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Verdict
Compared to most fitness trackers, the Honor Band 5 Sport feels basic, and lacks key features of the Honor Band 5, such as heart rate tracking. Its lack of GPS means it’s never going to satisfy running enthusiasts on its own, and its tiny screen means it can’t replicate a smartwatch.
However, the level of detail it gives you in footwear mode, right down to measuring the angle of your foot strikes, is impressive. It doesn’t always get the tracking right, but we’re pleased to see Honor go all-out in one direction.
Budget fitness trackers - the good ones, at least - are almost all much the same: they do everything reasonably well. The Honor Band 5 Sport, then, is at least different.
Who's this for?
Running or basketball enthusiasts. Just bear in mind that if you’re a runner, you’ll probably need to use it alongside another device that measures heart rate, and preferably one that has GPS too (unless you run with your phone, of course).
Should you buy it?
If you're an avid runner or basketball player then for what little this costs it's well worth considering. Even if you have another fitness tracker as well, the Honor Band 5 Sport could make for a strong secondary/specialist one. If you're not much into running or basketball though then there's really nothing here to recommend.
Competition
The Honor Band 5 Sport is entering a crowded field. Strong alternatives include the following:
Honor Band 5
The standard Honor Band 5 is unsurprisingly the Sport's closest competition. The Sport version is better for running and basketball, but the original is better for almost everything else.
Read our full Honor Band 5 review
Xiaomi Mi Band 4
Much like the standard Honor Band 5, Xiaomi’s budget fitness tracker is a cheap jack-of-all-trades. It has a great screen, long battery life, and tracks your activity as well as anything in this price bracket. It's a much better all-rounder then than the Honor Band 5 Sport, but less good for the two things the Sport does well.
Read our full Xiaomi Mi Band 4 review
Samsung Galaxy Fit e
Perhaps the most stylish of the budget fitness trackers, the Fit e - terrible name, by the way - is let down by variable battery life and limited availability. That said, it offers accurate activity tracking and it's comfortable to wear. As with most other fitness bands though it's a less specialist device than the Honor Band 5 Sport.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Fit e review
First reviewed: February 2020
