Huawei unveiled the Watch 5 internationally at a devoted press occasion in Berlin (recorded right here). This yr, there is no such thing as a Pro variant, so the Watch 5 is the corporate’s present flagship wearable. It’s suitable with each iOS and Android and there are fashions with eSIM assist too if you would like to exit with out your cellphone.
It’s exhausting to innovate within the wearable area the place the characteristic set has reached maturity already and developing with one thing new or helpful that has not already been carried out is uncommon. With the Watch 5, you get all of the options you’d anticipate from a premium wearable, however this time round, Huawei has doubled down on the well being monitoring side of all of it.
The Watch 5’s declare to fame is the improved accessibility of the well being monitoring options. Instead of digging into menus and apps, you simply maintain your finger on the sensor for round a minute, and the watch will full your full checkup for the day, probably alerting you of any irregularities that will want medical consideration.
We’ve been utilizing one because the occasion, and we’re able to share our ideas on how good it’s in actual life.
Table of Contents:
Design
Our unit is a 46 mm model and is available in Purple, which has a case made out of titanium and has a composite strap in an identical colour. It definitely appears nice and sits nicely on bigger wrists.
If you fancy a smaller watch, the Watch 5 can be obtainable in a 42mm model, however remember that this one not solely has a smaller face but additionally a smaller battery inside.
The 46mm Watch 5 we now have for review weighs solely 58 grams, so regardless of its comparatively massive dimension, it isn’t a heavy gadget. The stainless-steel fashions are a bit heavier.
The titanium physique is paired with sapphire glass, which is as premium as supplies get within the smartwatch trade. The spherical glass not solely appears superior, but it surely’s additionally fairly impervious to scratching.
Display
We famous the dome design of the display screen, however it’s not new – Huawei launched it within the Watch 4 sequence, and right here it options the identical LTPO AMOLED with a 1.5” diagonal and 466 x 466 px decision.
One enchancment the corporate made is the brightness – it’s rated at 3,000 nits, which is the best for a Huawei wearable (technically on par with the Watch Fit 4 Pro, introduced on the similar occasion).
Huawei boasts a crowd-sourced library of watch faces obtainable within the Huawei Health app. These faces are usually divided into three classes based mostly on energy effectivity. Unfortunately, all of the cool-trying designs with transferring objects and animations eat lots of energy.
At least a few of the faces are designed in order that tapping the sensor on the aspect prompts the animation – a cool gimmick, if nothing else.
X-Tap
Now that we’ve talked about the brand new sensor, let’s get into particulars about what it does and the way it works.
We attended a particular assembly at Huawei HQ in Shenzhen, the place product administrators supplied in depth details about this sensor. Rico Zhang, President of Wearables, defined that whereas the Huawei TruSense System (the array of sensors on the again) is correct, it isn’t as fast and exact as the corporate wishes.
X-Tap will not be a clickable button, a minimum of not on this era of wearables. It is a mix of three sensors: the primary detects stress from the fingertip, which is 10 to 50 instances extra correct than wrist-based mostly measurements, virtually as exact as a medical gadget. The second is a glass-coated ECG (electrocardiogram) electrode that transmits indicators from the finger extra shortly.
The third is a PPG sensor (photoplethysmogram) – an optical sensor that detects adjustments in blood quantity, just like these clamps medical personnel use on our fingers to measure SpO2 and coronary heart price.
(*5*)
That’s all for the theoretical half. In follow, the Watch 5 can present 9 well being-associated readings by urgent the sensor for 60 seconds via the Health Glance characteristic. A powerful press for 3 seconds from wherever within the menu prompts the app – first, it requires 30 seconds of direct contact for ECG measurement, adopted by one other 15 seconds to seize SpO2, coronary heart price, stress, and extra.
The third step is to cough into the watch. The wearable information the audio, analyzes it, and gives a respiratory test suggestions.
The three steps of Health Glance
All these well being checks are already obtainable in older Huawei wearables. The distinction is that they’re all gathered in a single mega-app, which additionally gives a brand new well being metric – HRV or coronary heart price variability. This is the newest and trendiest characteristic, which analyzes the regularity of the intervals between every heartbeat.
High HRV is taken into account wholesome, whereas low HRV can point out stress or potential well being points. An essential reminder: the Huawei Watch 5 is a brilliant gadget, a trendy accent, and a device for fast well being metrics; nevertheless, it’s not a medical gadget.
Software & Hardware
Huawei Watch 5 options Health Insights, which shouldn’t be confused with Health Glance. This characteristic is offered solely within the Health app and gives clever evaluation of sleep, stress, and well being recommendation whereas monitoring traits. You must put on the look ahead to an prolonged time period for the characteristic to work precisely.
The well being-associated Health Insights may be discovered within the Health tab of the Health app, and sure, Huawei might work a bit more durable on naming. Technically, anybody with the v15.1 iteration of the app can discover their insights, however the evaluation relies on the superior monitoring of TruSense, which means solely the Watch 4, Watch GT 4, and the Watch Fit 4 Pro can be part of the Watch 5 in offering the detailed evaluation.
Health Insights
We cherished the Gesture Control on the Watch 5, which is new for Huawei. Unlike different firms, we now have two gestures that work with a restricted variety of apps – which could not look like sufficient, however a minimum of it features seamlessly.
The gesture of tapping the index finger towards your thumb acts as an Okay button, whereas swiping the thumb throughout the aspect of the index finger switches modes. The apps that assist these gestures are Calls, Music, Alarm, and Remote Shutter (the latter obtainable solely on EMUI-powered Huawei telephones).
Gesture management
Everything else that HarmonyOS 5 supplied in earlier wearables can be obtainable within the Watch 5 – over 100 sports activities modes, together with detailed data for path runners and golfers, step-by-step navigation powered by Petal Maps, complete ECG, Arterial Stiffness, and others.
The Watch Number sequence, because the premium mannequin, additionally consists of eSIM assist. For the characteristic to operate optimally, the Huawei Watch 5 must be supported by the provider.
This wearable sequence additionally provides in depth third-social gathering assist and may hook up with the web through Wi-Fi 6 (65 Mbps max). While all these superior options considerably drain the battery, Huawei launched Dual Battery Mode.
Switching between Standard Mode and Ultra-Long Battery Life Mode takes not more than 3 seconds, a serious enchancment from the Watch 4 sequence, which took about 30 seconds. Activating the second mode disables a number of options – eSIM assist, something X-Tap associated, step-by-step navigation, and any put in third-social gathering app.
Battery Life
Huawei typically doesn’t disclose the battery capability of its wearables. We can affirm that the capability of our 46 mm unit is 867 mAh, whereas the 42 mm model is 540 mAh.
The Watch 5 provides wi-fi charging, which technically works with any Qi charger, but it surely’s not that simple. The design of the watch and the straps typically makes it tough to put the wearable down on a flat floor.
We tried to cost the Watch 5 with an older wi-fi charger puck, however this gadget helps 10W quick charging, which is greatest supplied by the CW05 charger included within the retail field. We charged the Watch 5 from 0 to 100% in roughly 90 minutes, which aligns with Huawei’s ads.
Using some other charger can considerably have an effect on the charging time, which may vary from 100 to 200 minutes, so we suggest sticking with the unique one.
A single cost in Standard Mode lasted about 100 hours, or roughly 4 days. With Always-On Display activated, battery life decreased to a few days. Things turned intriguing once we switched to Ultra-Saving Battery Life Mode.
Theoretically, we might exceed 10 days, however this might require disabling options like coronary heart price, SpO2, stress, and sleep monitoring. In typical utilization, we achieved as much as seven days, although this was with none bodily exercise monitoring. Adding simply 90 minutes of train weekly decreased battery life to 5 to 6 days. Utilizing AOD capped our utilization at 4 days.
Fortunately, the battery recharges shortly. We suggest charging the wearable every day or each couple of days for about half-hour—maybe throughout a daily bathe. This strategy would make sure the Watch 5 stays practically consistently lively with out compromising monitoring.
Verdict
The beginning worth of the 46 mm Huawei Watch 5 is €449 for the Stainless metal fashions, whereas the Titanium fashions (our Purple unit included) are priced at €549. This is definitely cheaper than its predecessor, which is kind of spectacular, particularly contemplating the brand new {hardware} and software program.
Huawei sometimes bundles its wearables with different gadgets and providers. The Watch 5 in Germany comes with Freebuds 6i, one extra fluoroelastomer strap, and an prolonged three-yr guarantee, all at no additional value.
Users in Spain may obtain a reduction on a weight scale (€10 as an alternative of €50), whereas clients in Poland can get the FreeArc at a 33% low cost.
The Huawei Watch 5 is a outstanding gadget that every one wearable fans, each new and skilled, ought to think about. It boasts spectacular battery longevity, a big selection of purposes and options, and distinctive sturdiness.
Additionally, the watch is aesthetically pleasing, comfy to put on, and delivers glorious efficiency – it encompasses just about every thing one might need from a excessive-finish smartwatch. If you do not completely want all of the premium options, you might look into the Watch Fit 4 Pro, which we additionally reviewed lately.