Honor MagicWatch 2: Difficult to give more for less (Analysis)

Honor it is the equivalent of the good, beautiful and cheap that Huawei has for all markets. This is how many Honor devices end up laying a chair on the foundations of the Asian firm, especially in a market like Spain where price is one of the most determining factors.

For this reason, Honor has wanted to take advantage of the pull of a market like that of wearables and surprises us with the second edition of the MagicWatch. We have the new Honor MagicWatch 2 on our wrists and we show you the in-depth analysis that we have prepared for you, are you going to miss it?

We recommend that you go through the video of the analysis that we have left you at the top where you can see the unboxing of this device, as well as a quick configuration and our experience using the Honor MagicWatch 2, we will answer any questions through our YouTube channel, and if you take the opportunity to subscribe, you will be helping our community grow. If on the contrary you are already decided, you can BUY HERE the new Honor MagicWatch 2 at the best price.

Design: A simple but useful keepsake

We start as always with him design, where we quickly come across the memory of its older brother, the Huawei Watch GT 2, however, with the simplicity and comfort of a compact model.

We have tested the 42mm version of this Honor MagicWatch 2 in black, and we also took the opportunity to test the special edition of straps, especially the Ficus model from Honor's collaboration with Giovanni Ozzola, which we found quite comfortable. The watch, as we have said, offers a 42mm dial with measurements of 41,8 x 41,8 for a weight of approximately 29 grams without the strap, which does not make it a particularly light smartwatch. The device in general is well finished and the buttons have a good travel.

Technical characteristics

This Honor MagicWatch 2 mounts the processor manufactured by the primary brand itself, the Huawei Kirin A1. It also has wireless technology Bluetooth 5.1 BLE / BR / EDR as well as it has an integrated GPS, GLONASS and Galileo system. Definitely this MagicWatch 2 lacks almost nothing to be considered a complete SmartWatch in practically every way, and this is one of the main assets that Honor puts in the MagicWatch 2, that few offer so many features at a relatively low price, it's hard to compete against that. However, we continue with the hardware list.

We do not lack sensors either: Accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, optical sensor for heart rate measurement, ambient light measurement and barometer. All this will help us to take better measurements not only of our state of health, but also of our performance in terms of physical exercise, and this is one of the main reasons why most users end up opting for this type of watches, more efficiently and accurately monitor our results in the exercise, something that, as you will see later, this MagicWatch 2 does quite well within the features it offers.

Display and general operation

We have a spherical design, totally round that mounts a panel 1,20-inch AMOLED, it's not small, but it does differ somewhat with the 1,39 inches of its older brother. The screen looks pretty good across the board, we didn't find any odd shading or aberrations despite its design.

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We have enough outdoor brightness and also we have an "always on" option which basically shows the time at all times, although I personally prefer the screen to turn off if not in use. In this regard, the watch offers a very good performance.

The operation of the user interface is intuitive, despite using our own operating system we did not find any speed problems or miss practically anything. The poor results that Wear OS (Android) has provided has made brands like Honor bet on their own operating system and the result has been satisfactory. 

We move easily with intuitive gestures and we only have two physical buttons on the right side that will help us to turn off the clock and interact with the rest of the functionalities. LiteOS, watch operating system, comply.

Sport and health as central points

We meet the need for install the app Huawei Health, that will be in charge of collecting and ordering the data obtained by the clock, the best point of reference. It is available for both Android as for iOS, but unfortunately in iOS we will lose many of its most interesting functions: Install custom spheres, activate performance tests ... etc.

And it is that the application is the one that will allow us to personalize the watch until exhaustion with a multitude of functionalities and spheres, the most attractive of the product. We will be able essentially monitor six types of data: steps, exercise, heart rate, sleep, weight and stress. 

Obtaining data from these branches, the application will offer us graphs and even tips to improve our health and our performance. However, I insist again, I think its use on Android is more recommended.

Autonomy and user experience

As with the model from which it is inspired, this Honor MagicWatch 2 offers very good autonomy. The company offers up to 7 days of use with heart rate monitoring activated. In my tests I have been able to reach six days without messing up my hair. 

It is important to emphasize the Charging system using a base with two metal pins is quite comfortable. Charging it fully will take us about an hour based on my tests.

Definitely focusing on the Android market, this Honor MagicWatch 2 (42mm) has been a good option to stand up to other brands, remembering that a good wearable can be made at an interesting price without losing other capabilities. A humble cure considering features such as wireless music playback (it has 4GB of storage) and its curious battery for less than two hundred euros. You can currently purchase it on the official Honor website from 139,90 euros (LINK) or on Amazon for 159,99 euros (LINK)