Huawei Watch 5 Tested: Easy Heart Scanning, but Not for Americans
The Huawei Watch 5 packs a variety of health tracking tools into a sleek, elegant body. It's a solid all-round smartwatch and while it doesn't run Google's Wear OS, Huawei's smart watch software is intuitive and it runs just as well on Android or iOS. Its stand-out feature is its all-in-one X-Tap sensor that makes it quick and easy to perform multiple health scans in one go -- including heart rate, ECG and respiratory health -- to get an easy-to-understand overview of your metrics.
I tested the watch in the 42mm stainless steel variant, which in the UK retails at £400, although a more premium 46mm model made of titanium will be available, costing £500. Due to ongoing restrictions from the US government, the Huawei Watch 5 will not be officially for sale in the US, but for reference, that £400 UK price converts to $531.
I've been using the watch for a few days now and I've got some early impressions
An elegant design
Some people see smartwatches as purely functional items, like a phone, camera or laptop where aesthetics don't really matter. Personally, I think that anything you wear like jewellery first and foremost needs to look good. Otherwise why ruin an outfit with an ugly-looking gadget on your wrist?
The composite rubber and fabric strap is fine, but I'll be interested to see what alternatives Huawei offer.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The Watch 5 is among the nicer looking smartwatches I've tested, with an elegant stainless steel body that looks great in the soft gold color of my review model. The top of the metal is brushed while the sides are contrasted nicely in a polished finish. The 42mm model will be better for those of you with slimmer wrists, but if you've got thicker-set arms then the larger model is for you.
The composite rubber and fabric strap is fairly comfortable though it doesn't quite have the same luxurious appeal as the watch itself. I actually managed to sleep in it in order to use the sleep tracking functions. I normally hate wearing a watch to bed but the Watch 5 went mostly unnoticed throughout the night. The display is bright and vibrant, and I found it easy enough to read under bright sunlight. You'll find the digital crown on the side, along with a second button used for navigation or bringing up quick-access apps.
But there's also a very visible sensor in between the button and crown, which brings me on to…
Easy health tracking
The Watch 5 tracks a variety of health metrics from heart rate, skin temperature, blood oxygen levels and more but it does much of it through the new easy access sensor on the side. Huawei calls it the X-Tap sensor and it essentially makes it easier to press your fingertip against and get a variety of readings.
The X-Tap sensor sits on the side of the watch for easy access throughout the day.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
By using the sensor, the watch can track nine different health metrics in 60 seconds (some require guiding you through, like performing an ECG) to give you what it calls the "health glance." It's essentially a brief summary of how healthy you are at that point, and I definitely found the side sensor comfortable to use.
You can activate the screen and then press and hold your fingertip to the sensor to activate the health glance scanning function. It's certainly a quicker way of working than going into the watch's apps to find the right one and I can definitely imagine it making it easier to build into your routine throughout the day if you're keen on regular tracking.
It's got some new tricks as part of its scanning, too, including HRV (heart rate variability) tracking, which analyses your heart rhythms over time and which Huawei claims is a first on a smartwatch. It also analyzes your respiratory health by having you cough three times into the microphone. Both the respiratory health and HRV tracking are performed as part of the Health Glance operation.
Beyond health, the watch can track movement analytics for a huge variety of sports and activities from running and cycling to belly dancing and, er, esports. Good to know if you really want to track your heart rate as you're getting demolished in Fortnite.
Health: Achieved!
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Other watch features include GPS tracking, eSIM functionality to make calls without a phone, gesture control (tapping your thumb and index finger to answer a call, for example -- yes, like the Apple Watch does) and sleep tracking, along with "contextual recommendations to help users understand and improve their lifestyle." I'm hoping that won't include passive aggressive comments about why I shouldn't order a second beer.
Huawei Watch 5: Should you buy it?
Huawei's smartwatches have always been great bits of kit, and the company's titanium Watch 5 Ultimate is still one of my absolute favorite models to wear. The Watch 5 is a much more elegant option, and I'm certainly a fan of its curving form and even the soft gold color. It's easy to use, with up to five days battery life that seems solid. It's easy to scan your health metrics, which will be genuinely helpful if you need to take multiple readings throughout a day.
The workout tracker will even track your esport session, as though that's any kind of a workout. Dont '@' me, gamers.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
It's a solid overall smartwatch and while it doesn't run Wear OS, it doesn't feel like it's lacking in any way because of it. If you're keen for something a bit different to the Apple Watches you see on everyone's wrists, it's certainly worth considering. Just as long as you're not in the US.
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