Amazfit Active vs Honor Watch 4: which fits your lifestyle?

When it comes to choosing the right smartwatch, a side-by-side comparison of the latest offerings can be incredibly insightful. The Amazfit Active and Honor Watch 4, launched in October 2023 and July 2023 respectively, represent two interesting options. The duo is tailored for individuals who are keen on fitness, health monitoring, and staying connected on the go. But how exactly do they stack up?

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

It’s worth noting, at the time of writing Honor Watch 4 is only available in its local market in China. But if predecessor devices are anything to go by, it should see an international release soon. On the other hand Amazfit Active has been available globally since its launch.

Key takeaways

The Amazfit Active and Honor Watch 4 both offer decent health tracking. The Amazfit Active is notable for its style and long battery life. The Honor Watch 4 brings the convenience of NFC and the promise of e-SIM connectivity, currently limited to China. Both are competitive options in the budget smartwatch market.

View on Honor, Zepp Health; View on Amazon (Amazfit Active).

Jump to

Hardware
Technical specs
Features
Bottom line

Amazfit Active vs Honor Watch 4: Hardware

Look & feel

Let’s start things off with the look and feel. The build of the Amazfit Active features a combination of aluminum alloy and plastic, with a special variant in Lavender Purple that includes stainless steel. This construction gives it a sleek, modern look while maintaining a lightweight profile. The Honor Watch 4, on the other hand, opts for a glass front, plastic back, and plastic frame, offering a design that is both stylish and durable. In some ways, you could even say it resembles the Apple Watch.

Size-wise, the Amazfit Active is slightly more compact, measuring 42.36 x 35.9 x 10.75 mm, which might appeal to those who prefer a smaller, more unobtrusive watch on their wrist. The Honor Watch 4 is a bit larger, with dimensions of 45.3 x 39.1 x 11.2 mm, catering to users who favor a more substantial presence on their wrist.

Both watches feature a single physical button, maintaining a minimalist and streamlined approach to design. This single-button design not only contributes to the sleek appearance but also simplifies the user interface, making navigation more intuitive.

Display, colour options, water resistance

The display is a crucial aspect of these smartwatches. Both the Amazfit Active and Honor Watch 4 boast AMOLED screens, known for their vibrant colors and deep blacks. They share the same resolution of 390 x 450 pixels, ensuring sharp and clear visuals. However, Honor watch has a higher refresh rate (60hz).

As far as the screen size – that is identical. At 1.75 inches it providing ample space for easy viewing of notifications, health data, and other functionalities. So no difference there.

The same applies to water resistance. The Amazfit Active offers a water resistance of 5 ATM, making it suitable for swimming and showering. The Honor Watch 4 matches this with its own 5 ATM rating, ensuring it can withstand similar conditions.

Color options add to the personalization aspect of these watches. The Amazfit Active is available in Midnight Black, Petal Pink, and Lavender Purple, offering a range of choices from classic to more playful hues. The Honor Watch 4, in contrast, comes in Obsidian Black, Morning Glow Gold, and Cloud Water Blue, providing options that blend elegance with a touch of modernity.

Sensor technology

Under the pretty exterior, the Amazfit Active is equipped with the BioTracker PPG for health monitoring, along with additional sensors like acceleration, geomagnetic, and temperature sensors. The Honor Watch 4 focuses on a slightly different set of sensors, including an accelerometer, gyro, heart rate monitor, and SpO2 sensor. All in all, not a huge difference.

For GPS connectivity, both smartwatches are well-equipped. The Amazfit Active supports multiple satellite positioning systems, including GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Qzss, and Beidou, ensuring accurate and reliable location tracking across different regions. The Honor Watch 4 also offers robust GPS connectivity with support for GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, and QZSS.

NFC (Near Field Communication) is an area where these two watches differ. The Amazfit Active does not include NFC functionality, which limits its use for contactless payments and other NFC-based interactions.

On the other hand, the Honor Watch 4 comes with NFC support, adding a layer of convenience for users who frequently engage in contactless transactions. Mind you, its questionable whether this will be available when it hits international availability. At the moment it works in the company’s local market in China. The same applies to its cellular ability.

Both devices are able to store music, allowing users to play their favorite tracks directly from the watch. This feature is particularly appealing to users who enjoy listening to music during workouts or while on the go, without the need to carry a separate device.

Battery life

The Amazfit Active impresses with up to 14 days of battery life under typical usage, which can be extended to 30 days in battery saver mode. Even under heavy usage, it can last up to 10 days. This extended battery life is a major advantage for users who prefer less frequent charging. Its largely a result of the lightweight ZeppOS 2.

The Honor Watch 4, meanwhile, offers a solid 10 days of battery life on a single charge with normal usage. This is facilitated by its 451mAh battery, which is quite large for a smartwatch. Although it doesn’t reach the maximum duration of the Amazfit Active, the Honor Watch 4 still provides a reliable battery life that meets the expectations for everyday smartwatch use.

Amazfit Active vs Honor Watch 4: Technical specs

Here’s a detailed tech specs comparison table for the Amazfit Active and Honor Watch 4:

Amazfit Active vs Honor Watch 4: Features

The Amazfit Active is a powerhouse for runners and athletes, offering advanced features like track run mode, smart trajectory correction, and virtual pacer, all underpinned by Zepp Coach functionality. This focus on detailed activity tracking is further enhanced with race achievement predictions and a broad array of 127 sports modes, catering to a wide range of physical activities. Additionally, the Amazfit Active’s support for route file import and real-time navigation, along with customizable training templates, makes it a versatile companion for structured training regimes.

Beyond that, you get solid health tracking features. Just like Honor Watch 4, Amazfit Active keeps tabs on heart rate and blood oxygen levels, along with a sleep and all the other essential health data.

As far as Honor Watch 4, it also positions itself as a robust fitness tracker with support for an impressive 97 different sports. This extensive range ensures that almost any workout, from indoor cycling to outdoor running, is accurately tracked and analyzed.

Smartwatch-type features

When it comes to smartwatch-type features, both devices showcase their capabilities beyond health and fitness. As mentioned, the Amazfit Active and Honor Watch 4 have built-in storage for music, allowing users to store and play their favourite tracks directly from the watch.

The Amazfit Active operates on ZeppOS 2, known for its user-friendly interface and efficient performance, enhancing the watch’s functionality and app compatibility. In contrast, the Honor Watch 4 runs on MagicOS 7.2, which provides a unique user experience tailored to Honor’s ecosystem.

Also, the Honor Watch 4 stands out with its e-SIM connectivity. This enables users to make calls directly from the watch, enhancing its convenience and usability. As of now, the Honor Watch 4 has been launched only in China, and it remains to be seen how and if its e-SIM functionality will operate internationally.

Amazfit Active vs Honor Watch 4: Price

The Amazfit Active is priced at $150, a value that reflects its range of health and fitness features, alongside its music storage capability and comprehensive sensor array. On the other hand, the Honor Watch 4, with its e-SIM connectivity and robust fitness tracking features, is priced slightly lower at around $130. But that’s in China. We are yet to learn what its selling price will be in the international markets.

Amazfit Active vs Honor Watch 4: Final thoughts

In wrapping up, the Amazfit Active and Honor Watch 4 both offer robust health tracking features, catering well to a broad user base. The Amazfit Active, with its sleek design and extended battery life, is particularly appealing for those who value a blend of style and endurance.

The Honor Watch 4 differentiates itself with its stylish design and the inclusion of NFC, adding a layer of convenience for contactless interactions. While its e-SIM feature is currently limited to China, it indicates the watch’s potential for enhanced connectivity. Ultimately, both watches provide a solid combination of health tracking and practical features, making them competitive choices in the budget smartwatch space.

View on Honor, Zepp Health; View on Amazon (Amazfit Active).

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