I like what Huawei is doing with its wearable strategy; the brand’s Watch Ultimate 2 is the best high-end smartwatch, and I prefer it to the Galaxy Watch Ultra because of its weeks-long battery life. The Watch GT 6 Pro is a great all-round smartwatch, and Huawei’s latest Watch Fit 5 Pro is aimed towards fitness.
The Watch Fit 5 Pro is aimed at a younger audience, and that’s immediately evident when you look at the choice of colors and the styling of the bands. The smartwatch costs £249 ($335) on Amazon U.K., and it’s available in most countries where Huawei has a presence. I’ve been using it as my daily driver for just over a month now, and here’s why I think it is a better choice than the Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch 8.
The Watch Fit 5 Pro has a stylish design
Huawei has an orange color of the Watch Fit 5 Pro that stands out considerably — as I found out while using it in Thailand ahead of the launch event. This is a smartwatch that’s designed to grab attention, but it isn’t ostentatious.
You can also get it in white and black, but the orange one is the most distinctive by far. The nylon band feels good to wear and is extremely light, and the case itself has a gold hue, with the orange accents contrasting it quite well.
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The case has subtle curves around the edges that gives it added elegance, and makes the Watch Fit 5 Pro less utilitarian — it looks just as good as other mainstream models.
The build quality is great; the smartwatch is made out of aluminum, and the bezel has a titanium alloy to give it better durability. I also like that it has a physical button on the right to launch workouts, and a rotating bezel to navigate the interface.
This is the best display on a fitness smartwatch
The Watch Fit 5 Pro easily has one of the best displays you’ll get today. The 1.92-inch OLED panel is bigger than last year, and it goes up to 3,000 nits now. What’s also good to see is that it has 60Hz refresh, and just like the best phones, the smartwatch uses LTPO tech to good effect, switching down to 1Hz to increase efficiency.
Another positive is that the bezels are uniform on all sides, and they’re noticeably thinner than what you get on most smartwatches. That’s one of the reasons how Huawei was able to fit a bigger panel into a similar-sized chassis.
With 3,000 nits brightness, viewing outdoors isn’t an issue at all. I tested it in Bangkok’s intense summer, and on a particularly hot day in Hyderabad, India, where it was well over 105 degrees (41 degrees Celsius), and I didn’t have any problems using the Watch Fit 5 Pro. Colors are vibrant, and the interface is easy to navigate.
The Watch Fit 5 Pro lets you monitor everything with ease
One of the best things in the Watch Fit 5 Pro is mini-workouts. The idea is that instead of sitting at your desk all day, you take short breaks of five to ten minutes to do short workouts wherever you are. These guided low-intensity workouts are easy to do, and they have adorable animations featuring a panda.
But the real reason you’ll want the Watch Fit 5 Pro is how good it is at regular workouts. I used it at the gym and while cycling, and it’s one of the better choices in this category. It delivered metrics consistent with my Apple Watch, and it comes with the ability to sync data with other fitness platforms, including FIIT and Strava.
Huawei outfitted the Watch Fit 5 Pro with a new TruSense sensor system, and it provides more accurate measurements across the board, including heart rate, blood oxygen monitoring, sleep info, and activity data.
You get dual-band GPS, cycling insights that include power and other metrics. Running is also covered, along with city and trail running. The smartwatch has IP68 and IP69 water resistance, and it covers over 100 workout activities.
You don’t miss out on the basics
While the custom interface that Huawei uses isn’t as extensible as watchOS or Wear OS, Huawei provides all the basics, and I didn’t feel like the Watch Fit 5 Pro was missing out on the software side of things. I didn’t have problems taking calls on my wrist or viewing notifications, and the built-in vibration motor is decent enough.
Huawei doesn’t use Google Pay, but the brand is turning to Curve Pay to enable NFC payments globally. I wasn’t able to use the feature in India, but it is available in the U.K. and other countries where Curve Pay has a presence.
The battery life is incredible
I don’t like charging smartwatches daily, and that’s one of the main reasons why I like the Watch Fit 5 Pro. Thanks to a bigger 471mAh battery, the smartwatch lasts seven days between charges. It’s this battery longevity that gives it a distinct edge over Wear OS and other Android smartwatches.
Honestly, the tweaks to the design and improved battery life make the Watch Fit 5 Pro a great alternative if you want a smartwatch that isn’t made by Apple or Samsung. The design is much more elegant this year, the new TruSense system is better at fitness and health monitoring, and while there isn’t much in the way of third-party integration, the essentials are covered. I didn’t think I’d like the Watch Fit 5 Pro as much as I do, and it’s a good option to consider if you’re in a country where Huawei sells it.