prologue
Huawei introduced its Watch D wearable with blood pressure tracking in late 2021, but it took until late 2022 to obtain the necessary certifications and make it available in the western market. We had to spend weeks on it and here is our verdict.
This is the correct posture to take when measuring blood pressure on your wrist
The wearable is the first Huawei device in the Watch series to feature a rectangular rather than circular screen.
design and build
The Huawei Watch D has no crown or fancy keys, just two flat buttons on the right side of the aluminum case. The fluoroelastomer strap is actually black. Replacing it with a 3rd party 22mm strap isn’t really an option as it is made specifically for this device and may interfere with blood pressure measurements. .
The 1.64-inch AMOLED has a resolution of 456 x 280 pixels and is bright and colorful, just like the recent Huawei Watch. At the bottom is a heart rate tracker and a small element that seals the port for the blood pressure strap.
Retail boxes are plentiful compared to other wearables. There are two straps, M and L, a neat paper tool for choosing the right strap for 21 steps of customization, and two inflatable straps that allow you to measure your blood pressure.
blood pressure
Huawei Watch D crown feature – Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series also offers BP tracking, but we’re talking real measurements here, not estimates that often need to be calibrated with real-world tools. Still, Huawei has mentioned several times that this is not a medical device and its purpose is not to confirm a diagnosis, but for routine follow-up.
Wrist-based BPM devices are not as accurate as upper arm ones. The reason is that blood vessels and skin are thin, so measurements are not 100% accurate. However, Watch D is his one of the additional tools for people to monitor their health.
When comparing this device to a real medical device, both systole and diastole (higher and lower numbers) were 10mm Hg off the clock. Although not perfect, we found such deviations to be acceptable.
Watch D measures blood pressure like any proper wrist-based monitor. Feel your pulse and inflate until you feel slightly uncomfortable, then slowly deflate to feel your blood pressure.
An additional strap provided in the retail box has three contact points to ensure proper attachment. The first and most important hole is on the back of the watch, the second is in the first hole of the regular strap, and the third is a dedicated slotted hole to make sure the strap is in place. All elements are made of rubber and fabric and are extremely durable.
software
Huawei talks a lot about its OS because the other international Watch devices run not Harmony OS 3.0, but the slightly older Harmony 2.1. Huawei Health’s app has a great feature called Healthy Living that monitors a wide range of daily reports to give you a complete picture of your health.
It measures SpO2 (oxygen in the blood), tracks sleep and stress, measures body temperature, and lets you know if there’s a dramatic change in your condition. If necessary, you will be neatly prompted to drink water, take a deep breath, and calm down for even a minute.
The key on the bottom of the Watch D is metal, has a conductive surface, and can record an ECG (electrocardiogram). Theoretically, it can be read if there is an atrial or ventricular premature beat. In fact, we were unable to find any subjects with this problem. Fortunately, everyone in the office has a healthy sinus rhythm.
The Watch D is not a sports device, so it supports “just” 70+ workout modes instead of over 100 like other Huawei wearables. The truth is that the wearable only does a decent job of tracking half a dozen outdoor running and cycling workouts, so it makes little difference. Some sports that require heavy pursuit were missing, such as
The wearable has Bluetooth 5.1 and also features NFC. You can use the features of Huawei Wallet (Pay or Access), but this feature is not available in Europe. Charging is standard Qi wireless, but the strap with the fold-down clasp means you can’t use the Watch D with any wireless charger unless you remove the strap.
Notifications and controls are pretty straightforward, just like the Huawei Watch these days. Voice support works only within the Huawei environment. In other words, Siri and Google will not be triggered. This is hardly news.
battery life
The company promises seven days of life on a single charge for “normal use.” I would even say that it exceeded our expectations. If you only measure your EKG or blood pressure once or twice a day, you can definitely add an extra day or two of endurance.
However, this is accomplished with the Always On Display feature turned off, relying instead on a reliable wake-up gesture. Activating AoD dramatically reduced endurance. Watch D will take more than 72 hours or 3 days before you need to put it back on the charger.
Even this worst-case scenario isn’t very durable, especially when compared to smartwatches from Samsung, Apple, and Google.
verdict
The Huawei Watch D stands alone in its market niche. Borrowing from his two categories of smart medical devices and classic smartwatches, we can say that the results are great for certain user groups.
When viewed strictly as smartwatches, it’s clear why other Huawei wearables are the better choice. You can not.
Here’s who prefers the Huawei Watch D: That is, health-conscious people who need one more tool to track their health, but who generally have solid vitals. Huawei doesn’t offer customization or color options for this device, so this particular group has to ignore the final look.
If you’re in that small circle, we believe the Watch D is worth €399. We offer specific bundles to
