Huawei fitness tracker watch. Huawei Band 7 review

The Huawei Band 7 makes a play for the budget-conscious fitness tracker wearer, with a device that’s both affordable and packed full of features

Live Science Verdict

An excellent, affordable tracker that’s easy to use for cardio or weightlifting workouts.

Pros

• Low price point
• AMOLED display is great
• Impressive tracking and sensor selection

Cons

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The Huawei Band 7 looks to be the company’s direct competitor to the likes of the Fitbit Inspire 2, and packs a lot of tech into a very small, and very affordable product.

It’s one of the best fitness trackers around right now, thanks to a combination of factors that belie its £49.99/59.99 price tag (availability in the U.S. is through third-party sellers). It’s thin and light, but offers a bright, colorful OLED display that other cheaper bands simply cannot match. It’s easy to read, presents metrics in a pleasing way, and just feels more useful in direct sunlight than other options.

There are drawbacks, of course — there’s no GPS, and because it piggybacks off of iOS and Android, it doesn’t have any third-party app connections. There’s also no way to store music on the device for listening to playlists while working out.

And yet, if you don’t mind carrying your phone with you on a run or to the gym, the Huawei Band 7 may just knock the Fit Inspire 2 off of its perch for anyone looking for a fitness tracker that won’t cost a lot, but doesn’t sacrifice features.

Price and release date

The Huawei Band 7 launched in May 2022 and is available at £49.99 or AUS159. Sadly, availability is limited in the U.S., but we’ve seen some sellers offer it for 59.99.

Design and display

The Huawei Band 7 is available in Graphite Black, Nebula Pink, Flame Red, or Wilderness Green (our review unit is the latter).

Its design is a little squarer than the Fitbit Inspire 2, with a more rectangular face that incorporates some slimline bezels that are subtly hidden by the predominantly black display. And what a display it is too, with an AMOLED making colors ‘pop’ in every facet of the UI and the blacks remaining deep throughout.

There are a series of watch faces available, with each able to be tweaked in small ways. It’s not quite the same as you’d find on something like an Apple Watch, but we found ourselves swapping faces depending on the occasion.

Straps are swappable, with the device itself weighing just 16g without them. Unlike the Inspire 2’s capacitive ‘button’, the Huawei Band 7 offers a physical button which we preferred for being more reliable — particularly with sweaty hands. Still, it’s worth remembering that this could theoretically increase the chances of getting sweat inside the device and therefore limit its long-time usability.

Features

To begin with the bad news, the Huawei Band 7 lacks any GPS functionality. This is a shame, and perhaps not too unexpected given the price point, but that does mean it’ll lean on a connected smartphone to do all of the heavy lifting with regard to location. Still, if you prefer to go for a run and take your phone with you anyway, it’ll be no biggie.

This would also be good because there’s no onboard storage for queuing songs or podcasts for your workout. It’s something even Fitbit has shied away from in recent years, so again, it’s not that surprising.

What is surprising, in a good way, is the number of sensors on offer here. There’s an accelerometer and gyroscope, but there’s also what Huawei refers to as TruSeen 4.0. The two-pronged tech assesses blood oxygen and heart rate at the same time, and the two run constantly if you choose – meaning no stopping to take an Sp02 reading. Considering blood oxygen tracking was only introduced to Apple Watch Series 6, which costs considerably more, its presence here is a huge boon for the Huawei Band 7.

The Band 7 also does a great job with sleep tracking, with TruSleep 2.0 helping track duration and sleep states in more detail than you’d expect for such a cheap tracker.

Everything is presented nicely on the Huawei Fit app, which works almost entirely the same as Fitbit’s — it’s a dashboard that users can dive deeper into with a tap.

Performance

Throughout testing, we ran the Huawei Band 7 on one wrist with an Apple Watch Series 7 on the other in order to check the step tracking. Across the board, from running to walking, from a pool swim to a cycle, the Band 7 didn’t skip a beat and matched the internal GPS of the Apple Watch while piggybacking off the iPhone’s GPS.

In fact, the only issue was the number of workout types available — your cardio staples are covered, as well as the option to tweak them further and create your own, but we’d have liked more options. If you’re a dancer, into combat sports, or something else that’s not covered here, you may be a little disappointed.

One area that exceeds expectation is the Huawei Band 7’s battery life. The Band 7 will last for an incredible two weeks, meaning it’s ideal for extreme workouts over the course of longer periods. Charging can be fiddly, though, and lacks the ease of the Fitbit range’s magnetic connectors.

Verdict

For a fitness tracker newcomer, the Huawei Band 7 is an easy purchase. It lacks the more guided workouts of the Fitbit and the powerful third-party connections of something like an Apple Watch, but if you want to track your steps, find out how far you can run, walk, or cycle, and track your heart rate or blood oxygen level without needing to charge for two weeks, it’s ideal.

If this isn’t for you

For more features (and a color screen), the Luxe offers the next step up in the Fitbit range, while the Versa 3 adds more sensors and expands more into smartwatch territory.

We’re hesitant to suggest the Apple Watch given that the Series 3 seems primed for the chop soon and there’s nothing Apple makes for iOS users at this price range, either.

Beat this: Heart rate monitoring can’t save the Huawei Fit

Fitness bands are the winning wearable at the moment, with smartwatches stalled while we all wait for Android Wear 2.0, better looking models, and ultimately, a real reason to buy one. Among fitness wearables, it’s either Fitbit and its expensive bands or cheap bands like those from Xiaomi that people are buying. Further confusion comes when you look at Fossil’s excellent range of hybrid smartwatches, which represent a strong reason to splash out on something more attractive than a Fitbit.

With all this in mind, we’ve been wearing the Huawei Fit, a 130 activity tracker that also has a selection of basic smartwatch-style features. It’s more Fitbit than Fossil, and four times the price of a Xiaomi Mi Band 2 — so is it worth strapping on your wrist?

Design and comfort

The Huawei Fit looks quite a lot like the Huawei Band, which was released at the beginning of 2016, and also quite a lot like the Honor Band Z1, which is basically the same as the Band. It has a circular, subtle, 1-inch screen with a 208 × 208 pixel resolution, surrounded by a bezel engraved with hour markings. Oversize bezels are rarely heaped with praise — shudder as we remind you of the Pebble Time Round — but here it’s rather attractive, and catches the light pleasingly.

Yes, there’s a lot of swiping, and no, that’s not always a bad thing, but the Fit needs a little care to make sure those swipes register, and its slight lack of responsiveness can be frustrating. I found this especially annoying when using it on the move, something you may want to do often, seeing as it tracks running, walking, and cycling. than once I gave up trying to get a heart rate reading while on the treadmill, because I just couldn’t get the screen to react. You can set it to move through menus with a wrist flick, but I could only get the menus to move in one direction, and it always stops at the heart rate measurement screen, which made it pointless if you wanted another option.

It’s unfortunate, because the Fit is a very good workout buddy. The heart rate measurement matched the Apple Watch to within a few beats each time, and will take a reading every so often, ensuring you get a great overview. This is illustrated in the app itself, or on the watch’s screen, and is an important metric for serious fitness types. It’s one of the Fit’s winning features, and we’re pleased to see the active measuring doesn’t drastically reduce battery life. When compared to a Fitbit Charge, step count was always consistent between them.

Ideally, the Fit wants you to start a workout plan on the watch before you actually start moving about. Get that done, and you have a live timer, step count, and heart rate measurement on your wrist; and it’s very useful. Flick your wrist and the display illuminates, then swipe the screen (if you can) to get more data including calories burned and total time. We have no complaints about the Fit once it’s going, but getting there isn’t as slick as we’d want.

Ultimately, the Fit is simply overcomplicated. It doesn’t need a touchscreen, it doesn’t need so many options and menus, and it definitely doesn’t need notifications, which look messy and confusing. Strip the Fit back to basics, keep the design, and it would be a far better fitness tracker.

App

The Huawei Wear app works with both Android and iOS, and you’ll need to sign up for a Huawei account to get started, regardless of the device you use. The app remained stable, without any problems on either operating system, throughout our time with the Fit. It’s easy to use, and informative up to a point.

The app’s main screen displays daily steps, the previous workout, sleep, and any active training plans, and a tap brings up graphs, historical data, and more information. Data can be shared and imported from HealthKit on iOS or Google Fit on Android, plus MyFitnessPal. There’s also a heart rate tracking screen, building a complete picture of your heart activity over the day, week, month, and eventually the year. We’ve heard stories of how monitoring heart health in this way can pre-warn the wearer of problems, making it a considerable benefit, and it’s performed effortlessly and accurately here.

The Huawei Fit doesn’t go unnoticed by the wearer.

However, the data you’re presented with is just that: Data. There’s no advice, no feedback, and no motivational messages. The app doesn’t analyze the data it collects, it simply takes in information and presents it — prettily — but leaves the rest to you. The Huawei Fit has access to our heart rate, activity, and if we set one up, training program as well. That’s got to be a comprehensive picture of our wellbeing, so what does it tell us? Nothing.

This problem isn’t unique to the Huawei Fit either, it’s an issue with all fitness trackers. Except we’re supposed to want to wear these devices each day all day, and our own motivation only goes so far. A silent partner soon gets forgotten — even a gym buddy.

Battery and charging

Heart rate monitors are notorious battery hogs, especially those that work in the background on a consistent basis. Huawei has done a Smart job balancing this feature with sensible battery life. The Fit will happily keep going for at least a week, based on normal use without notifications, before it needs a recharge. Activate the notifications and you can expect a slight reduction, probably down to around six days, which is Huawei’s official estimate. Charging involves placing the Fit on a rather sad looking plastic plinth, which magnetically secures itself to the watch. It’s ready to go in about 90 minutes from an almost flat battery.

Price, warranty, and availability

The Huawei Fit is yours for 130, or at least 150 British pounds. Huawei offers a two-year warranty on its equipment, but that doesn’t include the battery or the charger, which gets six months coverage. It’s a repair-or-replace scheme, but if you’ve damaged the Fit by abusing it, then it won’t be covered at all.

Our Take

The Huawei Fit is another activity tracker with a swish design and the right features — one that lacks even the most basic feedback and motivational elements to encourage the wearer to put it on every day. Is that a good thing? Meh.

Is there a better alternative?

The Huawei Fit’s price is competitive. It’s cheaper than our preferred fitness tracker, the gorgeous Samsung Gear Fit 2, but it doesn’t have the same level of polish or functionality. However, it still faces considerable competition, from the Misfit Phase to the Garmin Vivomove, and a whole host of Fossil Q hybrid watches. Worse news for the Fit is Xiaomi’s Mi Band 2, as it almost matches the Fit for functionality, is more preferable to wear 24 hours a day, yet costs less than 50.

Sadly, there’s nothing about the Huawei Fit that makes us want to recommend it over any of the others. Android phone owners should check out the Samsung Gear Fit 2, it’s worth the extra money, while iPhone owners would be wise to try the Misfit Ray if they don’t want to splash out for an Apple Watch. Alternatively, save your money and just buy the Xiaomi Mi Band 2, which works with both operating systems.

How long will it last?

The Huawei Fit is very solidly built, with a metal body, an easily replaceable silicone strap, and an IP68 rating for use in water. You’ll have to go out of your way to physically break it. Provided the app is continually updated, there’s no reason the Fit won’t last for many years.

Should you buy it?

No. The Huawei Fit doesn’t overcome the most common problem faced by activity trackers in general: motivating and encouraging its wearer through feedback based on the data it collects. Not doing this increases the chances you’ll abandon the Fit quickly. This wearable already wasn’t compelling enough to make putting it on everyday a habit – combine those two facts and you’ve got a wearable you won’t want.

Huawei Watch Fit 2 review: function meets fitness

Fitness tracker? Smartwatch? Or something in between? The Huawei Watch Fit 2 is trying to be all things to all people. Or at least all people that want something subtle strapped to their wrist.

Huawei’s latest wearable is barely any bigger than the average fitness Band, but has the styling and features of something considerably more expensive. For the second generation, Huawei has overhauled the UI, and added a built-in speaker so you can take calls from your wrist mid-run without having to reach for your phone.

With starting at £130, it’s a fair bit cheaper than the firm’s smartwatch line-up, and competes directly with the best Fitbit has to offer. Does that make it a slam-dunk for fashion-focused fitness fans?

Huawei Watch Fit 2 design build: sized just right

Yeah, we’re getting a bit of an Apple Watch vibe too – but don’t go thinking the Watch Fit 2 is just a simple knock-off. The diminutive dimensions are much closer to fitness trackers like Fitbit, with a rectangular display that’s barely any thicker than the watch strap that keeps it snug on your wrist. It has grown versus the original Watch Fit, but only slightly.

There are three variants: Active, Classic and Elegant, with the latter two getting an aluminium front case instead of plastic, and built-in NFC. It’s only for transferring photos from your phone, though – there’s no contactless payment option here, at least in the UK.

Our Classic review unit felt well-built, with the leather strap holding up well to daily use and the metal casing staying free from scratches. The £30 premium seems justified. It doesn’t look lost on larger wrists, and isn’t too big for small ones either – Huawei has Goldilocks’d it on the size front.

The whole thing stays 5ATM water resistant, which is good for shallow water swimming and taking to the pool. Quick-release straps also make a return, so you can swap between silicone, leather and Milanese-style options depending on your mood (and budget).

There’s just one button on the right side, with everything else handled by the touchscreen.

Huawei Watch Fit 2 screen: small yet mighty

Having grown to 1.74in, the Watch Fit 2’s AMOLED display has edged ever-so-slightly closer to smartwatch territory from its fitness Band beginnings. It’s 18% larger than the first-gen Watch fit, with a higher 72% screen to body ratio. We’re not complaining, though: it means there’s more space to cram in useful info, which cuts down on swiping.

At 480×336, everything looks wonderfully sharp, and the OLED tech delivers contrast-heavy colours that make each watchface really stand out on your wrist. Darker hues are properly dark, and viewing angles are superb.

There’s an always-on mode, if you don’t mind using a bit more battery to run it, and the raise-to-wake function is responsive enough if you do.

The bezels aren’t super-skinny, which isn’t a shock given the affordable price. Stick a dark watchface on, though, and it looks like a much pricier device.

Huawei Watch Fit 2 interface: sweet harmony

There are plenty of watch designs to choose from, and they’re all well-optimised for the rectangular display – as is the rest of Huawei’s custom UI.

Quick cards put heart rate, weather, call records and other info a swipe away from the main watch face, and the crown button opens a grid containing all your other apps. The icon-only layout can be confusing, but you can swap it to a list (with text descriptions) to make getting around a bit easier.

There’s a big selection, including features not often found on wearables at this price. Canned message responses save you having to fish out your phone when a text comes through while you’re exercising, and music control lets you pair some Bluetooth buds directly to the watch.

The interface isn’t quite as responsive as the pricier Huawei Watch GT 3, taking just that little bit longer to register your taps, but is otherwise smooth enough to navigate.

iOS support still lags behind Android a bit, but things are getting better. One of our device’s four back-to-back firmware updates added music control for iPhones, but not local playback on the watch itself. The Petal maps app won’t work when paired to an iOS device either. The Celia voice assistant won’t work on any non-Huawei smartphone, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to remove the icon from the quick menu.

Third-party support is also limited, with just a handful of extra apps available to download through Huawei’s smartphone companion app (which is still downloaded from the firm’s website, rather than the Google Play Store). You won’t find any apps from the big-name brands available on Wear OS or WatchOS.

Fitness and health tracking: powerful, plentiful

Naturally the Watch Fit 2 will record your heart rate and sleep patterns, but it can also do continuous SpO2 monitoring and stress measurement. The built-in GPS tracked our exercise routes well, even under dense tree cover, and heart rate accuracy is reasonable – not up there with the best fitness watches, but perfectly usable for amateur athletes.

There are 97 different workout modes, which cover the basics like running, bike riding, swimming and gym-based exercises. We’re not quite sure motor racing, bungee jumping and darts deserve their own category, though – and there are quite a few esoteric entries, like Sepak Takraw (yeah, we had to look it up too).

Running is catered for the best, with animated warmup and post-run stretches, training plans and heart rate zone targets. Voiceover instruction saves you from staring at your wrist while working out, and you can import running routes through the app. It’s more basic than what you’ll find in other, pricier sports watches, but should stop you getting lost on a long course.

If you’re happy to keep your workout data in one place, the Watch Fit 2 has got you covered. Huawei Health does a great job of recording and presenting your workouts in easy-to-digest chunks, but with the option to dive deeper into cadence, heart rate recovery and more. Exporting it to apps like Strava takes a bit more effort, requiring a third-party tool.

Battery life: No flash in the pan

Huawei wearables have a knack for eking weeks of charge from relatively tiny batteries, and the Watch Fit 2 is no different. It may only have a 292mAh cell, but it’ll keep on ticking for up to ten days between top-ups.

Realistically you won’t often hit that figure, which is based on just 30 minutes of exercise tracking a week. Anyone running more than once, making lots of Bluetooth calls or using the advanced sleep tracking is going to fall short.

GPS tracking makes the biggest impact, so marathon runners might want to look elsewhere. But for everyone else, you should still be looking at close to a full week between trips to the plug socket. That’s comfortably on par with the Fitbit Charge 5.

Charging is by proprietary cable, which is held firmly enough in place by magnets, and takes less than an hour for a complete refuel. A five-minute blitz while you’re having a shower is usually enough to get through a full day, too.

Huawei Watch Fit 2 verdict

The Watch Fit 2 does everything we’d want from a fitness tracker, plus it looks the part for when you leave the gym and head to the office. Huawei has managed to cram many of the features found in its smartwatches into an even more wrist-friendly wearable here.

It’s largely accurate, can track loads of different sports and activities, and does the basics like step counting and sleep tracking well too. The Smart additions like Bluetooth calling and music playback are a welcome bonus.

We’d like the software to play nicer with third-party apps, and iPhone owners miss out in some areas compared to Android, but for the price it gets plenty right.

Stuff Says…

A clever, compact smartwatch/fitness tracker hybrid with effective activity tracking and week-long battery life. Huawei’s software is a bit of a walled garden, but the Watch Fit 2 is still a stylish alternative to established rivals like Fitbit.

Fashion-friendly styling and sharp screen

Week-long battery life with 24/7 use

Extensive sport and fitness tracking

Missing features that would push it further into smartwatch territory

Tricky to share fitness data with third party apps

iOS experience more limited

Huawei Watch Fit 2 Review: Wearable with much to love, including its price tag

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In its Spring Launch Event, Huawei announced the Huawei Watch Fit 2 – the Chinese brand’s latest fitness tracking watch. Building on its predecessor, the Watch Fit, this new tracker comes with a bigger display, more strap design options, additional fitness capabilities, and Bluetooth calling.

If you’re looking to monitor your health with a wearable, read on for our full review of the Huawei Watch Fit 2.

First impressions – Design and look

The most noticeable difference is that the Watch Fit 2 has a larger and sharper display than its predecessor. It boasts a 1.74in AMOLED screen with a 336 x 480 resolution, as opposed to its predecessor’s 1.64in screen with a 280 x 456 resolution. The full-touch screen comes with minimal bezels and curved glass on the edges. Colors appear bright and punchy.

The Watch Fit 2 comes in three editions – Active, Classic, and Elegant. Each edition features a different watch strap and overall look. The watch features an innovative, press-to-release “Link” design, which makes switching straps easy.

• Active Edition: Sakura Pink, Isle Blue, Midnight Black
• Classic Edition: Nebula Grey, Moon White
• Elegant Edition: Silver Frost, Premium Gold

The edition you choose also affects the weight of the watch. The Active edition weighs 26g without the strap, while the other two weight 30g without the strap.

The review unit that we were sent is from the Active series, and comes with an Isle Blue silicone strap which looked really nice. The silicone strap offers a snug, skin-soothing fit, which will be comfortable to wear while working out.

Watch Fit 2 comes with one function button on the right that you’ll use to control and select items on the watch. At the back, you’ll find a 9-axis IMU sensor and an Optical heart rate sensor. There is also the charging port where you’ll connect the magnetic charger provided.

Overall, the watch feels well-built and does not feel cheap or flimsy. The screen is responsive and we did not experience any lag during our use.

For even more customisation, the watch comes with creative AOD designs for more attractive watch faces, and the boundless Watch Face Store makes it easy to craft styles that speak to you.

Huawei Watch Fit 2 – Features

The Watch Fit 2 boasts a range of features, let’s jump right into learning about them.

All-day personal trainer

If you’re looking to get the Watch Fit 2 to get the most of your workouts, you’d be glad to know that like most wearables, you can track your progress and amount of calories burnt and also the kilometres you have walked in the day through the Watch Fit 2. The watch is also water-resistant up to 5ATM (Water-Resistant to 50 Meters), so you can wear it while you swim.

Avid runners will love Smart metrics like running force index and training load, which take distance, heart rate, and pace into account to offer you great insights into your running routines. Running data is also read aloud every Kilometre, which is pretty nifty.

The Watch Fit 2 also offers 97 workout modes and exclusive fitness animations and voice-guided warm-up stretches that are pretty helpful.

With support for 5 different navigation satellites, the Watch Fit 2 offers greater accuracy than its predecessor. The Watch Fit 2 is still able to track distance pretty accurately (as compared to my Miwatch Lite) when walking around an indoor multistorey carpark.

Comprehensive health management

From SpO2, heart rate, sleep, stress and activity tracking, the Huawei Watch Fit 2 offers Smart features for you to measure and manage your health comprehensively. Custom daily task reminders can conveniently be set in the Huawei Health app.

We particularly liked the touch-to-play audible animations that will notify you and help you stretch it out if you’ve been sitting for too long – which many of us are guilty of.

Relatedly, a TruRelax algorithm tracks your stress level and offers helpful breathing exercises to help you unwind and keep calm.

In terms of sleep tracking, the Watch Fit 2 makes use of Huawei’s TruSleep 2.0 algorithm. It’s supposed to be able to identify six common sleep issues and provide more than 200 data-driven tips on how to improve you sleep. Unlike lower-cost options out there that only measure sleep in deeper slumbers, the Huawei Watch Fit 2 measures short power naps that you may have throughout the day as well.

Personal assistant

You can set alarms on your Watch Fit 2. That isn’t particularly amazing and shouldn’t count as a personal assistant. But if you own a Huawei mobile phone running EMUI 10.1 or later, sliding right on the watch takes you to the Huawei Assistant Today screen, which shows the weather or music playback. You can even use this gesture to access the Voice Assistant which keeps you plugged in with real-time reminders and even syncs messages and emails from your phone.

The Voice Assistant seems pretty useful to get things done hands-free. You can also use it to set an alarm, check the weather, or even snap a picture. Unfortunately, we don’t have a compatible device to test this out.

Bluetooth calling

The Huawei Watch Fit 2 supports Bluetooth calling, quick message replies, and imported contacts. Unfortunately, you can’t type out messages – they are templates that offer quick replies.

On our test, phone calls were clear and loud on both ends. It still feels a little weird talking to a watch, though.

Long battery life

Huawei claims that a full charge on the Watch Fit 2 will last you 10 days of typical use and 7 days of heavy use. On our test, the brand’s claims are accurate. The long battery life is coupled with quick charging. On a day where I realised that I had forgotten to charge the watch, a 5 to 10 minute charge powered up the watch for an entire day of normal use.

Price and availability

The Huawei Watch Fit 2 is available here for SGD 168.

Verdict

There’s much to love about the Huawei Watch Fit 2. At 168, the lightweight wearable offers quite a bit of functionality along with comfort. For those looking to upgrade from a low-cost wearable with limited functionality, the watch is easy to recommend. That said, the Huawei Watch Fit 2 could be even easier to recommend if they make Voice Assistant compatible with all Smart phones.

Huawei Watch Fit review: Your Own Portable Fitness Instructor

On a tight budget but looking for a compact smartwatch with a large display and rich sports features? Pay attention to Huawei Watch Fit.

Huawei has been in the Smart device market for a long time. The manufacturer’s wearable gadgets are very popular, and recently the company has released a new rather interesting smartwatch. Though it’s probably more of a hybrid of a smartwatch and a fitness tracker. Even its name is unusual – Huawei Watch Fit.

“Take care of your health and fitness with the new smartwatch,” shout Huawei’s ad banners. So I decided to check if the latest watch from this manufacturer have a chance to become my personal trainer, assistant and faithful companion who will adapt to my lifestyle and current mood. I was wondering who the watch is for and is it worth investing in Watch Fit, or maybe it is worth looking elsewhere?

For testing I decided to take a smartwatch of an unusual color for us, men, which is pink. The exact name is “pink sakura”. Why this color? I am tired of the classic black, and for some reason did not like the green model. So, let’s begin. But first, check out the technical specs of the Huawei Watch Fit.

Huawei Watch Fit specs

Wireless technologies and connectors

Nutrition

Additionally

Where to buy:

What’s in the box: everything you need

In a neat white box we find the watch itself, a cable for charging the device and a set of necessary manuals. Standard stuff.

A new design for Huawei

The first thing that attracts attention about the Huawei Watch Fit is the design – a completely new shape. Now it is not round (as in all previous models), but rectangular. To be honest, the new product from Huawei looks vaguely similar to the Apple Watch, but the display is longer. In the pink color I have chosen, they look rather unusual on a man’s wrist, but on a woman’s hand everything is fine.

Thanks to its smaller dimensions and light weight (only 21 g without the strap), you can comfortably wear the watch all day. They do not interfere with daily activities and are very comfortable to sleep with.

The strap, like everything else, is plastic, but it is non-allergenic, flexible and has a wide range of adjustments.

Also, you can replace it. However, this is not very convenient to do. First you need to slide out the small plastic holders from the bottom. To be honest, I managed to do it on the third try. In addition, one must be careful not to lose them.

On the side, on the right, there is a single analog Home button that worked flawlessly throughout the testing period. It can be used to go to the home screen, open a menu, or lit up the display. A long press brings up a menu to turn off/restart the clock.

On the inside there is a place for a heart rate monitor and an SpO2 blood oxygen sensor. There are also a pair of pins here for convenient inductive charging. However, you will look in vain for a speaker or microphone. Unfortunately, they are not here.

The Huawei Watch Fit also can withstand up to five atmospheres. In practice, I showered and washed my hands without any harm to the watch.

In conclusion, I note that in addition to pink, there will also be green and black options on the market.

AMOLED color screen

So, let’s move on. The front panel of the Huawei Watch Fit case houses a 1.64-inch AMOLED touchscreen with a resolution of 280 × 456 pixels. And this is an element that impressed me the most.

The screen is very readable and the colors displayed on it are very rich. This is noticeable at first glance. Huawei engineers covered the display with 2.5D glass, which simulates the effect of depth, and further enhances the visual experience when interacting with the device.

Contrasts are sharp here as well, so reading was not a problem for me. over, the display in Huawei Watch Fit adjusts its brightness according to weather conditions and time of day thanks to the ALS function. In practice, this works phenomenally, and I think this is its big advantage. Brightness control can be manual.

Always on Display

The cherry on the cake when it comes to the Huawei Watch Fit screen is the fact that it implements Always on Display (AoD) technology, which uses a special sensor to make the screen respond to raising your hand and reflects critical information. If we are in a gym, these will be the current training parameters, and during daily activities, the display will show the basic information that is available on the watchface we have chosen.

I appreciate this functionality, especially while cycling, when the menu navigation is significantly limited. All I had to do was raise my hand with the Huawei Watch Fit, and I already knew how many calories I had burned so far, or how much distance I had traveled. That’s great! The same happens during workouts in the gym.

It should be noted that you can install any themes on the Huawei Watch Fit display, and there are over 200 of them here, so there is plenty to choose from. It is also possible to select an original photo from your gallery. You can do this with the help of Huawei Health app, which I will mention below.

System and performance: a classic from Huawei

The Huawei Watch Fit OS is identical to the Huawei Watch GT2 or the new Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro. This is Lite OS, which is great in terms of power consumption but less attractive in terms of features. Although this is a smartwatch, it is impossible to reply (even with the help of predefined responses) to messages, and additional programs can not be installed. All the advantages and disadvantages of the system have already been mentioned several times in our reviews, and Huawei has not improved the system in this regard.

But what you can rely on are classic features like timer, alarm, stopwatch, flashlight, phone search or weather function. There is also a remote shutter, but it only works with Huawei devices. There is no internal storage memory, so you won’t be able to download files to the watch.

Huawei Watch Fit works with Android 7.0 or later and iOS 9.0 or later. Device configuration is quick and easy. The basic settings of the watch are available in its menu, while a larger and more accurate personalization possible thanks to the special Huawei Health app for the smartphone, with which we can connect via Bluetooth version 5.0.

Huawei Health App

As I promised, now I’ll tell you more about this app, which is easy to find on the Google Play. And if you have a Huawei/Honor smartphone, then Huawei Health is already installed on it.

The Huawei Health program unlocks a range of options and information that the user needs. First of all, we can completely personalize the device according to its capabilities: from watchfaces to individual notifications. Second, we get a complete picture of our activities, exercise, stress measurement, sleep parameters and oxygen saturation levels.

It should also be noted that the Huawei app is very accessible. Here you will find tips and suggestions not only for training, but also for a healthy lifestyle in general. Huawei Health’s UI is simple, visually pleasing and accessible, as well as understandable for people who are just starting their acquaintance with the device.

Huawei Watch Fit for workouts

The looks aren’t the only benefit of the new Huawei Watch Fit. If someone is looking not only for a beautiful accessory, but also for a truly sporty watch, they will not be disappointed. The premium device from Huawei offers 96 (!) sports modes, including exercise in the gym, jogging, cycling, swimming and yoga. 12 fitness courses are also available here.

As the name suggests, Watch Fit is geared towards athletes and active users who want a basic overview of their sports activities. This is a real personal fitness trainer who surprised even me, a person who has been going to fitness club for many years.

Advanced measurement of body parameters

First of all, I really liked that the new Huawei Watch Fit allows you to monitor the body’s work in detail – both in everyday life and during exercise. It tracks, among other things, the distance traveled (thanks to a built-in GPS module), calories burned and pace.

Several times I compared the number of steps that the Huawei Watch Fit counted with a watch from another company (Samsung Galaxy Watch3), and the values ​​were almost the same. On the other hand, the distance during a bike ride was measured by the clock just like it was on a bike computer, so with a clear conscience I can say that the Huawei device in pretty accurate.

The smartwatch also provides practical advice during exercise, such as warning you when your heart rate is starting to rise too quickly. After completing the exercises, it reports on the time required for full recovery, how intense the training was, whether the user’s physical form changes. Based on this data, you can easily create and modify training plans. Great, isn’t it?

But that’s not all. Every entry and success is recorded and rewarded continuously. Most steps? Distance record? The Huawei Watch Fit will notice and display a distinctive chart with prizes and congratulations on its colorful screen. I find it very encouraging.

Workout details at your fingertips

Interestingly, after selecting any sport mode, a dedicated panel divided into five parts will appear at the top of the smartwatch screen. Each of them is marked with a different color.

They match the training stage and current effort, from warm-ups to highly demanding aerobic exercises. There is an arrow that shows what is happening to our body at the moment. Therefore, you just need to look at your watch to see how effective your workout is.

Control your heart rate, sleep, stress, blood oxygen, etc.

In addition, the Huawei Watch Fit is equipped with an advanced optical module that allows you to constantly monitor your heart rate. Measurements are taken not only during training, which allows you to determine the difficulty of the exercise, and the state or the time it takes to fully recover. With accurate heart rate data, you can monitor and analyze your sleep quality and stress levels. When your heart rate is too high, several breathing exercises can be done to decrease it.

Simply put, Huawei Watch Fit will analyze in detail the quality of rest and sleep in different phases. In fact, the watch only displays sleep time, but after connecting to the Huawei Health app we will be able to see specific data and graphs regarding each sleep period. It also describes possible causes of deviations and tips on how to correct them, if necessary.

Another interesting function is controlling the level of blood saturation, or the actual amount of oxygen in the blood. All you have to do is select the SpO2 function in the watch menu and the measurement will be performed immediately.

This is especially important for people who experience shortness of breath during exercise or, for example, cannot catch their breath. Now, thanks to the functionality of the Huawei Watch Fit, they can monitor proper blood oxygenation and tailor personal workouts. The Huawei smartwatch also calculates VO2MAX – the maximum amount of oxygen your body can consume during intense exercise.

Women will also appreciate Huawei watches, as they allow extremely intuitive and effective control of the menstrual cycle.

Automatic activity detection

But it’s not over yet. It is also worth mentioning that there are exercises that Huawei smartwatches identify by themselves. I mean running, brisk walking, orbital exercises and rowing activity. All we need to do is start one of the aforementioned actions and a message will appear on the screen to activate training recording. However, you must first enable this option in the menu.

Something for swimming enthusiasts

Importantly, the Huawei Watch Fit has received 5 water resistance certifications. This means that it can be a great companion when you are covering the next distance in the pool or swimming in the sea. And don’t worry about damage. After finishing your pool workout, the watch will send all distance, pace and performance information to the mobile app, so checking your progress won’t be a problem.

Multimedia and phone functions

Control music and camera shutter

Exercising with the Huawei Watch Fit is not only enjoyable because it is a personal trainer: during workouts (and not only), you can use it to control music. All you have to do is connect it to the app on your phone via Bluetooth, put on your headphones and you’re done.

The second multimedia feature that is available on the Huawei Watch Fit is the smartphone’s camera shutter control. This feature is very useful, for example, during group photos on trips, because the entire command center with the camera is on your wrist.

Expanding the functionality of a smartphone

The Huawei smartwatch will also instantly alert you of new text messages, emails or social media messages. However, if it is necessary to limit the flow of information, for example, while studying, this can of course be done. It is enough to disable notifications from selected applications in the menu.

The Huawei Watch Fit also features Find My Phone, a feature known from previous devices. In addition, the watch offers an alarm clock, stopwatch, countdown timer, flashlight and other essential tools to make everyday life easier.

Battery life: enough juice for anything

Thin and lightweight smartwatches are also impressive in their performance. The manufacturer claims that after fully charging the 180 mAh battery (it takes about an hour and a half), it can last up to 10 days. It only takes 5 minutes to charge it for another day. But how is it in practice?

If you’re used to the two-week endurance of a classic Huawei watch, then you’ll be disappointed with the Watch Fit. Since the smaller battery is installed in a smaller case, autonomy is now at best 8 days. It’s also possible if you only use the watch for notifications and as a heart rate and sleep monitor, or sometimes turn on the SpO2 sensor. When observing sports activities, the autonomy is even worse. Then the watch lives for a maximum of 5 days. However, this is far from a bad result, especially in comparison with smartwatches, the autonomy of which lasts a maximum of a day or two. However, I was unable to reach the manufacturer’s promised target of 10 days.

Should you buy the Huawei Watch Fit in 2020?

Summing up, I must admit that it is difficult to find a better device for this price. You get great screen and reliable battery, as well as the sports, media and phone options that more espensive models would not be ashamed of.

over, GPS measurements are based on actual distance, as well as counting steps or heart rate.

I personally consider the Huawei Watch Fit to be a combination of a fitness tracker and a smartwatch. Honestly, the new Huawei has only one small flaw that you can complain about. We are talking about system restrictions that prevent you from installing apps and responding to notifications. If you have no problem with this, then I can advise the device with a clear conscience. Sometimes things really can be both good and affordable.

Cons

Where to buy

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