Huawei Watch D review 2024: Great OLED display

We didn’t like the idea of a smartwatch that could only measure blood pressure. A quarter of a year later, we got an email about an early review sample of the watch, and we got excited all over again. We were even more excited when we got the watch and got a good look at it. It was big, but it felt high-quality in my hand, and we knew we had to include it in our guide to the best smartwatches.

At the House of Huawei event in Milan, the Huawei Watch D was shown. We thought it was interesting that a smartwatch could measure blood pressure right on the wrist, without the need for extra cuffs. We were hesitant, though, because we didn’t know what other features the Watch D would have.

We took the watch with me on a one-week trip to France so that we could get to know the Watch D better. During the trial period, how did the Huawei Watch D do? Should you get it when it’s on sale.

Huawei Watch D specifications

Huawei Watch D review: Design and display

There are no crowns or fancy keys on the Huawei Watch D. Instead, there are just two flat buttons on the right side of the aluminium case. “Graphite Black” is what the company calls it. It’s really a dark grey colour. In fact, the fluoroelastomer strap is black. It was made just for this device, so you can’t really replace it with a different 22mm strap because that would probably mess up the blood pressure measurement.

The 1.64-inch AMOLED has a resolution of 456 x 280 pixels and is bright and colourful, just like any recent Huawei Watch. On the bottom, we can see the heart rate monitor and a small piece that seals the port for the blood pressure strap.

Compared to other wearables, the retail box has a lot of things in it. There are two straps in sizes M and L, a cool paper tool with 21 steps to help choose the right one, and two inflatable straps that let you measure blood pressure. You can buy this smartwatch from its official website.

Huawei Watch D review: Health tracking

To get a reading, all you have to do is tap the blood pressure widget on the screen or press the Health button. You’ll then be told what to do to get a good reading. As long as you follow these directions, the measurements will work out.

It will tell you that it can’t take a reading if you move or talk. Overall, we have found this method to be very reliable. The only time I’ve had trouble getting a good reading was when we moved around or had my wrist too close to my body.

Huawei Watch D review: Performance

During a run around Hyde Park, the GPS was mostly accurate, with an average pace difference of 0.3m/km compared to the Apple Watch Ultra. There was a small difference in heart rate, probably because the two watches were worn on different wrists, but the graphs for both watches were the same. We wouldn’t mind using the Watch D for casual runs, but we wouldn’t count on it for exact race times.

Aside from that, the Watch D has a great battery. With only light GPS and workout use, it can last longer than the seven days that were advertised. We have a bad habit of taking off my watch at night, so it didn’t always track my sleep, but when it did, it showed the usual mix of light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep, and awake time, which matched up well with what I noticed and didn’t drain the battery at all.

Huawei Watch D review: Battery Life

In our tests, the battery lasted about as long as Huawei said it would, which is less than other Huawei devices but a lot longer than most other smartwatches. For comparison, Apple and Samsung watches usually last about a day and a half per charge.

Huawei Watch D review: Price and availability

The Huawei Watch D was introduced in May 2022, and it will be sold in the United Kingdom by Huawei beginning in October 2022 for a suggested retail price of £400 (about $465/AU$711). Black and off-white are the two colour options for the Watch D, both of which are available. Prices and availability in the US and AU are still to be determined.

Final Words

The Huawei Watch D is the only one of its kind on the market. It takes ideas from both smart medical equipment and the traditional smartwatch, and we think it’s great for a certain group of users.

If we just look at it as a smartwatch, there are clear reasons why other wearables from Huawei are better. If we think of the wearable as a medical device, it’s not 100% accurate, so we wouldn’t recommend it as a replacement for your blood pressure monitor.

FAQs

Is Huawei Watch D worth it?

If the idea of having a Huawei watch with useful blood pressure and ECG features appeals to you, you’ll like the Watch D. If you want a design that can compete with the best smartwatches on the market, it’s not quite there yet, but it’s a good start.

Can you answer calls on Huawei Watch D?

Open HUAWEI Health and tap ALLOW on the Bluetooth message syncing dialogue box before you use this feature. Then, on the watch’s incoming call screen, you can touch the green answer icon to answer the call, or you can touch the reject icon or press the Up button to end the call.

Is Huawei high quality?

With high-end hardware and parts, it still gives you some great options, especially if you want a camera that will make all your friends jealous. Huawei’s phones can sometimes be bought for less than their Apple and Samsung counterparts.