of sleep only by how much sleep we got. The Honor Band A1 bracelet allows you to penetrate the mystery of your own sleep and find out how much time you spent in deep sleep, how much in shallow sleep, and how much you just lay there, “counting sheep.”

If you sleep too little, or the quality of your sleep leaves much to be desired, the application will give advice. For example, it will remind you that exercise and proper nutrition are the key to normal sleep. And he will advise you to listen to relaxing music. Of course, to use this feature, you will have to sleep with the bracelet on your wrist.

• Smart alarm clock

Note that the Honor Band A1 has a smart alarm function. For many, this function is almost decisive when purchasing fitness bracelets. A “smart” alarm clock makes waking up “smooth” and “pleasant” - it starts to gently wake you up at the appropriate sleep phase. As a result, you wake up rested, and do not jump up with a cast-iron head, as is usually the case when your sleep is interrupted by a regular alarm clock.

• UV radiation

Real-time monitoring of UV radiation intensity and suggestions for skin protection.

A relevant feature, especially if you travel a lot to hot countries and spend the winter in Thailand, Bali or Goa. Monitoring UV radiation will allow you to be more aware of what is happening outside your window. Based on measuring the intensity of UV radiation, the bracelet gives practical advice: put on sunglasses, put on UV glasses, take a hat, an umbrella, plenty of water, or even just apply a product with SPF 70.

• Smart notifications

Notifications about an incoming call or message, help in finding a smart bracelet and setting up smart alarms.

When paired with a smartphone, the Honor Band A1 will notify you of incoming calls and messages. If you take off your bracelet and forget where you put it, the application will allow you to find it. The Color Band A1 application not only allows you to control the bracelet and view statistics for the day, but also collects data for a week, month or more, presenting it in the form of graphs for clarity.

The motivation system is striking in its care. The application believes that I am too little in the deep sleep phase, so it certainly advises me to complete all my tasks for the day and relax: drink a cup of chamomile tea, listen to relaxing music, and sometimes have a poke game during the day. And the distance traveled is calculated in the equivalent number of strawberries, bananas, glasses of milk, and, most curiously, the percentage of burritos - what percentage of burritos did you run today? All these funny wishes and comparisons touch to the core; Huawei developers know how to make a truly caring device.

Frankly speaking, the design was not the best. In general, Huawei and Honor smartphones have very stylish shells - EMUI. Minimalism, grace, beauty - it’s all there. But the Color Band A1 application does not fit into this concept at all and was clearly developed without any proper control.

Words in Russian practically touch each other, the color scheme is poorly chosen, and there are also problems with intuitiveness. For example, I absolutely do not understand how I can quickly view my statistics for the week. At the very bottom there is an icon “Today”, and next to it “For a month”. It is logical that there should be weekly statistics between them, but no. In its place is a “Send” icon, which personally didn’t bother me at all.

What's good about Honor Band 6

First, let's talk about the tracker itself and figure out what its key features are. The gadget has a full-screen display. This means that you no longer have to use the button below it to switch modes and return to the main screen.

The new bracelet looks good on my hand.

Honor Band 6 comes in two variants - without NFC and with NFC . The design of this wearable device is not similar to its predecessors. The tracker looks more like a mini version of the recently released HONOR Watch ES. I talked about them not so long ago in this article.

How to record a telephone conversation on Huawei and Honor smartphones

Autonomy and charging

I would especially like to note this point. like autonomy. The bracelet is equipped with a 70 mAh battery, and the manufacturer claims up to 28 days of battery life in standby mode. What I want to say: he came to us on December 13 and we did not part with him for a day, today the charge percentage is at around 64%, and I think this is a more than good result.

The Honor Color Band A1 is charged using a cradle that is magnetized to the tracker + Micro-USB cable

Checking the bracelet in operation

A comparison of the gadget with the same Apple device showed that the number of steps was measured correctly. However, the number of kilocalories burned did not match the readings of the other company's bracelet.

Testing the protection against moisture ingress showed good performance of the tracker. It withstood not only splashes of rain or shower as stated in the instructions, but also swimming and even diving.

Honor Color Band A1 can notify you with vibration about incoming calls.

The connection between the bracelet and the phone was constantly lost when the distance between them was more than 10 m. I had to synchronize them again.

Provides hints and recommendations regarding necessary changes.

Waterproof

Honor Band A1 is protected from moisture. However, the manufacturer warns in the instructions that with the gadget on your hand you can wash your hands, wash your car, take a shower or walk in the rain. But you can no longer swim or dive with the device - it must be removed.

Pfft! When did I trust instructions! Of course, I went to the pool and checked how our hero would feel after such a test. And guess what? He passed it perfectly! Swimming a kilometer with Band A1 on his arm did not affect his performance in any way.

Moreover, several times I dived to a depth of about 2 meters, but the tracker didn’t care!

The Honor Band A1 fitness tracker is resistant to moisture. In general, the conclusion is this. You can swim with Band A1, but I didn't tell you anything.

Ultraviolet radiation monitoring

Unlike other fitness trackers, Honor Band A1 has an additional sensor that will help those users who care about the health of their skin.

In the photo: the Honor Band A1 fitness tracker measures the level of UV radiation and gives recommendations for protection from the negative effects of sunlight

The bracelet measures the level of ultraviolet radiation and, through a mobile application, gives advice and recommendations on protection from the negative effects of sunlight.

Prices

Let's move on to discussing the most important issue - cost. Honor A1 could easily gain an advantage among its competitors if it were sold at the price it had at the start of sales - 990 rubles. After all, you are buying a device officially sold in Russia, with instructions translated into Russian, with guarantees, and you don’t have to wait a whole month for delivery from China.

However, the A1 does not have such an advantage, because the official price is 1,990 rubles. According to Yandex Market, the average price of a gadget for 2021 is 1,600 rubles. And prices on Aliexpress start from 1,100 rubles, and there you can separately order a leather strap for the Honor Band A1.

Review of Honor Color Band A1

This product is produced by Huawei under the Honor sub-brand. This device is aimed at undemanding users who are looking for a simple fitness bracelet with basic functions.

Honor Band A1 is one of the most budget solutions on the market, if we consider products from large companies, discarding various small Chinese brands. At the time of writing our article, its cost is approximately 1,700 rubles. Agree, for such a price it is difficult to find an accessory from a large manufacturer, even using Chinese trading platforms.

Conclusion

Huawei Honor Color Band A1 is a gadget with a stylish design that weighs almost nothing and fits cool on the hand. It has a built-in pedometer and UV sensor. But if a pedometer is actually a useful thing, then the need for an ultraviolet radiation sensor can be questioned. In our latitudes, where the sun is hot for 3 months a year, the sensor will still always indicate a low level of radiation and advise you to apply sunscreen - your face is always exposed to the sun, so it needs protection. The application is simple, pleasant and very caring - it seems that it was thanks to its advice that I began to go to bed earlier, it motivates me perfectly.

In general, Honor Band A1 is an excellent fitness tracker with a set of useful functions. The operating time of the gadget is impressive. The appearance and ergonomics are excellent. But the main thing is that Honor Band A1 is inexpensive and is perfect as a gift for both men and beautiful girls.

Comparison with competitor - Xiaomi Mi Band

Design

Firstly, I liked the appearance of the A1. And you know, I can’t possibly be objective here. The thing is that Mi Band has been on the market for more than two years and its design is already quite boring. This small metal pebble framed with a rubber strap has become boring. From here our hero earns a point, but the Xiaomi device receives nothing. And colored straps don't save him.

But where the Honor gadget definitely loses is in terms of displaying certain events. Both devices have vibration feedback, and in my opinion, it is simply impossible to miss vibration on the A1. It feels like it will break in half when it vibrates, but it will notify you of the call.

However, Honor has only one LED that is not very informative, while Mi Band boasts as many as three, which display different statuses (notification type, progress level, and so on). In fact, in the absence of a screen, whether there are LEDs or not is of little use. However, the XMB 1S is a little more advanced in this regard, so the score is 1:1.

Ergonomics

I've been using both devices for quite some time, so I can talk about all the pains and problems that users of these fitness trackers may encounter.

Until Mi Band 2 came out, everything was bad for Xiaomi. Firstly, the nucleolus could easily fall out of the rubber strap and easily get lost, which is what happened in my case. Secondly, after about 7-8 months the bracelet itself begins to go bad: the silicone peels off, the locking loop comes off, and so on. In general, in terms of reliability, the XMB 1(1s) is doing poorly.

Against the background of all this, Honor Band A1 looks much more cheerful. I don’t know what will happen to the locking ring after 8 months, but in two months of use the bracelet accidentally came loose only once. I grabbed it tightly onto the straps of my backpack. Winter, a lot of clothes, a down jacket, and then a backpack - in general, you know. This happened to the mi band all the time, literally every day.

In addition, the A1 core cannot fall out in any way. Here everything is much more reliable, and therefore the score is 2:1 in favor of the newfangled “Chinese”.

Connection

As I mentioned earlier, Honor has problems connecting to a smartphone; as soon as the bracelet loses sight of the phone at least once, it will no longer vibrate when calls come in. The same Mi Band 1S easily restores the connection and holds on to the smartphone in almost any conditions. Honor does not have this, and therefore the competitor wins. Thus, the score was leveled - 2:2

Software

Compared to Mi Fit, the Honor app looks very damp and meager. A clear win for Mi Band 1S. The score is 2:3.

There is one more point that will be extremely important for those who often change devices. For example, this is relevant for me. Using the Mi Band, I didn’t worry about my activity statistics. All information is saved both in the device’s memory (for about 14 days) and in the cloud, which the Mi Fit utility has access to. In other words, I can sync my tracker anywhere, on any device, just by installing the app and without losing anything.

This is not the case with Color Band A1. There is no cloud synchronization. The memory built into the bracelet is very short-term. For example, if today you synchronized with one smartphone, and tomorrow with an application on another, then none of yesterday’s statistics will be saved. I don’t talk about achievements over the week and month at all. This is completely inconvenient and, as a result, the point of owning a fitness tracker is lost in principle. Why is it needed then, if when you change a device you cannot check your activity for a month, for six months, for a year, and so on?

Thus, the tracker from Xiaomi gets another point - 2:4

Functionality

A1 can independently determine the types of activity of its owner. This may include sleeping, walking, running and cycling. And here you won’t be able to dig into the bracelet. Why? Here's a simple example.

Mi Band 1, 1S or 2nd version cannot track daytime sleep. The program and the tracker along with it assume that you need to sleep at night and only at this time of day are the algorithms able to track sleep and its phases. However, Band A1 can do the same during the day. A couple of days ago I decided to take a nap for an hour or two during the day and, to my surprise, the pedometer was able to record this sleep. I can’t say that I slept like the dead, because I tossed and turned, constantly woke up due to external stimuli, that is, I moved my hand with the tracker on it. And yet, the dream was recorded - that's cool!

For the rest I have the following to say. There are always some small differences. One device will have one feature that is more convenient, while another may offer an additional type of activity. For example, a device from Xiaomi can track specific workouts in the form of jumping rope, and a gadget from Honor is able to measure the level of ultraviolet radiation, giving its recommendations through a proprietary application. Ideally, I would like to have both, but the offset of all this functionality does not give any device a clear advantage.

In fact, 1S has something to answer. Let me remind you that the device can measure pulse, and it does this continuously in training mode. Our hero cannot boast of such a truly significant function, and therefore loses another point to his competitor. As a result, we get 3:5.

Battery

The battery built into A1 has a capacity of 70 mAh. Mi Band 1S cannot boast such an impressive battery capacity - 45 mAh. It would seem that the issue has been resolved and the winner is clear. No matter how it is!

In normal use, both gadgets work approximately the same - about a month. To be more precise, the A1 can last about 20 days, and the 1S about 25 days, subject to constant synchronization and vibration response. However, I don’t see a significant difference here, because the extra point does not go to any of the devices.

Let's summarize the comparison

According to the results of our objective testing (score 3:5), Xiaomi Mi Band 1S deservedly wins. Moreover, even the version that is officially sold here.

Honor Band A1 is inferior to its competitors in many respects: it cannot boast of such wide functionality, the proprietary application is not very convenient and informative, there is no sane data synchronization and correct notification via vibration.

And yet, the device has the right to exist and even to some success in terms of sales. The tracker counts steps well, tracks sleep perfectly, and will get you up in the morning without any problems, as it is equipped with an impressively powerful vibration motor. If your needs are limited only to this and you want something fresh, to somehow stand out from the army of Mi Band fans, then you should pay attention to the A1. The only way.