HONOR Watch X5 Play at Rs 7,999: What Rs 3,000 More Buys
HONOR has launched the Watch X5 Play in Nepal at an official price of Rs 7,999, placing it among the cheapest Bluetooth-calling smartwatches you can buy from an authorized brand store here. It arrived just a few months after the Watch X5i, and HONOR is clearly going after first-time smartwatch buyers. But the spec sheet comes with real trade-offs, and one rival in particular makes the decision harder than the price tag suggests. Here is what to know before you pay, with prices current as of October 19, 2026.
What you get for Rs 7,999
The X5 Play is built around a 2.01-inch TFT LCD touchscreen (320 x 385 pixels) with a 60Hz refresh rate and up to 550 nits of brightness. The body is 10.5mm thick and weighs about 26 grams without the strap, so it sits light on the wrist, and the IP68 rating covers dust and everyday water exposure.
The headline numbers for most buyers will be these:
- 450mAh battery that HONOR rates at up to 18 days under typical usage
- Bluetooth calling over Bluetooth 6.0, so you can take calls from the wrist with your phone nearby
- 109+ sports modes covering walking, running, cycling and indoor workouts
- 24-hour heart rate, SpO2, stress and sleep tracking through the HONOR Health app
For a watch at this price, the battery claim and calling support are the main reasons to look at it. Charging every two or three days is the norm on Wear OS watches; an RTOS watch like this one trades smart features for weeks between charges.
What the X5 Play skips
The compromises are just as clear, and worth knowing before the price wins you over:
- LCD, not AMOLED. The 550-nit TFT panel is serviceable indoors but will look washed out in harsh midday sun, and there is no Always-On Display, so the screen stays dark until you raise your wrist.
- RTOS, no third-party apps. You cannot install apps or reply to messages with a keyboard. This is a notification-and-fitness device.
- Basic sensor set. An accelerometer and an optical heart rate sensor run the tracking. There is no GPS chip, so outdoor runs map through your phone.
- Pin-and-hole strap. Familiar, but slower to swap than quick-release straps.
None of these are deal-breakers at Rs 7,999. They are just the honest list of what the money does not buy.
The Rs 10,999 question: Redmi Watch 6 Active
The awkward rival is Xiaomi's Redmi Watch 6 Active, official in Nepal since August at Rs 10,999. For exactly Rs 3,000 more, it answers the X5 Play's biggest weakness directly: a 1.85-inch AMOLED panel with up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness and Always-On support, plus a 470mAh battery rated at up to 18 days of light use (12 days with normal use) and the same Bluetooth calling and IP68 rating.
So the comparison is unusually clean. Same battery class, same calling, same water resistance. The Rs 3,000 difference buys you the AMOLED screen, much better outdoor visibility, and an always-on watch face. Nepali reviewers have already pointed out that the X5 Play does not give buyers a strong reason to pick it over established rivals at this end of the market.
Which one makes sense for you
Pick the Watch X5 Play if the budget is a hard ceiling, you mostly check notifications and track walks or gym sessions, and you want the longest stretch between charges for the least money. At Rs 7,999 from authorized HONOR stores, it does that job.
Stretch to the Redmi Watch 6 Active if you will actually look at the screen outdoors, care about how the watch looks on your wrist, or want an always-on display. AMOLED is the one upgrade you notice every single time you glance down.
Either way, buy from an authorized seller so the warranty is valid, and check the seal and bill before leaving the counter.
A small note on pairing: a budget watch usually ends up paired with budget earbuds for those Bluetooth calls. We do not stock smartwatches at NikoDeal yet, but you can browse our audio range, including the HONOR CHOICE Earbuds X7e Active, or check our phone catalog if the watch purchase is part of a bigger upgrade.
The bottom line
The HONOR Watch X5 Play is a sensible, no-surprises budget smartwatch: 18-day battery claim, calling, IP68, and health basics at Rs 7,999. Just know what the price skips, and try the Redmi Watch 6 Active's AMOLED screen in person before deciding. That Rs 3,000 gap is smaller than it looks on a spec sheet and bigger than it sounds on your wrist.