The latest addition to this mix is the Watch Fit, a hybrid fitness tracker that’s a cross between a smartwatch and a fitness band. It combines the traditional features of a fitness band in a slightly larger case (than most fitness trackers) and also offers some additional features.
But does it have what it takes to be a true fitness tracker, and is it worth the money? Here’s our Huawei Watch Fit review with answers to these and other questions.
Huawei Watch Fit: Design, Build, and Fit
To give you some context, this isn’t Huawei’s first attempt at a hybrid fitness tracker: in 2017, the company had launched a (low-cost) hybrid fitness tracking device called Huawei Fit, which wasn’t entirely successful. But unlike its previous attempt, the latest one takes a slightly different approach, both in terms of design and inner values. The new offering looks modern and has a number of features that the original hybrid device didn’t have. Design-wise, the new Watch Fit is similar to the Band 6, but has a larger display that offers more space to make the device easier to use. A thin Apple Watch is perhaps a better description here. The 46mm case is made of a polymer material that’s smooth to the touch and has a premium look. On the right side of the case is a multifunction button that lets you wake up the display, access the menu, and return to the home screen. The key is raised from the casing and has good tactile feedback. There’s also a microphone above this key. According to the company, this microphone is used to activate the HiVoice feature, which is currently limited to China, on the Watch Fit. On the back, there is a charging port at the top and a raised dial (with the sensors) in the middle. We found that this sensor elevation digs into the skin and is uncomfortable when the watch is worn for long periods of time or overnight. But aside from that, the watch feels light and wears smaller on the wrist, which is not something you can say about many smartwatches.
A nice addition to the Watch Fit is the removable wristband, which can be easily swapped out for a custom look or if the existing wristband is worn out. The strap used here is a standard silicone strap with a watch-style buckle that is comfortable to wear and feels secure. And the wristbands you can replace it with are wristbands from Huawei itself. Finally, the watch is rated for 5ATM, which means you can wear it in a pool (or other body of water) up to 50 meters to track your swims.
Huawei Watch Fit: Display
On the front, the Huawei Watch Fit has a 1.64-inch touchscreen. It is an AMOLED display with a resolution of 456×280 pixels and a pixel density of 326 ppi, which looks sharp even outdoors, so you can easily read the readings even in bright sunlight. An eye-catching design element of the screen is the way it curves around the corners and blends with the casing to offer a seamless overall look.
We think the screen’s high aspect ratio is a good design decision, as it allows more information to be displayed on the screen while maintaining a slim profile. However, looking at it from a smartwatch perspective, a wider display would be more useful and would improve the scope in terms of smartwatch-specific features. As for the screen’s durability, our device did not have any scratches or scuffs during the test period. However, we would have liked to see the watch equipped with some sort of Gorilla Glass protection to provide better protection against scratches and drops.
Huawei Watch Fit: Performance
The Huawei Watch Fit connects via Bluetooth just like any other smartwatch, and the pairing process is pretty smooth as well. You also get a special companion app, Huawei Health, which records all your health and fitness data so you can access it at any time. During our test of the watch, interacting with the Health app was a good experience. However, it would have been better if the app’s interface was clearer. The Huawei Watch Fit offers quite a few activity and health recording features. Starting with activity tracking, the watch offers 96 different workout modes, from running to swimming to cycling, as well as automatic workout detection for walks and runs outdoors. It also has an integrated GPS, so you can track your outdoor runs without having to take your smartphone with you. We found that the Watch Fit’s step count was fairly accurate during walks and runs, unlike its sibling, the Band 6, which often registered incorrect steps. Performance from GPS was also fairly accurate, although it was a bit finicky at times and took a while to identify a location. What we like most about the Watch Fit’s activity tracking is the different workout modes, which allow you to record a whole range of workouts. Another nice touch is the different fitness and running classes it offers: Our favorite is the full-body stretch, which suggests quick stretching exercises to improve flexibility. Almost all of these activity modes offer animations to guide you through the activity.
When measuring blood oxygen, the watch was able to record blood oxygen saturation fairly accurately almost every time without making any errors. The app provides a detailed breakdown of sleep (duration and phases) and breathing to help you assess the quality of your sleep. However, the same cannot be said about the heart rate measurement. Compared to other trackers like the Fitbit HR and the Charge 3, we often found inconsistent readings on the Watch Fit. And the stress level monitoring also felt more like a gimmick – although to be fair, that’s not Huawei’s fault, but almost every other fitness band or smartwatch manufacturer that offers this feature.
Huawei Watch Fit: Features
The Watch Fit runs on Lite OS, the same operating system found on other Huawei wearables. So if you’ve already used one of these wearables, you’ll immediately feel at home on the Watch Fit. However, that doesn’t mean that Lite OS is difficult to use or navigate, because you can get used to it pretty quickly. In fact, the user interface is easier to use than that of some other brands’ wearables.
However, there’s also a drawback, which can be seen in the lack of “smartwatch functions” on the watch. First of all, you can’t connect headphones to the watch to listen to music while exercising. The lack of the ability to reply to conversations is another shortcoming of the Watch Fit: although we understand that the slimmer form factor doesn’t allow for a functioning keyboard, we’d have liked to see Huawei offer a way to reply to notifications. The Watch Fit does have a number of built-in apps like weather, alarm, stopwatch, etc., but the lack of support for third-party apps makes it less of a smartwatch and more of a simple fitness band. So if you use apps like Strava or Nike+, this can be a real disappointment as you can’t download these apps to your watch to sync and manage your activities and workouts respectively. What you do get, however, are features like music playback control, an always-on display (with standby watch faces), DeepL access toggles, wake up, and Find Phone, which ensure that all the essential wearable features are covered. Occasionally, we noticed that the Watch Fit struggled with animations when switching in and out of exercise mode. However, this could be a software issue that the company can fix with an update.
Huawei Watch Fit: Battery
The Huawei Watch Fit is equipped with a 180 mAh battery. Huawei claims that this battery lasts 10 days on a single charge with basic use and 7 days with moderate use (with the display always on and Huawei TruSleep enabled). Furthermore, the usage of GPS dictates the battery’s mileage. During our time with the tracker, the battery lasted 8 days on a single charge – with sleep monitoring enabled. For charging, the Watch Fit uses a two-pin thimble mechanism that attaches magnetically to the back. In our opinion, this connection is a bit flimsy and requires you to carefully place the device on a surface to avoid interruptions during charging. As for the charging speed, it takes more than an hour and a half to charge the battery from zero to full.
Huawei Watch Fit: Verdict
Priced at Rs 8,999, we think the Huawei Watch Fit is a bit overpriced for what it offers. Sure, it looks good on the wrist and has accurate tracking capabilities, but it’s not a smartwatch in the true sense, as it lacks some features, as mentioned earlier in the review. And to be honest, that’s exactly what the hybrid form factor entails: it almost always fails to reconcile the best of both worlds, so it’s hard to pull off and often fails to impress. Still, there are some strong arguments in favor of the Watch Fit that are hard to overlook and make it a worthy contender in the fitness tracker space. To simplify things, consider the following points before making a decision:
Buy the Huawei Watch Fit if:
You want a fitness band with a bigger display You prefer fitness bands over smartwatches You want a more-than-average fitness band You use an Android smartphone (to access all the features)
Don’t buy the Huawei Watch Fit if:
You want a full-blown smartwatch experience You use third-party fitness-tracking apps You want to share your activity progress with others
