Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro Review: Worth Buying?
For years, the smartwatch landscape was a binary choice: Apple Watch for iPhone users, Wear OS for Android. But a compelling third contender has emerged, consistently delivering quality and value. We’ve extensively reviewed Huawei’s offerings, and their latest, the HUAWEI WATCH FIT 5 Pro Smartwatch, continues this tradition, aiming to bridge the gap between ecosystems.
Design & Build Quality
Huawei consistently impresses with its design, and the Watch Fit 5 Pro is no exception. It features sapphire glass on the front, a titanium bezel insert, and an aluminum body. While aluminum isn’t the most premium material, it contributes to a remarkably lightweight feel, enhancing comfort for all-day and all-night wear. The supple silicone strap further adds to its wearability. The watch is available in black, orange, and white, with the white variant featuring an oxidized aluminum for improved hardness.
Visually, the Watch Fit 5 Pro bears a striking resemblance to the Apple Watch, with its rectangular shape, rounded corners, and the familiar rotating crown and side button. While some might find this derivative, we appreciate the rectangular display’s ability to present more information clearly and efficiently compared to round watch faces. The rotating crown, in particular, offers excellent sensitivity and responsiveness.
Vibrant Display
The display is, as expected from Huawei, gorgeous. It’s bright enough for all conditions, boasting a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. Crucially, it can scale down to a 1Hz refresh rate, preventing blinding glare when checking the time at night. Conversely, in bright sunlight, the display remains perfectly legible.
Battery Life & Performance
High-quality displays and advanced features often come at the cost of battery life. Huawei promises 10 days of battery life with light use and 7 days with heavy use. In our rigorous testing, which included always-on display, two workouts, and continuous sleep tracking, we achieved approximately 4.5 days. While this falls short of the advertised figures, it’s still respectable for a feature-rich smartwatch.
The auto workout tracking proved highly effective, accurately identifying walks and cycle rides. For heart rate accuracy, we pitted it against a Polar H10 chest strap during a run, and the results were largely on par, demonstrating good reliability. The Watch Fit 5 Pro offers an extensive range of workout options, including niche activities like squash, which isn’t always a given on smartwatches.
Comprehensive Health Monitoring
As a “Pro” model, the Watch Fit 5 Pro is packed with health sensors. It tracks heart rate, skin temperature, SPO2, and ECG, along with PPG-based AFib detection. Sleep tracking is robust, accurately monitoring sleep patterns nightly, and a new nap detection feature is a welcome addition. It can also analyze sleep breathing without requiring your phone to be in the bedroom, a significant convenience upgrade.
Tech Specs
- Display: Sapphire glass, 3,000 nits peak brightness, 1Hz low refresh rate
- Body: Titanium bezel, aluminum body
- Colors: Black, Orange, White
- Battery Life (claimed): 10 days (light use), 7 days (heavy use)
- Sensors: Heart rate, skin temperature, SPO2, ECG, PPG-based AFib detection
- Workout Tracking: Auto-detection for various activities (running, cycling, golf, squash)
The Downsides: Missing Features & Frustrations
Despite its strengths, the Watch Fit 5 Pro has some notable drawbacks. It lacks a native voice assistant like Google Assistant and a comprehensive app store, relying instead on Huawei’s own store. While alternatives like Petal Maps are available and functional, they don’t quite match the polish and integration of their Google counterparts.
A significant point of contention is NFC payments. Huawei partners with Curve Pay, but our experience with the verification process was frustrating. We were repeatedly rejected for “security reasons” without further explanation, a widespread issue reported by other users. This makes the watch’s payment functionality unreliable.
Another major gripe is the use of proprietary watch strap connectors. This limits customization options, forcing users to purchase straps exclusively from Huawei and preventing interchangeability with other watches.
Value Proposition & Alternatives
The Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro is priced at 299 euros. For those seeking a more budget-friendly option, the standard Huawei Watch Fit 5 is available for 199 euros. While it features a slightly smaller and less bright screen, it offers more color choices and might represent better value for most users.
However, considering the Watch Fit 5 Pro’s limitations, particularly with payments and proprietary straps, we can’t help but look at alternatives. The Oppo Watch X3, for instance, runs on Wear OS, offering full access to Google Wallet and Gemini. In our testing, it delivered longer battery life than the Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro and uses standard push pins for its straps. While its pricing isn’t yet finalized, if it lands around the 299 euro mark, it presents a more compelling package for a comprehensive smartwatch experience.
Huawei, OPPO sent us these products for free for review purposes. No one got input at any stage in the creation of this content. All opinions and bad jokes are strictly our own. Affiliate shopping and merchandise links above earn us commission.