Honor drops sleek Watch X5 with always-on display and mini games
Honor has officially unveiled the Watch X5, a feature-rich smartwatch that lands at an aggressive 449 yuan price point in China, or about $60. It launched on November 25 alongside the new Honor 500 smartphone lineup.
Display and build feel familiar but polished
The Watch X5 is built around a 1.97-inch AMOLED display with 390 by 450 pixel resolution. That works out to a 302 PPI density, which should deliver sharp visuals. It supports Always-On mode and lift-to-wake, which helps it behave more like a traditional watch during daily use.
The touch-screen is surrounded by very slim 1.8mm bezels and curves gently with 2.5D glass. It sits inside a lightweight aluminum alloy body paired with a plastic rear shell. At 29 grams without the strap and 9.99mm thick at its slimmest point, this isn’t the thinnest or lightest on the market, but it should feel comfortable enough for 24/7 wear. The rotating stainless steel crown offers another way to navigate, something still missing on many budget-tier watches.
Packed with fitness modes and voice guidance
Fitness and sports tracking are where the Watch X5 tries to justify its existence. It supports over 120 workout types, from common activities to more niche sessions. There’s route recording, voice-based exercise feedback and even professional stretching instructions built in.
For sensor support, Honor includes a heart-rate PPG, barometer, compass, geomagnetic sensor, gyroscope and accelerometer. That gives it enough data points to offer decent tracking for most users, even if it’s unlikely to compete with high-end wearables on accuracy.
Water resistance is rated at 5ATM, and the device also carries an IP68 certification. That means pool swimming is on the menu, and you will not need to worry about everyday splashes or brief submersion.
Health tracking covers the basics
The health suite includes continuous heart rate and SpO2 tracking, along with stress and sleep monitoring. There’s a one-tap health checkup feature that compiles several readings at once, plus support for female cycle tracking.
All of this syncs to the Honor Health app, which has been slowly improving over the past year. It still lags behind bigger platforms in terms of advanced metrics or coaching, but it works well enough for those mostly interested in the basics.
The Watch X5 also packss full five-system GNSS support. That means it can connect to GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, GALILEO and QZSS, which should improve location accuracy.
Honor includes several side features aimed at lifestyle use. There’s remote camera control, SOS alerts, music playback support and even mini games. Bluetooth 5.3 provides a reliable connection for phone syncing and on-wrist calling, while NFC is included for door access and offline payments, depending on regional support. This is a solid showing for a watch at this price point.
Honor says the Watch X5 can last up to 14 days with regular use. That drops to around 5 days with Always-On Display enabled. These numbers are in line with similar devices in the category. Charging is handled via a magnetic pogo-pin connector, which remains the norm in this price tier.
A good value option in the budget segment
At 449 yuan, the Watch X5 undercuts most of its direct rivals while offering a surprisingly broad set of features. It does not bring anything particularly new to the table, but the combination of AMOLED display, long battery life, voice feedback and five-system GPS makes it hard to ignore for the price.
Global availability has not yet been announced, but if Honor decides to release it outside China, it could make a nice for itself in the sub-$100 category.
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