Marathon battery life in a sleek titanium package

What’s the best way to get weeks of battery life out of a smartwatch? Use a platform that is not Wear OS. And that’s exactly what HONOR is doing with its watches, including the Watch 5 Ultra. This watch is essentially the same size as the OnePlus Watch 3, with about a 33% smaller battery and around the same battery life (if you compare to OnePlus’s battery saver mode). That’s 15 days of usage on a single charge. And how is that possible? By removing a lot of the extra features that Wear OS includes and using your own operating system.

The HONOR Watch 5 Ultra really caught my eye for two reasons. First is the battery life; up to 15 days is pretty incredible. Even my Garmin vivoactive 5 can’t last that long. Secondly, it works on both iOS and Android. As someone who tends to use both platforms (currently carrying an iPhone 16 Pro and OPPO Find N5) this is particularly appealing to me.

We have to preface this review by saying that we don’t have pricing at the time of writing this review. So, the price is not factored in at all. There is also no direct predecessor to the Watch 5 Ultra, as there was no Watch 4 Ultra. However, there was a Watch 4 Pro, which was available for under $300. So we’d expect something similar for the Watch 5 Ultra.

HONOR Watch 5 Ultra Review: Hardware and Design

HONOR is using a titanium alloy middle frame with a ceramic-like back cover on the Watch 5 Ultra, which gives it a premium look, without it feeling very heavy. Keep in mind that this is a 46mm watch, so it’s not small by any means, with a weight of 51.8g without the strap. It surprisingly feels very light compared to the OnePlus Watch 3, which is actually lighter than the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra.

I really like the dome octagonal design on the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra; it looks really nice, and HONOR is also using suspended Sapphire Crystal on the display, which should keep it from getting any scratches. Most smartwatches these days do have Sapphire Crystal displays, including the Galaxy Watch 7, Apple Watch Ultra, and the OnePlus Watch 3.

On the right side of the watch, you’ll find the rotating crown, which actually work for scrolling through things like the app list. There’s also a secondary button on the lower side of the right of the watch. From the home screen, this works as a shortcut to workouts. And there’s nothing on the left. Unless, of course, you change the orientation of the watch on your wrist.

The backside of the watch is where you’l find all of the sensors that are used for things like the Quick Health Scan, Health Monitoring Report, and All-Day Health Tracking. It can also automatically detect over 100 different sports modes, including a free diving mode.

HONOR offers the Watch 5 Ultra in a black or brown color option. The colors correspond to the band. So I have the brown one which has the leather strap, and a silver watch face. The black option is a Fluoroelastomer strap with a black face. The leather band is really sharp-looking, and I kind of want to put it on my OnePlus Watch 3. The Watch 5 Ultra can use any standard 22mm watch strap.

It’s a stunning watch, and given the battery life here, it also makes this a really great option for those who don’t need a ton of features that a Wear OS watch might provide.

HONOR Watch 5 Ultra Review: Performance

HONOR keeps the processor details of the Watch 5 Ultra under wraps, though the company hasn’t made this a selling point in their marketing. What we do know is that the watch comes with 8GB of ROM, which might seem limited compared to Wear OS alternatives that often offer 16GB or more. However, this isn’t necessarily a drawback since the Watch 5 Ultra runs on HONOR’s proprietary operating system rather than Google’s more resource-intensive Wear OS platform.

The watch is equipped with modern connectivity options, including Bluetooth 5.2 for stable smartphone pairing and comprehensive GPS support for accurate route tracking during outdoor activities. This combination provides all the essential connections you’d expect from a fitness-focused smartwatch.

In daily use, the Watch 5 Ultra’s performance stands out as remarkably fluid. Apps launch quickly, menu navigation feels snappy, and there’s no noticeable lag when swiping between screens or accessing different features. The watch maintains this responsive performance even when running multiple features simultaneously, such as GPS tracking with heart rate monitoring.

The 8GB storage limitation becomes most apparent for users who want to store large music libraries directly on the watch for phone-free workouts. While you can certainly load some playlists, you won’t have the capacity to carry thousands of songs like you might with some premium competitors. That said, most users who primarily stream music or carry their phones during workouts will find the storage perfectly adequate for the watch’s core functions and fitness data.

Despite not knowing the exact chipset powering the device, the end result is what matters – and the Watch 5 Ultra delivers performance that feels premium regardless of price point.

HONOR Watch 5 Ultra Review: Display

HONOR has outfitted the Watch 5 Ultra with a stunning 1.5-inch AMOLED display, with an Always-on Display mode. This display is simply stunning to look at. And since it’s AMOLED, the blacks are actually black versus being dark gray. It also allows the watch to conserve energy versus and LCD panel. The display is crazy sharp with 310 pixels per inch thanks to the 466×466 resolution here.

When it comes to wearables, I don’t talk about the display all that much, because it’s not like I’m watching content on my wrist. It’s mostly being used to display information, like notifications, the weather, the time, or my steps. So as long as it is readable outdoors, I’m happy. And that’s the case here. HONOR has not shared the peak brightness for the Watch 5 Ultra, but it does get very bright. Outdoors in direct sunlight, I’ve had no problems reading the display.

HONOR Watch 5 Ultra Review: Battery life and Charging

We’ve already talked a bit about how good the battery life is rated here, HONOR claims 15 days. And I have to say, that is pretty accurate. I’ve been wearing this watch for about 10 days before writing this review, and I have yet to charge it. In fact, the watch is only down to 34% right now. Which does put it on par for 15 days, and that’s with the AOD on. So if you really wanted to, you could push this past 20 days, with ease.

For charging, HONOR does use a magnetic wireless charger, versus the pogo pins that OnePlus and Google use with their watches to keep it on the charger. And since I haven’t been able to fully kill this watch, it’s hard to say how fast the charging is. But it does seem pretty fast, likely within an hour for a full charge. Keep in mind that this is only a 480mAh capacity battery inside.

However, the fact that I can travel with this watch and not worry about bringing the charger with me, is a huge deal. Heading to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, I did not even bring the charger for the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra, as I’m very confident it will not need to be charged during my 6-day trip.

HONOR Watch 5 Ultra Review: Software and Fitness Tracking

The software on the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra is pretty basic. This is more of a fitness watch, versus a smartwatch. It is running on MagicOS 7.2, which is HONOR’s own software. So with that, you’re missing a lot of features that you’d expect from a Wear OS smartwatch, like Google Assistant and Google Pay. However, if you don’t need those features, then this is a perfectly fine smartwatch.

It does have the basics like music playback, the weather, alarms, notifications for many apps, and much more.

Of course, with this watch, fitness is a big part of it. And one of the features that HONOR is touting is the Quick Health Scan, this allows users to get a comprehensive overview of their health, including ECG readings, at any time. There is a morning report showing you a summary of the previous day’s health data to help start your day. This is possible thanks to the 24/7 heart rate monitoring, 24/7 blood oxygen monitoring and the scientific sleep tracking on Watch 5 Ultra. If you’re like me, and are looking to take control of your health and get into better shape, then this is a great watch to pick up and use.

HONOR does also do all of the basic health tracking here, including tracking your sleep, steps, calories burned, workouts and much more. It is also able to track over 100 different activities. It does appear to do a pretty good job of sleep tracking. I wore this to bed along with my Ringconn Gen 2 Air smart ring, and both had very similar results. It was about as close to the Ringconn Gen 2 Air, as other smartwatches I’ve also worn to bed. The ring typically has a bit more accurate data, perhaps because it’s tighter around my finger versus the watch around my wrist.

Should you buy the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra?

As mentioned already, HONOR did not provide us with the pricing for the Watch 5 Ultra ahead of the launch, so writing this review, we have no clue how much it will cost. However, with the Watch 4 Pro costing around $300, we do expect it to cost about that much. And for that price, you could honestly get a higher-end watch, like the OnePlus Watch 3 or the Galaxy Watch 7. However, those do have shorter battery life, but also far more features like Google Pay and Samsung Pay. So it’s not quite a fair comparison but it is something to think about here.

As a fitness watch, this is a really good option. It looks great, has great battery life, and does a great job with fitness tracking, and sleep tracking.