Huawei Watch 5 Review: A Stunning Smartwatch with a Few Quirks
Let's be frank: many smartwatches sacrifice style for substance, ending up looking less than appealing. But Huawei has consistently bucked that trend, producing gorgeous wearables that wouldn't look out of place on a Hollywood celebrity's wrist. The new Huawei Watch 5 is its latest masterpiece, a stylish and premium smart timepiece that aims to blend high fashion with high tech. After a full two-week test drive, here is our complete Huawei Watch 5 unboxing and review to determine if it's truly worth your money.
Image Source: Huawei Official Website
Table of Contents
Design and Build: A Cut Above the Rest
The Huawei Watch 5 is available in two sizes: 42mm and 46mm. This review focuses on the smaller 42mm model, which is perfect for those with more slender wrists. The watch boasts a variety of color options, with the subtle rosy gold finish being a particular standout.
Crafted from 904L stainless steel, the watch is impressively resistant to scratches and corrosion. After two weeks of continuous wear, it showed no signs of wear and tear. The polished finish screams premium. For those opting for the larger 46mm model, you can upgrade to an even more durable aerospace-grade titanium build, though at an extra cost.
One minor flaw was discovered with the metal bracelet. While removing links to get a good fit is standard, the clasp mechanism doesn't extend very far. This makes putting the watch on and taking it off a bit of a squeeze, even when there's still a bit of slack on the wrist. However, the strap is easily replaceable thanks to a quick-release button, allowing for endless customization.
Display: Bright, Crisp, and Beautifully Curved
The 42mm model features a 1.3-inch display, while the 46mm model gets a larger 1.5-inch screen. Both are coated with spherical sapphire glass that bubbles out elegantly from the chassis. This design leaves the glass exposed, but its sapphire construction provides excellent protection against nicks and scuffs.
Key display features include:
- OLED Technology: Delivers deep blacks and crispy contrast, making text perfectly legible.
- LTPO Technology: Allows the screen to have a variable refresh rate up to 60Hz, ensuring smooth animations while conserving power.
- Extreme Brightness: The display gets incredibly bright, making it perfectly visible even on the sunniest days, with a reliable auto-brightness sensor.
Software: Harmony OS, Notifications, and Apps
The Watch 5 runs on Huawei's Harmony OS. The user interface is intuitive: swipe down for quick settings, and swipe up (or use the rotating crown) for notifications. Notification handling is a mixed bag. While you can send canned replies or type on a tiny (but usable) keyboard for apps like WhatsApp, Gmail notifications only show the sender and subject line with no option to reply.
The app situation remains a weak point. The Huawei AppGallery is sparsely populated, and while you can find some diversions (like a clunky Flappy Bird clone), it lacks major third-party apps. A significant omission, at least in the UK and many other regions, is the lack of support for contactless payments.
To use the watch, you need the Huawei Health app. While available on Apple's App Store and Samsung's Galaxy Store, other Android users must sideload the APK from Huawei's website, a minor but notable inconvenience.
Health & Fitness: The New X-Tap Sensor and Health Glance
This is where the Huawei Watch 5 truly shines. It tracks over 100 workouts, including niche activities like deep-sea diving and golf (with downloadable course maps). The standout new feature is the X-Tap pressure-sensitive sensor on the side of the watch.
This sensor works with the wrist sensor for the new Health Glance feature. In about a minute, it runs a series of tests to give you a comprehensive health overview, including:
Image Source: Huawei Official Website. Huawei Health App interface on a smartphone
- ECG
- Arterial Stiffness
- SpO2 (Blood Oxygen) Levels
- Skin Temperature
- Stress Levels
The reviewer noted that these readings seemed more accurate than previous models, particularly regarding arterial stiffness. The watch also provides useful health insights, such as analyzing your sleep quality and resting heart rate trends.
Performance and Battery Life
The Huawei Watch 5 performs smoothly, with only one instance of a freeze-up requiring a reboot during the two-week testing period.
Battery life on the 42mm model, with heavy usage (all health tracking on, always-on display active), came in at around 3 days (72 hours). This is respectable but a step down from the longevity of some older Huawei watches.
Fortunately, there's a fantastic Battery Saver Mode that extends life to 4-5 days. Crucially, this mode doesn't cripple the watch—it keeps core features like health tracking and notifications active. When it's time to charge, the watch supports convenient wireless charging and can be fully powered up in about an hour.
Final Verdict: Is the Huawei Watch 5 for You?
The Huawei Watch 5 is a stunningly beautiful and premium smartwatch packed with advanced health and fitness features. If you're a golfer, a diver, or simply someone who prioritizes sophisticated health tracking and a gorgeous design, this watch is built for you.
However, there are caveats. The app ecosystem is limited, notification support isn't as robust as on Wear OS, and the lack of contactless payments is a major drawback for many. While battery life is decent, it no longer holds the massive advantage over rivals that previous Huawei wearables did.
Ultimately, if you value aesthetics and cutting-edge health monitoring above all else, the Huawei Watch 5 is a fantastic choice. If you need a rich app library and mobile payments, you might want to look at competitors running Wear OS.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Does the Huawei Watch 5 work with iPhones and other Android phones?
A: Yes, it works with both iOS and Android devices via the Huawei Health app. However, users of non-Huawei/Samsung Android phones will need to download the app directly from Huawei's website.
Q2: Can you make contactless payments with the Huawei Watch 5?
A: No, the Huawei Watch 5 does not support contactless payments like Google Pay or Apple Pay in the UK and many other regions.
Q3: What is the real-world battery life of the Huawei Watch 5?
A: For the 42mm model, expect around 3 days with heavy use and all features enabled. Using the battery saver mode can extend this to 4-5 days.
Q4: Is the Huawei Watch 5 waterproof?
A: Yes, the watch is fully water and dust resistant, making it suitable for swimming and tracking your lengths.
Q5: What are the main new features compared to previous models?
A: The biggest new features are the X-Tap pressure-sensitive sensor and the comprehensive "Health Glance" feature, which provides a one-minute check-up of your key health vitals like ECG and arterial stiffness.
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