Huawei Watch 5 Review: The New Benchmark for Smartwatches

Huawei’s long-standing presence in the wearable market is clear. It shows a serious commitment to research and development. The Huawei Watch 5 is its latest flagship product. While released just a few months ago, this smartwatch is already a market leader. It stands among the best you can buy right now.

So, what exactly can you expect from the Huawei Watch 5?

Huawei Watch 5 Build

Build

The Huawei Watch 5 features a truly elegant and sophisticated design. Its sleek, curved profile is directly inspired by the Kármán line, the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space.

For the larger 46mm model, you have a choice between a purple or a silver edition, both of which are crafted with a durable aerospace-grade titanium case. Alternatively, the black edition is made from a robust 316L stainless steel case.

The smaller 42mm model is available in classic beige and sand gold, which are crafted with a premium 904L stainless steel case. A white edition is also available, using a 316L stainless steel case. Across all models, the watch is protected by a sleek spherical sapphire glass.

Durability

Durability is a key factor for any premium smartwatch. The Huawei Watch 5 display is protected by a spherical artificial sapphire glass cover. Artificial sapphire is an incredibly hard synthetic material made from crystallized aluminum oxide. This material ranks a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, just one step below a diamond.

The result is a highly scratch-resistant surface. It can easily resist everyday bumps from keys or other metal objects. While it’s excellent at preventing scratches, be aware that it can be more brittle than other materials. A high-impact fall might still cause it to shatter. Still, this incredible durability gives user great peace of mind.

User can wear it confidently in professional settings or during intense activities. During my review period, I bumped and scraped the watch several times against hard surfaces. Yet, it shows hardly any scratches. It honestly feels like wearing Captain America’s shield on your wrist.

Display

The display on the Huawei Watch 5 is a major highlight. The 46mm model comes with a spacious 1.5-inch LTPO 2.0 AMOLED color screen. It features a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels, with a pixel density of 310 PPI.

The smaller 42mm version features a 1.38-inch screen. It shares the same 466 x 466 pixel resolution, but this results in a slightly higher pixel density of 338 PPI. Both models boast an amazing peak brightness of 3000 nits.

This high brightness level ensures the screen is always visible, even under direct sunlight. The colors are vibrant and rich, and the high pixel density provides incredibly clear detail on every watch face.

Audio

The Huawei Watch 5 includes a built-in speaker and microphone. This allows you to play music directly on the watch itself. However, you’ll need to use the Huawei Health app on your phone to transfer your music files.

The sound quality is average at best, but it’s perfect as a quiet audio companion for a light jog or a walk. It can provide a bit of background music for those quiet moments. It is good to point out also the Huawei Watch 5 is the first Huawei watch to feature gesture navigation, giving user to navigate the watch and connected device on certain app.

Connectivity

The Huawei Watch 5 has excellent connectivity options. It supports NFC for contactless payments and features Bluetooth BT 5.2. It has robust GNSS capabilities for navigation, using both L1 and L5 frequency bands.

This allows for precise positioning with GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BeiDou, and QZSS. For daily use, it supports fast Wi-Fi 6. The watch also supports E-sim functionality, but you must link it with the Huawei Health app.

This technology lets the watch act as a standalone GPS device. You can pre-download maps onto the watch for offline navigation. It’s important to note that navigation is only for walking and cycling, as there is no driving mode. This is a sensible choice, encouraging users to rely on their phones or dedicated GPS devices for safe driving.

Battery

The Huawei Watch 5 uses wireless charging with the 2nd generation HUAWEI WATCH Wireless SuperCharger, which quickly charges the watch in a short period of time. Our model used about 20% of its battery per day with the Always-on-Display (AOD) turned on.

The 46mm model promises up to 4.5 days of typical usage, or 3 days with AOD enabled. You can get up to 11 days in battery saver mode. The smaller 42mm model offers 3 days of typical usage, which drops to 2 days with AOD, and can last up to 7 days in battery saver mode.

Huawei Watch 5 Software & AI Features

The Huawei Watch 5 runs on HarmonyOS 5.1. This new operating system introduces a range of new features. You get a new “star ring” app layout for a clean look.

There is also a new “Health Insights” app, which helps you track and understand your health data better. You can now record voice memos directly on the watch, and there are many new watch faces to personalize your device.

The new software provides a sleep average HRV (Heart Rate Variability) indicator to help identify physical fatigue and stress levels. It monitors other metrics during sleep to provide timely health tips. The software also adds full WeChat messaging and payment functionality, which works directly on the watch without your phone.

Health and Sport Tracking

Health monitoring is a key focus of the Huawei Watch 5. It uses the new Multi-sensing X-TAP Technology. The new HUAWEI X-TAP sensor is highly integrated, including ECG, PPG, and a 10-level Tactile Sensor. This provides fast and highly accurate readings.

It’s the first smartwatch to support real-time, continuous fingertip SpO2 measurement, so you can get a blood oxygen reading in just 10 seconds.

The “Health Glance” feature gives you a full health check, providing a detailed report of 10 key indicators in just a minute. The watch also offers seamless ECG readings and HRV insights.

The “Health Insights” feature provides smart alerts to warn you when readings deviate from normal ranges.

As always, Huawei delivers on sport tracking. The Huawei Watch 5 offers over 100 workout modes, including 14 professional-level sports like golf and freediving.

It tracks your every movement with high accuracy thanks to the new HUAWEI Sunflower Positioning System, which offers 35% more accurate positioning than the previous model. The watch presents your health and fitness data through intuitive graphs and clear summaries, complemented by smart alerts for any irregular readings. For more information about Huawei Sunflower Positioning System, check out our full article here:

There’s is also the Huawei TruSleep system for sleep tracking, which is always an highlight for me when it comes to Huawei smart watch. For more information about Huawei TruSleep, check out our dedicated article here:

For more information about Huawei X-Tap, check out our dedicated article here.

Huawei Watch 5 Conclusion

The Huawei Watch 5 is a superb flagship smartwatch. The variant we reviewed is priced at RM1799, while the most premium version with a titanium strap costs up to RM2699.

This watch combines a luxurious design with top-tier durability. Its extensive health and sport tracking features are both accurate and easy to use. The display is a particular standout, and the battery life is excellent for a device this capable.

We highly recommend this smartwatch, and it has earned our HelloExpress Gold Award. The Huawei Watch 5’s premium design and robust features make it a strong contender in the high-end wearable market, giving a great user experience with its blend of style and substance.

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