Honor is preparing to launch a new fitness tracker and smartwatch, which are likely to be stiff competition for the likes of Xiaomi and Amazfit as the market for cheap yet powerful wearables gets ever more competitive.
Indian site 91mobiles spotted references to the two devices in new documents registered with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – the organization the regulates wireless communications in the US. Any device that transmits data wirelessly must be registered with the FCC before it can be sold in the United States, and while the finer details are often redacted, it can be a good source of early info.
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So far, we know that the watch (referred to in the documentation as Honor SmartWatch HES-B39) will have a 180mAh rechargeable battery (the same as the Honor Band 6) while the fitness tracker (codenamed Honor Smart Band CRS-B39S) will use a modest 100mAh battery, like the Honor Band 5.
Beyond that, details are scant, but it's possible to make some informed guesses at what the two devices could be.
Cheap and cheerful
Honor's latest fitness tracker, the Honor Band 6, was launched globally at CES 2021, so it's unlikely that it would only just be registered with the FCC. The battery capacities for the two devices don't match either.
Indeed, the fact that it only has a 100mAh battery means it would be a step down from the Band 6. That be a strange choice for the next device in line, and suggests it could be part of a different range entirely – and perhaps even more affordable.
The smartwatch could be a successor to the Honor Watch Magic 2, which was released in December 2019 and is due an update. When we reviewed the Watch Magic 2, we were impressed by its sports tracking features, but felt it could use more in the way of everyday tools (such as the ability to make contactless payments, receive calls, and download a wide range of third-party apps).
Whatever features the two devices bring, we can be confident that they'll be among the cheapest wearables on the market. We'll bring you more details as soon as they emerge, as well as full reviews once the watch and activity band are released.
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