When HONOR launched itself to the New Zealand market recently, I was surprised and excited to learn it wasn't just trying one or two handsets to see how they go. No, in addition to two fantastic HONOR phones, we also got the CHOICE Earbuds Clip, the Pad 10 tablet and the Watch 4.
This gave me a chance to do a deep dive into the HONOR ecosystem, experiencing how well some of these devices work together for the first time.
In saying that, there's nothing stopping you pairing the HONOR accessories with your existing phone, so if you're considering a new smartwatch for 2026, I'm here to give you my first-hand experience.
There's no escaping which other popular smartwatch the HONOR Watch 4 looks like, with its rectangular face and rounded corners and yet the HONOR option is priced hundreds of dollars cheaper.
The Watch 4 is available in Black or Gold and while the bands are technically swappable, I found sliding the little lug across to remove and replace them was a bit fiddly for my fat fingers and what's more, I haven't managed to discover any alternative straps for sale - not locally, anyway.
Not to worry, the Watch 4 is attractive enough in its default configuration. The aluminium alloy casing on my black review unit has a pleasing matte metallic finish and both the watch and its durable silicone rubber strap are light and very comfortable - essential if you're planning to wear it overnight for sleep tracking.
In fact, there's another feature that makes the Watch 4 a leading contender if sleep tracking is a priority; battery life. This is not a watch you need to put on the charger every night. Or every second night. Depending on how you use it, you might get a whole week on a full charge. HONOR claims up to 14 days on its website but I think you'd have to disable a lot of the real-time monitoring and run it in power-saving mode to do that. Still, compared to many other watches that barely make it through a full day, I'm very impressed to be able to sail through several days and nights in a row.
The proprietary magnetic charging cradle is included in the box and juices the Watch 4 up pretty speedily - assuming you've plugged it into a reasonably powerful wall charger.
Once charged, you'll need to have downloaded the HONOR Health app to pair and set up the watch and here's the really good news; you can do that on either Android or iOS devices - vary rare to find a smartwatch that'll happily talk to both.
I say "talk to" - but there are limitations. While the Watch 4 does a fast and reliable job of receiving messages and notifications from any or all apps on your phone, it's a one-way arrangement. You can't reply to texts, emails or other messages - not even with a pre-programmed quick reply or emoji.
You also won't receive so-called "rich" notifications. Certain apps, like home security monitors for example, often give you the option of a thumbnail snapshot when one of your cameras notifies you of any movement. The Watch 4 will definitely show you the notification, but not the picture.
Which is a shame because the 1.75-inch AMOLED display is quite excellent, bright and clear in all lighting conditions, even outside in the sun. When working out, you get a lot of information on screen, set out simply but effectively. On a walk or run, GPS locks on in seconds, then you'll be shown your duration, pace and distance and what workout zone you're in; aerobic, anaerobic, etc.
The HONOR Health app helps you set parameters for your workouts, like optimal heart-rate range. I've found the low heart-rate notifications really motivate me to keep my pace up when out walking.
Once your workout is complete, you'll see a basic summary on the Watch 4 but if you want more details, you'll have to refer to the HONOR Health app. Same deal for stats like sleep tracking. Sleep and heart-rate aside, the Watch 4 also watches for stress, blood oxygen level and breathing patterns. This in turn, enables HONOR Health to calculate things like your VO2 max and your Fitness Age. I felt obliged to mention that last one because right now I'm showing 6 years younger than I actually am. Not-very-humble brag.
While you can take bluetooth calls on the Watch 4, there's no option to set up an addon eSim so you can keep connected even if you're out of range of your handset, although GPS still works so you're welcome to leave your phone at home when you're out for a ride, walk or run.
The Watch 4's greatest limitation is its OS - there's no facility to download any apps onto the watch other than those which are already pre-installed. Obviously you have versions of the usual suspects; stopwatch, countdown timer, camera remote, compass etc... But if you thought you might be able to pay with Google Wallet using NFC, think again.
Funnily enough, the Watch 4's greatest strength is also its OS. You have access to over 300 different faces and widgets like the media controller work quickly and consistently.
It also has a 5ATM waterproof rating, so it's safe to swim with and will definitely survive the shower.
If you're new to the world of smartwatches, or you don't have the desire to answer your emails on a 1.75-inch screen and you just want the notifications, then you could do much, much worse than the HONOR Watch 4. It's a reliable, useful, comfortable watch with genuinely impressive battery life. I fact, I've found it hard to take off. Then again, with such a good battery, I don't have to do that very often anyway.
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