Smart bracelet Huawei Band 2 Pro: GPS, TruSleep, running instructor

Our review: Huawei Band 2 Pro - functional semi-pro

Details Category: Reviews Published: 02/23/2018 16:49 Author: Lewkee

After a rather long pause, I continue to share with readers my experience of using various gadgets. the Huawei Band 2 Pro fitness bracelet .
This fitness bracelet is positioned as an intermediate link between amateur bracelets a la Xiaomi Mi Band and professional fitness monitoring devices. Without further ado, let's move on to the description of the device.

Technical characteristics of Huawei Band 2 Pro

• Weight 21g
• Communication Bluetooth 4.2, BLE, GPS
• Display 0.91″, Black and white PMOLED, Resolution: 128 × 32 pixels
• Monitoring Steps, Sleep, Running, Calories, Notifications, Smart Alarm
• Battery capacity (mAh) 105 mAh
• Charging time 1.5 hours
• Operating time Up to 30 days (based on laboratory tests)
• Equipment: Fitness bracelet, Docking station, USB cable, Instructions, Warranty card

Appearance, packaging and assembly

The appearance of the Huawei Band 2 Pro , in my opinion, does not particularly stand out, but the bracelet looks harmonious and meets modern trends.

The bracelet is available in three strap colors - black, blue and red. The package, in addition to the bracelet itself and documentation, includes a charging dock and a short cable.

The strap is made of a pleasant matte perforated material that bends well and is pleasant to the touch. It’s worth noting that the strap has a huge range of adjustments, sufficient, it seems to me, to fit any hand. At the same time, I had only a few accidental unfastenings of the strap during 3 weeks of use. The strap itself is attached to the capsule with screws, which adds reliability to this design.

On the sides of the monochrome display there are two metal inserts. At the bottom of the screen there is a single touch control button that distinguishes between a short and a long touch.

On the reverse side there are contacts for the charger and a heart rate monitor with two LEDs.

The charger itself is attached to the bracelet with latches, and the charging cable is connected to it via a MicroUSB connector.

The bracelet is very light (only 21g), and you don’t feel it on your hand at all.

Bottom line: there are no questions about the appearance, assembly and quality of materials. The bracelet looks simple, but organic.

Screen

The 0.91′ diagonal monochrome PMOLED display has a resolution of 128 × 32 pixels. You don’t have to expect anything outstanding from the screen; its task is to display the time and brief information about workouts and at the same time save battery, which it does successfully.

The backlight brightness is high; on a sunny day, the information on the screen is readable. True, there is no possibility of adjusting it, so if you accidentally turn on the screen in a dream, this light will seem very bright to the eye.

How to charge?

Most manufacturers recommend using a 5V, 250mA (0.25A) power supply. But, in fact, the power source can be any serviceable 5-volt power supply, regardless of the number of amps. The device will not take more current than it needs. The USB port of a computer, laptop or power bank is also suitable for charging.

Charge the Honor Band 6 battery using the included cable. First, align the contacts on the back of the band with the contacts on the charging cable. It will not be possible to connect incorrectly, since the magnet will simply displace the connector if the polarity is incorrect. Then connect the USB-A connector to a power source. After this, the charging indicator will show the battery charge level on the screen.

A full charge takes approximately 65 minutes. 5 – 10 minutes of charging is enough for several days of battery life. It is advisable to prevent the battery from being completely discharged.

Software and functionality

Let's start with the functions of the bracelet itself. All of them can be switched with a short touch of the touch button. In addition to displaying the date/time/number of steps on the home screen, as well as the heart rate monitor mode, there are 4 workout mode options - running, cycling, swimming and breathing.

In the “Running” , the distance, number of steps and training time are recorded. “Bicycle” is almost the same. To use this mode more accurately, you need to wait for the GPS to connect, which may take up to 2-3 minutes. Although you can turn off GPS. Workouts are controlled by a long touch.

“Swimming” mode , unlike others, is controlled by double-knocking the bracelet body with a knuckle, since the sensor may not respond in water. Calories burned and time are displayed. As far as I understand, stroke counting, style recognition and other attributes of “professional” gadgets are absent here. In general, the training mode in the pool is more for show.

The last training mode in order is “Breathing” . A rather unusual mode, when activated, the device prompts the user to focus on deep inhalations and exhalations for a few minutes. The bracelet sets the pace and shows animated tips, and at the end evaluates the result on a 100-point scale. Such exercises are intended to relax and increase concentration.

To control the functions of the bracelet and synchronization, a special Huawei Wear (there is also a version for iOS). It is quite functional and at the same time understandable. The connection to the bracelet is performed directly from the application, I did not have any problems with this. Immediately after connecting, I updated the bracelet's firmware to the latest version.

On the main screen, brief statistics on physical activity are available (details can be found in the Health application, more on that below), and basic settings.

Among the connected options, it is worth noting the standard “Sleep Monitoring” using the patented TrueSleep and automatic heart rate monitoring, which keeps pulse statistics with periodic measurements throughout the day.

When you enable these functions, the application immediately warns you about the increase in battery consumption. Each function also includes practical tips on how to use them.

In Huawei Wear, you can also customize the notifications that you want to display on the bracelet, as well as hide unnecessary functions when you scroll through them on the bracelet.

The ideology of setting up multiple alarms is a little unclear. There is a separate item called “Smart alarm clock” with the ability to set a schedule, but the rest are not considered “smart”.

Huawei Health application is provided for monitoring fitness activity, sleep and heart rate . On the one hand, this is inconvenient, on the other hand, the application is capable of combining activity recorded by the bracelet and the smartphone itself, as well as other connected devices (for example, scales). The application interface is simple and clear, without any frills.

Sleep monitoring provides statistics for different periods, text information based on the results of recording, as well as general tips for improving “sleep quality.”

All information about heart rate recording is also viewed in the context of different periods.

A similar grouping is based on the number of steps. In this case, the statistics are divided into walking, running, and lifting. True, for some reason the application believes that I did not climb stairs at all, although in principle I do not use elevators.

In addition, the application contains a personal trainer who will help you choose a training regimen and give advice.

Both applications are made with high quality, and their interface is convenient and well thought out. On the one hand, dividing the functionality into two applications is somewhat inconvenient, but on the other hand, the logic of this step is clear: “Huawei Health” is an independent application that works both together with devices and independently.

The obvious downside for me is that you can only set one smart alarm.

How to connect Honor Band 4 to your phone

Open the Huawei Health app, turn on Bluetooth on your phone and follow these steps:

• add a device (plus in the upper corner of the screen);
• select “Smart Bracelet” from the list;
• select Honor Band 4 (if there is no such line, update the application by clicking the red line “Click here to update the list of devices” and restart the application if necessary);
• click the “Pair” button, accept the synchronization, agree to the location determination (if you want to receive information for your region).
• select a bracelet from the list, confirm pairing and click the “Done” button, confirm entry on the bracelet.

At the very beginning of the connection, the gadget may ask permission to connect to Chinese servers. We advise you to agree with this so that there are no problems during the update. If the application stubbornly refuses to show the Honor Band 4 in the list, you will have to tinker with the VPN connection. To do this, you will need to download the appropriate application and enable a VPN in it that is different from Russia (selected experimentally, starting with China or the countries closest to it). After this, you need to register in the Huawei Health application indicating your email (you can skip the phone number) and only after that do the update.

The question may arise about how to set up the Russian language in Honor Band 4. In the first connection process described above, the bracelet will automatically configure itself to the language installed in the phone. The problem can only arise if the phone is set to a language that is not supported by the bracelet. You can find out which languages ​​the application supports in the list of languages ​​in the Huawei Health description.

Bracelet in operation and autonomy

Huawei Band 2 Pro fitness bracelet based on my experience using this device for a month? Huawei has created a high-quality product that successfully performs its intended functions.

The accuracy of the heart rate monitor is at the level of competitors, i.e. not ideal, which can only be provided by professional chest sensors.

As for job stability, there are no complaints about it. No problems with connection or synchronization, all functions work without glitches. Wear resistance and security are also excellent. During the tests, I did not spare the bracelet - I wore it constantly, took it to acrobatics training, did not take it off when I took a shower and even bathed the cat. During all this time, the screen was not scratched, the metal inserts and strap retained their presentable appearance.

The battery, provided that energy-consuming functions such as constant heart rate monitoring and sleep monitoring were turned on, easily lasted for 2 weeks, while the charge remained in the region of 15-20%. The bracelet charges quickly - less than an hour to fully charge. In passive mode, the bracelet can last up to a month on a single battery charge.

Resetting and rebooting the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro fitness bracelet

Rebooting the Gear

If your Gear freezes, you need to turn the device off and then on again.

Force reboot

If your Gear is unresponsive, press and hold the Home key for more than 7 seconds to restart it.

Resetting the Gear

If the methods above do not resolve the issue, reset your device. On the Apps screen, tap Settings → About → Reset Gear . Before resetting your device, it is recommended that you back up any important data stored on your Gear.

Read in full: How to use the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro smart bracelet. Characteristics, troubleshooting…

Results

The Huawei Band 2 Pro fitness bracelet is, although not Pro in the full sense, but no longer amateur. What separates it from professional fitness devices is the lack of various advanced sensors (for example, a barometer), the ability to connect external sensors, the weak implementation of the swimming mode, and the accuracy of measurements. The device differs from amateur ones in the presence of a built-in GPS, heart rate monitor, as well as good implementation of monitoring functions for running and cycling workouts.

In addition, Huawei Band 2 Pro has good build quality and security. The bracelet is not scary to wear either to the pool or to any workout. It shouldn't be otherwise.

Separately, it is worth noting the software component. A clear and functional interface, easy setup, a personal trainer, and convenient statistics make the use of the bracelet complete.

Among the minuses, we can note the weak implementation of the swimming mode, the operation of the smart alarm clock is not always clear, and the low speed of GPS.

The price for Huawei Band 2 Pro in the official store today is 3,990 rubles. In my opinion, the price is justified for a quality device.

pros

• Good quality of materials and workmanship
• Reliable strap with a wide range of adjustment
• Availability of built-in GPS
• A good set of functions and the ability to customize their use
• Good stability, no synchronization problems

Minuses

• Separate applications for controlling the bracelet and monitoring physical activity
• The pedometer is not always accurate; in particular, it does not record the ascent of stairs
• The strange operation of the “smart” alarm clock
• Low GPS cold start speed

Notify & Fitness for Mi Band

QR Code

Notify for Mi Band Your privacy first

Developer: OneZeroBit

Price: Free

An application similar to Mi Fit, but with more functions and more stable operation. Among other things, there is an option for continuous heart rate monitoring, as well as a smart alarm clock that can wake up the user at the most opportune moment.

The program allows you to fully monitor your health status and create the right training plan in accordance with your body’s indicators. It is also possible to track calories consumed and burned.

A large number of different languages ​​are supported. Including Russian. The application can constantly monitor heart rate and, if something happens, sends a signal to the user’s phone.

It is possible to receive notifications about messages and calls on the smart bracelet screen. Integration with the popular WhatsApp messenger is also supported. But when using it, it is worth considering that the program uses up the gadget’s battery faster.

Advantages:

• A large number of interesting functions.
• Health monitoring.
• Continuous heart rate monitoring.
• Smart notification system.
• Integration with messages, calls and WhatsApp.
• Support for different languages.
• Smart alarm clock.
• Sleep phase monitoring.
• Track your calorie intake.
• Drawing up a training and nutrition plan.

Flaws:

• Consumes battery quickly.