Here we go – another smartwatch that… What? Does this one bring something actually new? Amazing.
Yes, the Huawei Watch D is all kind of amazing. It incorporates the functionality we expect from smartwatches – workout recording, GPS-based tracking, notifications, weather and even music playback control, plus a lot more.
These work pretty much as expected. But this watch is not smart only because of this. It lacks some stuff people expect from other smartwatches such as message replies and even a speakerphone, a feature available in other Huawei watches. No, this watch is smart because it packs several health indicators that let you keep an eye on your body from home or wherever you are.
The documentation says the Huawei Watch D is registered as a medical device in New Zealand, but it also advises to not self-diagnose and consult your doctor for professional advice.
Having said that you will be able to use these indicators as early warning signs that something is happening and be ready to consult your doctor.
First, the Huawei Watch D is not small as a simple tracker. Its size will not be a surprise for those of you used to smartwatches but might be something if you come from a simpler, smaller device. Even so, at 41 g it is still a lot lighter than an Omega Seamaster for example. It is very comfortable to wear, and you will find it comes fitted with a large fluoroelastomer strap (a type of synthetic rubber similar to silicone) and a spare medium size strap in the box.
The beautiful 1.64 inches AMOLED colour screen is large, with a 456 by 280 pixels resolution. Information is clearly visible and the touchscreen is very responsive. On the side of the body you will find a menu button and a health button, that can be configured to quickly access one of many health functions.
I will cover these health functions and then continue to some other features.
The most notable one is the blood pressure (BP) app. It is ingenious. The large strap comes with a removable airbag that connects to the strap with a couple of hooks and to the body of the watch via a small hole, and from there to a mini pump inside the watch.
When you use the blood pressure app this mini pump inflates the airbag so that an oscillographic BP reading can be taken. The feeling is like what you have when a sphygmomanometer cuff is put around your upper and inflated. The watch then calculates your blood pressure and shows it on the large screen.
The measurement is quick and I have compared it to my Withings BP monitor, with both showing the same results pretty much every time. The main difference is that because of the watch being on your wrist you need to raise your arm to your heart’s height and support it with the other hand.
The next health function is a heart rate monitor. This feature can monitor your heart in two different ways: either by sampling your heart rate based on your activity levels or switching on 24/7, which is more accurate but will also use more power. If you are doing a workout the Huawei Watch D switches to continuous heart rate monitoring regardless of this setting.
The data can be used to notify you of high or low rates. The data is also available through the Huawei Health app (which I will talk about later).
Still on the heart front, the Huawei Watch D brings a new feature to the company’s lineup: an electrocardiogram (ECG) app that you can use to determine if your cardiac rhythm is normal and see results on your phone. This includes sinus rhythm, atrial fibrillation (A-fib), atrial premature beat and ventricular premature beat. All this can also be seen as a PDF document that can be downloaded and shared with your medical professional.
We then have stress measurements, taken when you are sitting still over a period of time. The watch will analyse some signals and determine stress levels from low to high and alert you if needed.
Next is the automatic SpO2 measurement. This is collected either while at rest, sleeping or by initiating the measurement from the menu. It will give an indication of how much oxygen is in your blood and give you an alert if below a certain level you can select, from 75% to 90%. In these days of covid, this kind of data is interesting.
The watch also records skin temperature, a good indicator of illnesses. The skin temperature is usually lower than your core body temperature.
Another health indicator is related to sleep. Like other devices, the Huawei Watch D will collect data on your sleep patterns and make it available for analysis on your phone.
All this data is collected and transferred to your phone running the Huawei Health app where you can then see historical records and patterns.
All this information is used to give you guidance in the healthy living part of the app, which can be configured to fit your lifestyle, be it focus on exercise, mood or sleep. Using your personal information and the health indicators the plan is tailored to your specific needs and will remind you of activities, from getting up to stretch your legs, walking more, drinking water, doing some breathing exercises or just sleeping.
There is a lot that can go wrong too, so the documentation makes it clear that readings can be inaccurate in case of severe anemia or vascular disease. Also, people with pacemakers shouldn’t use the ECG feature as it relies on small electric pulses that travel around your body to measure time and get the readings.
In the box, you will also find a USB wireless pad charger and the mentioned spare straps. The wireless magnetically attaches to the back of the case (which is a sapphire glass) so it stays in place while charging the watch. A full charge should last about a week. It doesn’t last as long as some of the other Huawei watches but it’s not too bad, considering some smartwatches need to be charged every day or so.
You will also find a small spare piece that can be used to cover the bit where the airbag is attached to the body of the watch, in case you decide to remove the airbag during exercises, which seems to be recommended.
The watch is water resistant but because of the mini pump it is not recommended for swimming exercises or any activity that involves water pressure or steam.
Also worth mentioning is that because of its built-in GPS you don’t need to carry your phone with you while exercising outdoors.
The Huawei Health app is used to manage watch faces and there are quite a few in the built-in marketplace. Quite a few free ones and some that are paid using credit cards. You will also use the app to update the watch – and in my case, there were three updates installed, one after the other as soon as the watch was paired with the phone. This took some time, but it all worked ok with no problems.
As I said, all the tech Huawei worked to put in this tiny box is actually amazing. The Huawei Watch D is available in New Zealand now, with an RRP of NZ$ 749.
