Huawei debuted its first headphone/smartwatch combination, the Watch Buds, earlier this year. The firm is now expanding its wearable tech with the release of the latest model in its flagship smartwatch range.
The current iteration includes two models: the Watch 4 and the Watch 4 Pro, which use the same naming scheme as the Watch 3 series. I have the latter, which is the more expensive variant with a titanium construction and a larger battery.
Design & build
- Leather and titanium strap options
- 65g weight
- 5ATM water resistance
For this generation of the Watch, Huawei has stayed true to history, with a wide circular face reminiscent of a classic timepiece. For controls and navigation, it features the same 3D rotating crown and corresponding button on the right side.
The Huawei Watch 4 Pro comes with three different band colors: silver titanium, blue composite, and dark brown leather. If you choose the less expensive Watch 4, you’ll just get a black rubber strap.
I tried on the leather variant, which had a silver titanium case. Because the straps are fast release, you may replace them with any suitable 22mm strap if you choose. Huawei sells its own range, with different colors and materials to choose from.
This smartwatch looks and feels like it’s worth the exorbitant price tag. You could easily wear it to work or out for drinks, just as you might for a run in the park… if you had larger wrists.
As a little lady with pathetically spindly arms, the 65g weight and hefty shape is unpleasant to wear for extended durations of time. The greater size allows for a larger battery and more sensors, but a smaller design would have made me less likely to take this off during the day, undermining the purpose of a watch.
Aside from looks, the Huawei Watch 4 Pro has 5ATM water resistance (to 50m) and an IP68 classification. Under water, it performed admirably, with controls that remained pleasant and responsive after submersion. It’s also withstood a couple knocks and bumps with ease, indicating its toughness and durability.
An optical heart rate sensor, an ambient light sensor, a temperature sensor, an ECG sensor, and a depth sensor are all located on the rear of the face.
Not other wearables have as many health tracking functions as the Huawei Watch 4 Pro, so this is a significant benefit.
This smartwatch both looks and feels worthy of its high-end price tag
Display & audio
- 1.5in AMOLED display
- Always on option
- Speaker and microphone
While the bulky construction is an inconvenience, it does result in a huge, bright, and beautiful screen.
It has a sapphire glass-covered 1.5in AMOLED display with a resolution of 466 466 pixels and 310ppi. I’ve had no problems using it in direct sunlight, however the display is prone to fingerprint marks.
Swiping between different screens and apps is snappy, with little latency. There is also the option to set a rudimentary always-on display that shows the time and date, although this might drastically reduce battery life.
The watch also has a ‘raise to wake’ feature, which means that if you raise your wrist to eye level, the screen will instantly light up. The brightness is set to automatic straight out of the box, and it adapts nicely to its surroundings.
The Watch 4 Pro includes a built-in speaker. After a workout, the watch will read out your stats by default. If, like me, you feel embarrassed about this during an exercise class, you can disable it in the settings menu – the voice on the wearable is shockingly loud.
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Music from your phone may be pre-loaded into the wristwatch. The speaker, on the other hand, is nowhere near good enough to recreate the depth and color of a speaker or pair of headphones.
The Watch 4 Pro has a built-in microphone for taking calls, and that’s essentially all the speaker should be used for. Except when I moved around, my voice was allegedly fairly clear on a call. I could also readily hear the other individual.
the interface has a series of new widgets, so you can have more on the large home screen
Software & features
- Harmony OS 3.0
- Supports e-SIM
The Huawei Watch 4 Pro is compatible with both iOS and Android devices and runs Huawei’s own operating system, Harmony OS 3.0. The UI contains a variety of new widgets for this version, so you may have more on the enormous home screen.
The default wallpaper rotates planet Earth, but I elected to choose one of several from the accompanying software to make it easier to monitor my heart rate, workout records, time, and weather.
The watch automatically shows apps in a grid style, similar to the Apple Watch, but I prefer the list format to better understand the explanation of each function. As this is a Huawei device, you won’t find any Wear OS apps like Google Maps or Spotify, but there is an abundance of other things to play around with.
If you’re out jogging or cycling, the watch has a standalone e-SIM, so you could use it for phone-free navigation with Petal Maps. Furthermore, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and NFC compatibility are included, albeit the latter is unnecessary for UK purchasers because it only works with Huawei Wallet, which does not currently handle UK credit or debit cards.
Huawei provides a phone log, contacts, and messaging software for communication, however you must activate contact permission on your smartphone. You may receive notifications on the watch and react to messages on apps like WhatsApp using automated answers and emojis.
There are other applications for everyday organization, such as a notebook, alarm clocks, and weather forecasts.
Fitness & tracking
- Over 100 activities
- ECG and temperature sensors available
- Uses the Huawei Health app
Huawei has focused heavily on the health tracking functions in its newest wristwatch, making them easier and faster to access.
The highlight is the Health Glance function, in which the watch performs seven tests in rapid succession (it takes about a minute). The watch measures your average heart rate, SpO2 levels, skin temperature, ECG, arterial stiffness, respiratory levels, and offers you a stress score throughout this period.
Respiratory is a new parameter for Huawei watches in the West that should determine whether you have any respiratory problems. To test this, cough several times into the watch – I recommend doing this at home to avoid someone thinking you’re nasty.
Unfortunately (or thankfully, depending on your point of view), I didn’t get the sniffles while trying to determine if this function worked as planned. All of the other findings I obtained were mostly consistent with the scores I obtained from other wearables.
Apart from health monitoring, the Huawei Watch 4 Pro can track over 100 different activities. These include traditional sports like jogging, walking, cycling, and swimming, as well as more specialized activities like pilates, core training, and even golf driving range sessions.
During activity, the watch monitors your heart rate, GPS location (if applicable), and a few other variables depending on the sport. For example, during a pool workout, the watch broke down the various strokes I did – and it was very accurate in compared to other wearables like the Amazfit GTS 4.
All of your tracking data is saved in the Huawei Health app. This is a hassle to set up. It is not immediately available in the Google Play Store, therefore you must download it via your browser. I also discovered that the watch had problems connecting during setup, but a restart fixed the problem.
The program is ad-filled and difficult to use, with several settings and capabilities hidden deep within multiple folders. This wristwatch would be easier to use if the layout was simpler and easier to understand, and if the installation procedure wasn’t so complicated.
Data from your smartwatch may be sent to applications like Strava and Adidas Running, but the Huawei Health app is still required.
The app is full of ads, and not super intuitive to use
Battery life & charging
- 4.5 days typical usage in standard mode
- Up to 21 days in ultra-long mode
- 90 minutes to charge
Huawei states that the Watch 4 can last around 4.5 days on regular mode, which is consistent with my tests. However, with ordinary usage, you can increase this to 12 days in ultra-long battery life mode, or to a staggering 21 days if used extremely sparingly.
It’s worth noting that if you use an eSIM, the watch will only last two days on regular mode.
To preserve battery life, ultra-long mode disables a large chunk of the functionality. With this set on, however, you still receive heart rate monitoring, ECG, SpO2 monitoring, workout tracking, and sleep monitoring. Mobile data, Wi-Fi, and respiratory monitoring are all deactivated.
As a result, if you just use the watch when it is connected to your phone through Bluetooth, you can very much use it in the ultra-long mode the most of the time.
Huawei states that charging the Watch 4 Pro from flat to full takes about 90 minutes, which is correct. A magnetic charger is included in the package.
Price & availability
The Huawei Watch 4 Pro costs £499/€549 in brown leather strap and blue variants, and £549/€649 in silver titanium. You may get it straight from Huawei or via Amazon UK. The Watch 4 series, like other Huawei devices, is not available in the United States.
You can get the standard Watch 4 for £100/€100 cheaper. Other than the construction materials and battery life, there aren’t many significant distinctions between the Watch 4 and Watch 4 Pro, despite the price difference.
While the Watch 4 does not appear to be as pricey, it is substantially lighter at 48g and so more pleasant to wear. As a result, I’d recommend saving some money and going with the less expensive model – you can always switch the strap for something more quality and still save a lot of money.
Verdict
The Huawei Watch 4 Pro is a multifunctional wearable. It has health monitoring capabilities that other manufacturers don’t have, dependable activity tracking, and an extremely long battery life when used in ultra-long mode.
While the construction seems and feels quality, it is only appropriate if you have bigger wrists or want a thick finish. Otherwise, it will be overly large and heavy.
The software is extremely clumsy, and you won’t be able to use Google applications or listen to Spotify.
If you don’t care about the titanium shell and don’t mind a little smaller battery, the Watch 4 should be considered over the Pro version. It’s less expensive and lighter, yet it still has those excellent health tracking functions.
Specs
- 1.5in circular (466×466) AMOLED display
- 316L stainless steel/titanium casing (standard/Pro)
- Accelerometer
- Gyroscope
- Optical heart rate sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Barometer
- Temperature Sensor
- ECG sensor
- Depth sensor
- Speaker
- Microphone
- 100+ activity modes
- 5ATM water resistance
- eSIM (LTE)
- Bluetooth 5.2 + BLE
- WiFi (2.4GHz-only)
- NFC
- GPS
- Battery: Typical usage 3/4.5 days – Standard mode (standard/Pro), 8/12 days – Ultra-long battery mode (standard/Pro)
- Wireless charging
- Magnetic USB wireless charger
- 48/65g without strap (standard/Pro)
- 46.2 mm × 46.2 mm × 10.9mm (standard)
- 47.6 mm × 47.6 mm × 12.9mm (Pro)
- Compatibility: Android 6.0/iOS 13.0 or later
