Huawei's new smartwatches automatically track skiing and measure blood pressure
With its latest smartwatches, Huawei is focusing on health data and winter sports. The Watch D3 focuses on precise blood pressure measurements. The Watch GT 7 offers new features for snow sports and cycling.
Huawei has introduced new smartwatches. The Watch D3 measures blood pressure over 24 hours thanks to an airbag strap, while the GT7 (Pro) delivers exciting upgrades over its predecessor for skiing and cycling. With the Watch 6, Huawei is launching a new everyday companion for multisport and health. The smartwatches boast battery lives of up to three weeks.
The Huawei Multipass is included with the purchase of all watches. It contains three months of Huawei Health+ and 90 days of premium access to various fitness and wellness apps such as Komoot, Headspace, and Naviki. After that, the Multipass costs 8 euros per month. With Health+, you get interactive workouts, supplementary training plans, running analyses, and the like. All of this is fundamentally not necessary for use.
The Watch GT 7 analyzes whether you are ready
The Watch GT 7 comes in a stainless steel case and two sizes: 41 millimeters with a 1.32-inch display and 46 millimeters with a 1.47-inch display. Their AMOLED displays reach a brightness of up to 3000 nits. The watches have an IP69 certification and are robust enough for diving up to 5 ATM.
The GT 7 Pro additionally features a ceramic bezel. Instead of stainless steel, the case is made of titanium and the back is made of nanocrystal ceramic. It also offers an ECG sensor. A new feature is its clearance for freediving up to 40 meters.
The battery life for both the regular and Pro models is said to last up to three weeks. It is seven days with the always-on display. Contactless payment is possible via Curve Pay, though it requires a bank account in the EU. You can use the watch with smartphones running iOS 13 and Android 8 or later.
My colleague Jan has already tested the Huawei Watch GT 7 Pro. You can find the article here:
For skiing, snowboarding, and biking
The Watch GT 7 has 110 sports modes in its database. It also automatically recognizes sports such as running, swimming, and even skiing and snowboarding. This is said to be possible without GPS thanks to a multi-sensor system. This detects your body posture and altitude differences directly from your wrist. This way, the watch also knows whether you are making a few turns through the snow or are on the lift heading up the mountain. The watch also records descent altitude and speed.
A new feature is curve detection. Furthermore, Huawei provides maps from over 3,000 ski resorts around the world. If you go skiing with your friends, you can have the entire group displayed in real-time via the «Team-Up» function.
If you prefer being on a bike rather than on boards, Huawei also has a cycling mode: the watch is designed to precisely detect altitude differences, for example. You can now create an incline profile before your ride so that the watch shows you the incline and remaining distance even more accurately during your trip. You will be warned haptically and via voice output if you approach sharp curves too quickly. After your workouts, you receive an AI-supported analysis.
The GT 7 tells you whether you are currently ready for an extensive workout based on a performance score. This is composed of various data, such as your sleep, current stress level, heart rate variability, and calories burned.
You also get various other analyses via the watch to assess how your body reacts to strain and recovery, and which activities make sense at which moments.
Prices and availability
Starting September 2, you can get the watches in the following versions and prices. We are currently working on adding the watches to our shop. You may need a little patience for some of them.
- Watch GT 7 Pro: Yellow, Green, and Black, 429 euros (RRP)
- Watch GT 7 (41 mm) in White: 319 euros (RRP)
- Watch GT 7 (41 mm): Gray, Pink, and Blue, 299 euros (RRP)
- Watch GT 7 (46 mm): Black, Blue, Yellow, and Gray, 299 euros / 219 Swiss francs (RRP)
Huawei Watch D3: Measuring blood pressure – but correctly
The most exciting feature of the Watch D3 is the airbag strap, which is what distinguishes the watch. It is designed to measure pressure on the wrist while still ensuring a comfortable fit.
But first, about the device itself: The LTPO display of the Watch D3 measures 1.92 inches and has a resolution of 328 PPI. Huawei has made the case slightly thinner at 11.3 millimeters instead of 13.3. The weight remains the same as the D2 at 40 grams. Like the GT 7 (Pro), you can use the watch with smartphones running iOS 13 and Android 8 or later.
If you want to measure your blood pressure, this is done via the small airbag that compresses the wrist. Either once or over a period of 24 hours. During long-term measurement, the watch measures at a predetermined interval and notifies you briefly before each measurement.
At night, the measurement takes place automatically, but it is not supposed to disturb your sleep. At least according to the manufacturer: based on experience with the predecessor, some users still find it takes some getting used to. Whether Huawei has improved this will be shown in later tests.
A function called «Health Glance» gives you a summary in 60 seconds of eleven health points such as heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation (SpO₂).
Price and availability
The Watch D3 will be available in the Huawei Online Store starting September 15. We are also working on adding this one to our shop as quickly as possible. The watch is available in the case colors Black, Pale Gold, and Mocha Gold and costs 449 euros (RRP). The predecessor is available here.
Huawei Watch 6 (Pro)
You can get the Watch 6 with a 42 or 46-millimeter display.
The displays each have a resolution of 466 × 466 pixels and a brightness of up to 3500 nits. The predecessor had 3000 nits.
The case of the Watch 6 with a 46-millimeter display is made of stainless steel, while the 42-mm model is made of aluminum for slightly less weight. As a result, this watch weighs only 38 grams. The Watch 6 Pro is made of titanium for the black edition and ceramic for the white variant.
The water resistance of the watches is 5 ATM and they have an IP-69 certification. This makes them water and dustproof. The battery life extends up to eleven days in power-saving mode. It is four and a half days with regular use.
The X-Tap health sensor from last year is back. This combines various sensors for ten health data points, from heart rate to blood oxygen levels.
Also included is the gesture control from the predecessor. This allows various things to be done with one hand:
- Tap your thumb and index finger together twice to confirm an option.
- Swipe your thumb along your index finger twice to switch between options.
- Answer calls, turn off the alarm, control your music, and trigger the remote shutter.
You can load music directly onto the watch so that you can listen to your favorite songs even without a smartphone. You will also find more than 100 training modes on the watch.
You can use the watches with Android 9 and iOS 13 or later.
Price and availability
The Huawei Watch 6 will be available in the following versions starting September 2. We are working on adding them to our shop as quickly as possible.
- Watch 6 (42mm): 469 euros (RRP)
- Watch 6 (46mm): 489 euros (RRP)
- Watch 6 Pro (42mm): 679 euros (RRP)
- Watch 6 Pro (46mm): 679 euros (RRP)
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