Huawei has gone wearable mad for its latest releases, with the Huawei Watch 5 leading the charge and coming in two sizes, closely followed by the Watch Fit 4 and Watch Fit 4 Pro. All follow the announcement of the Huawei Watch GT 5, GT 5 Pro, and Watch Ultimate at the end of 2024. Here’s what you need to know about these interesting new smartwatches.
Huawei Watch 5
The Huawei Watch 5 has a circular screen paired to integrated lugs and a strap, giving it a sporty style. For the first time Huawei has made two sizes — 42mm and 46mm — of its mid-range smartwatch, which will help more people find one that suits their wrist. The 42mm version is made from stainless steel, while the 46mm is made from titanium, and each has a spherical sapphire crystal over the screen. The 42mm version has a 1.38-inch screen, while the 46mm model has a 1.5-inch screen.
There are eight different models in total to choose from, with case colors ranging from purple to gold or green, along with the more expected white, black, and silver options. You get a choice of strap type too, including a metal bracelet and sportier leather and rubber options. The Watch 5 doesn’t run Google’s Wear OS software, and instead uses Huawei’s own HarmonyOS, and it’s inside the software where most of the new features are found.
Its new X Tap technology is top of the list. It uses a pressure sensitive side button with electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart rate sensors in it to provide a complete overview of your current health in more detail than it would by only using the rear sensor array. A one-tap Health Glance feature requires just three seconds to return 10 different data points, making it quicker and less complex than finding a menu option in the software.
The pressure sensitive button also enables new gesture controls — a swipe and a double tap — to confirm actions or cycle through menus. Elsewhere the Watch 5 returns faster blood oxygen readings and 24-hour heart rate variability (HRV) data, plus it can track 100 different workout types, supports free diving, and offline color maps too. The watch supports both Wi-Fi 6 and eSIM connections, and the battery should last between three and four days in normal mode, or up to 12 days in Battery Saver mode.
The Huawei Watch 5 starts from 400 British pounds (about $530) and is available to purchase through the Huawei store now. Huawei does not sell its smartwatches in the U.S..
Huawei Watch Fit 4 and Watch Fit 4 Pro
Continuing on from its redesign of the Watch Fit series, the Watch Fit 4 and Watch Fit 4 Pro are shaped to appeal to those also interested in the Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 respectively. Both have a 1.82-inch rectangular screen, which the Fit 4 Pro covers in sapphire crystal, and also sports a titanium bezel on top of the aluminum case. The Fit 4 Pro’s screen has a higher peak brightness of 3,000 nits compared to the Fit 4’s 2,000 nits.
The Fit 4 Pro’s larger button guard and more angular case separate it from the standard Fit 4, and it’s impressively thin at 9.3mm compared to the Fit 4’s 9.5mm thick case, but it is slightly heavier at 32 grams compared to 27 grams. Still, this is light for a smartwatch, and should make both excellent for 24-hour wear. The Fit 4 comes in green, purple, white, black, or grey colors. The Fit 4 Pro comes in blue, black, or green. There are different straps to go with each, and they have a propriety connection system.
New features include a barometer, a depth sensor enabling a dive computer to 40 meters, 3D maps for 15,000 different golf courses, a trail running mode with check points, and running form analysis. The battery is expected to last for seven days in normal mode, and up to 10 days with some features deactivated. The L1 and L5 GPS makes a return, there are 100 different workout modes to track, and a range of watch faces that go heavy on information displayed to try out.
The Huawei Watch Fit 4 starts at 150 British pounds (about $200), and the Fit 4 Pro starts at 250 pounds (about $332). Both the Watch 5 and Watch Fit 4 series are compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones using the Huawei Health app.
