15.05.2025 
Health tracking with the HUAWEI WATCH 5
With the WATCH 5, HUAWEI has improved its heart rate monitoring features by adding Heart Rate Variability (HRV) metrics. These have existed on smartwatches from other brands for quite some time now, and now HUAWEI has feature parity. HRV is measured automatically during sleep, and unfortunately, it’s not shown in a dedicated section in the HUAWEI Health app. Luckily, you can find this data in your daily sleep report and access it from the watch itself. However, the company should further develop this feature by adding a dedicated section and offering users the necessary information to understand how to interpret their HRV metrics and what they mean. For example, few people know that HRV can show you how ready your body is for physical activity. A low HRV may be a sign of overfatigue, and it may be a good idea to rest instead of working out or working too much and exposing yourself to a lot of stress.
HUAWEI WATCH 5 measures HRV
Another standout feature of the HUAWEI WATCH 5 is its ECG capabilities. Using the X-TAP sensor on the side, you can quickly make an electrocardiogram, which is useful in identifying irregular heartbeats (called arrhythmias), signs of previous heart attacks, or signs of blocked or narrowed heart arteries. The WATCH 5 is certified as a medical device for its ECGs. This feature is available in many European and Asian countries, and even a few in Africa and South America.
HUAWEI WATCH 5 is certified as a medical device for ECG readings
While the HUAWEI WATCH 5 lacks medical certification for features other than ECG, I wanted to double-check its accuracy by comparing it to a professional pulse oximeter with a medical certification valid in the European Union.
I was pleased to see that the WATCH 5 and the pulse oximeter frequently agreed, reporting the same heart rate and blood oxygen level. When they did not align, I noticed that the pulse oximeter detected changes in heart rate first, followed by the WATCH 5 a second later. Additionally, the discrepancies were minor when the SpO2 levels differed; for example, the pulse oximeter reported 97% while the HUAWEI WATCH 5 indicated 98%. However, after a few seconds, they began aligning with each other. This demonstrates that the X-TAP sensor delivers greater accuracy than the sensors on the back of the smartwatch, making it an excellent tool for individuals looking to monitor their heart health.
HUAWEI WATCH 5 was almost as good as a certified pulse oximeter
The sleep tracking offered by the HUAWEI WATCH 5 is well designed. I like how each sleep report is structured and the amount of data it offers. Each morning, you get a sleep score, data on your sleep stages, deep sleep continuity (I was happy to see that mine improved, as I had problems with it for a couple of months), average HRV during sleep, average SpO2, and respiratory rate.
You get a lot of data about how well you sleep
In my view, the most useful part of each sleep report is the analysis and recommendations section. HUAWEI monitors trends like the hour you fall asleep and provides insights that can help you improve your health and well-being. For example, I’ve learned that my recent trend of going to sleep after midnight can weaken my immune system, and I should take action.
The sleep analysis is very useful
Many users are also going to appreciate the Health Glance feature, which allows them to get an on-demand health overview in just 60 seconds. At the end of that time, they’ll receive a report with nine indicators that were evaluated by the HUAWEI WATCH 5: their average heart rate, HRV, blood oxygen level, stress, skin temperature, ECG, arterial stiffness, respiratory capacity, and sleep breathing interruptions. It’s a great tool when you know you have heart health problems that need constant monitoring, or you want to ensure that you identify potential health issues before they become problematic.
Health Glance can provide a quick evaluation for nine health indicators
The HUWEI Health app can also be used to log your water and food intake and gain a comprehensive view of your lifestyle and wellbeing. Adding the food you eat takes a bit of time, as HUAWEI’s database isn’t as thorough as I would have liked. Luckily, you can quickly scan packaged foods with your smartphone's camera and add their nutritional information in the app. HUAWEI can then use this data to help you create a Stay Fit Plan, which considers your weight goals and provides guidance for when and how to work out, what you should consider eating, and how much. However, you need to pay for a HUAWEI Health+ subscription to take advantage of this functionality.
HUWEI Health+ can provide you with a Stay Fit Plan
The waterlogging feature is quite basic. You can only use it from your smartphone to enter the number of glasses of water you’ve drunk. Unfortunately, it doesn’t allow for custom glass sizes, and you cannot edit or remove the data you’ve entered. For example, if you accidentally press the Drink Water button twice, there’s no way to undo the last entry. While few people track their liquid intake, I’ve found it important and beneficial for my health. HUAWEI could help users understand its significance by providing an improved waterlogging system and communicating its benefits. Personally, I noticed significant improvements in my blood tests once I started paying attention to this aspect of my daily routine.
The water logging could be better
Last but not least, the HUAWEI WATCH 5 can assist women in tracking their menstrual cycles, providing estimations about their periods, ovulation, and fertile times. A Cycle Calendar app is available on the watch and a dedicated section within the HUAWEI Health app. Additionally, women can receive recommendations for more suitable exercises and workout plans with adjusted intensity that take the onset of their menstrual period into account.
With the addition of HRV metrics, the HUAWEI WATCH 5 has gained feature parity with its competition from other brands. Therefore, it has all the necessary features to be a great companion for monitoring your overall health. In my experience with it, health tracking is a strength of this product, and it’s especially useful to people who need to keep an eye on their heart health.
Sports tracking with HUAWEI WATCH 5
The HUAWEI WATCH 5 can track around 100 types of workouts, including popular activities like running, cycling, and yoga, as well as more niche ones like golfing, boxing, and various forms of dance (latino, jazz, ballet, etc.). To access your favorite activities quickly, add them to your Workout list on the smartwatch.
HUAWEI WATCH 5 can track many sports and activities
During my time with the HUAWEI WATCH 5, I tracked various activities, including one outdoor cycling session, several outdoor walks, numerous indoor cycling workouts, and multiple strength workouts. Unfortunately, I had meniscus surgery a couple of months ago, and that limited my ability to engage in my usual outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking, or running. As a result, my testing experience wasn't as extensive as I would have liked.
When I used the HUAWEI WATCH 5 to track outdoor activities, I found that it connects quickly to GPS satellites and offers a relatively good tracking precision. However, GPS tracking consumes a significant amount of energy. Therefore, if you plan to track a long cycling session or an all-day hike, it's best to ensure that the HUAWEI WATCH 5 is fully charged before you head out.
HUAWEI WATCH 5 offers relatively good GPS tracking precision
At the end of each workout, you get plenty of data that’s relevant to the activity you’ve performed: a map with your route, details about your pace, workout segments, average speed, distance, elevation, and descent, charts about your heart rate during the workout, aerobic training stress, VO2Max, and more. People who are interested in sharing their activities can also use Dynamic Tracking to turn their workouts into social media memories.
The details you get at the end of an outdoor activity
When using the HUAWEI WATCH 5 for indoor workouts, I was frustrated by its inability to connect to other equipment, such as stationary bikes, which could provide additional data. Another limitation is that you can’t edit workouts. For instance, I wasn't able to input the distance I cycled on the stationary bike, which would have allowed the HUAWEI Health app to calculate my average speed. Additionally, during strength workouts, I couldn't input the weights I was using or edit the number of repetitions for each activity. As a result, after each indoor workout, the HUAWEI WATCH 5 only provided me with the same basic data for different activities: it only displayed my heart rate during the workout and its duration. These limitations make it less suitable for serious athletes engaged in indoor sports, as they require access to more performance-related calculations and the ability to provide input to the tracking made by their smartwatch.
Tracking indoor sports offers pretty much the same data, no matter what you do
On the upside, the HUAWEI Health app can be synchronized to share data with popular platforms like Komoot and Strava, which helps extend its usefulness. And since I’m talking about positives, I appreciate the coaching plans available in HUAWEI Health. You get a mix of both free and paid features. For example, HUAWEI offers several AI-based running plans that can be useful to help you start a running routine, as well as a few free basic fitness courses. If you want more, you can pay for a HUAWEI Health+ subscription, which gives you access to a wide variety of training courses, including ones created by celebrities. HUAWEI WATCH 5 users receive a free 3-month membership with their device, and after this interval, they can choose whether they want to pay for a monthly or yearly subscription.
HUAWEI Health+ unlocks many courses, guided meditations, breathing exercises, and more
To keep you motivated, HUAWEI created a series of challenges and medals to reward your performance and help you maintain a healthy routine. While this system isn’t as advanced as those offered by other brands, it’s sufficient to assist you in achieving your goals.
Who doesn't like medals?
HUAWEI WATCH 5 is generally effective at tracking sports activities, particularly outdoor ones. However, serious athletes will need a smartwatch that can connect to other devices or allow them to edit their workouts to include more data. Unfortunately, this smartwatch lacks those capabilities, which limits its usefulness. Nevertheless, it compensates for this shortcoming by offering a well-designed HUAWEI Health+ subscription. If you activate it, you can use it for free for the first three months and gain access to a variety of workouts led by renowned coaches, guided meditations, breathing exercises, and a Stay Fit Plan to maintain your health and well-being at an optimal level.
Do you like the HUAWEI WATCH 5?
I hope you enjoyed reading this review and that you now have a good understanding of what the HUAWEI WATCH 5 can and can’t do. As you have seen, I mostly enjoyed my experience with it, even though it had some limitations that didn’t make it a great fit for me. But this doesn’t mean it can’t be a great smartwatch for others. Before closing, I’m curious to know what you think: Do you like this smartwatch? Are you considering buying it? Comment using the options below and share your thoughts.
