HONOR Watch X5 Debuts With 120 Sports Modes and Long Battery Life

HONOR has a new watch out in China, the Watch X5, and it honestly slipped out with less fanfare than I expected. I took a closer look at the specs and, while nothing screams “revolution,” there are a few things worth mentioning. The display is the first one: a 1.97-inch AMOLED panel that actually looks bigger than the numbers suggest. Very thin bezels too — HONOR claims 1.8 mm, though depending on the angle it looks a bit more or less. The usual stuff is there: Raise to Wake, Always-On Display, and a random assortment of watch faces that range from serious to playful.

The case is aluminum and extremely light. About 29 grams without the strap, which is practically nothing. The thickness is just under 10 mm at the slim point, and the watch has only one side button that tries to do everything (press, long press, rotate). It’s fine, nothing special. The silicone strap is soft and doesn’t stick to the skin, and you can swap it out easily with the little quick-release tabs.

Battery life is always the big claim with budget watches, and HONOR is saying around 14 days. Maybe. Depends how you use it, obviously. With the always-on screen, they say about five days, which sounds more realistic.

As for fitness, HONOR packed in 120 sports modes, which feels like overkill but people seem to like seeing big numbers. It’s water-resistant — 5ATM plus IP68 — so you can swim lightly or just ignore it in the rain. No issues there. The watch also has a barometer, compass, and its own GPS chip, meaning you can leave your phone at home if you want a simple run with route tracking.

The software side adds a few “AI-guided” bits. One is an AI fat-reduction plan (HONOR loves that wording), and then you get guided stretches, voice prompts, and some post-workout recovery tips. Standard health tracking is included: heart rate, sleep, stress, women’s health, and a single-tap health scan that checks a few things at once.

Connectivity is pretty complete: Bluetooth calling, NFC for transit cards in supported countries, remote shutter, SOS shortcut, and some tiny built-in apps you’ll probably open once and forget. Still, nice to have.

In China, the Watch X5 costs 449 yuan, which is roughly $63. Two colors: Moonlight White and Phantom Black.