Huawei Watch Fit 2 review

The Huawei Watch Match 2 is among the newest smartwatches from Huawei with an emphasis on vogue in addition to health. 

It’s slightly cheaper than Huawei’s personal Watch GT 3 Professional and Watch GT Runner, however can also be a bit pricier than the Fitbit Cost 5, and the recently-launched Huawei Band 7. It sits someplace in the identical worth bracket because the running-centric Polar Pacer. 

The Watch Match 2 is subsequently higher suited in direction of people who find themselves extra concerned about gentle train or who’re simply beginning a Sofa to 5K-type program, and/or individuals who desire a smartwatch that’s one thing of a press release piece in addition to an train support. 

Design and construct

• Light-weight and low-profile
• Single bodily management
• Completely different designs for health devotees and the fashion-conscious
• Primarily a refresh of the primary Watch Match’s design

The Huawei Watch Match 2’s design is straightforward but fashionable – it’s an oblong case with rounded corners, and a single button on the facet. 

The watch case measures 46 x 33.5 x 10.8mm, and whereas that’s not as flush to your wrist as, say, the Fitbit Cost 5, the profile remains to be fairly low, which means most long-sleeved clothes ought to slip properly excessive. 

Like the unique Watch Match, it seems to be extra like a miniaturised cellphone than the likes of the Huawei Watch GT Runner or Polar Grit X Professional, whose round shows and chunky straps mimic conventional watch designs. 

There are three variations of the Huawei Watch Match 2, Lively, Basic, and Elegant Editions, and it’s straightforward to inform who these are all aimed toward. 

The Lively fashions are created from plastic, function silicone straps, and are clearly geared extra in direction of individuals who aren’t prone to thoughts if their watch will get rained on, or caked in a little bit of mud. 

The Basic model options an aluminium physique and a leather-based strap, and is a bit pricier, whereas the Elegant watches are pricier nonetheless, however function a really fetching Milanese mesh strap which fastens with a magnetic strip as a substitute of the everyday buckle. 

The model I used to be despatched was a silver Elegant mannequin, and the magnetic clasp was very nifty certainly. Having mentioned that, the mesh strap did typically transfer round on my wrist a bit throughout runs within the park. Whereas I by no means felt that the factor would fall off, it did make me surprise if the accuracy of the center fee monitor could be compromised. 

Once more, in case your pursuits lie extra within the path of calisthenics than aesthetics, your alternative is obvious. It’s good that you just have a alternative as properly – the unique Watch Match solely got here with one strap possibility and that was silicone, or go dwelling. The straps additionally connect with the case with a click on to launch mechanism, so switching one out for one more can be no drawback. 

No matter which model you go for, the interior elements and capabilities are the identical. 

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Show and audio 

• 1.74in AMOLED show is vibrant and responsive
• 336 x 480 pixels, 336ppi
• Inside mic helps voice calls over Bluetooth
• Skip music tracks, reply calls, and decide up cellphone notifications

The Watch Match 2’s show is brilliant, detailed, and responsive, all of which makes it straightforward so that you can learn messages and motion instructions whether or not you’re mid-exercise or in the course of a gathering. The speaker’s additionally loud sufficient for you to have the ability to simply hear encouragements from the digital coach when figuring out, and the speaker mixed with the interior mic enables you to reply and take calls by way of Bluetooth. 

Huawei doesn’t listing the utmost brightness of the AMOLED show, however I can affirm that it’s greater than brilliant sufficient for you to have the ability to examine your tempo, distance, time and the remaining when exterior on a sunny afternoon. 

The 9-axis IMU sensor, comprising an accelerometer, gyroscope, and geomagnetic sensor is intelligent sufficient to detect while you’re elevating your arm to be able to examine in your vitals, powering on the show as a way to get a fast take a look at issues. As with the Huawei Watch GT 3 Professional, there’s no approach to modify the sensitivity of this tilt-to-wake function, however it’s ok as it’s. 

Even in case you’ve labored up a sweat, really utilizing the Watch Match 2 isn’t a problem, though extra bodily controls may need made this simpler. 

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Software program and options 

• HarmonyOS 2.1
• Interface might be customised – to a degree
• No NFC help, so Huawei Pockets doesn’t work

The Huawei Watch Match 2 runs on HarmonyOS 2.1, and provides a consumer expertise just like what you get on watches just like the Watch 3 and Watch GT 3 sequence. 

The responsiveness of the show is complemented properly by a fairly logical structure which affords you a level of customisation, though there are limits to what you are able to do. 

Swipe proper from the house display and also you’ll transfer by means of a sequence of panels, or ‘playing cards’ as Huawei calls them. These are issues like shortcuts to the SpO2 (Pulse Oximetry) reader software, coronary heart fee monitor, name log, and climate widget, all helpful stuff that you just’d possible wish to have shut handy when exercising. 

However you may’t, for instance, pin controls for primary capabilities, like quantity, or brightness, as playing cards. And whilst you can add a shortcut to coaching plans you create on the Huawei Well being cellular app, you can also’t add a shortcut to any particular exercise routines. 

It’s good to have the ability to customise issues like the looks – I added a flowery artwork deco-type background to mine – however the customisation feels pores and skin deep. 

Different helpful options embrace the Ringing software, which causes your cellphone to ring in case you’ve misplaced it, but additionally emits a voice which says ‘I’m heeeere’ in a approach that’s under no circumstances creepy. Music controls are easy, however efficient, and every time a textual content message comes by means of, you’re given the choice of replying with quite a few pre-set responses, or swiping the message away. 

Frustratingly, on condition that the Watch Match 2 doesn’t function an NFC sensor – and subsequently doesn’t help NFC funds – there’s nonetheless a Huawei Pockets icon on the Watch Match 2’s menu. You possibly can launch the app, however all it’ll do is immediate you to finish the set-up course of on the Huawei Well being cellular app. Which you gained’t have the ability to full, as a result of… the Watch Match 2 doesn’t function an NFC sensor. 

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Health and monitoring

• 97 exercise modes
• Plan and handle routines with the Huawei Well being cellular app
• Takes a few minute for the GPS to lock
• Train information might be exported as GPX, TCX, and KML recordsdata

Huawei has added a variety of exercise guides to the Watch Match 2, largely centred round working, strolling, biking, and swimming, however there are additionally applications designed to trace your efforts on cross trainers and rowing machines. Whereas there’s no program particularly for issues like yoga or lifting weights, you may nonetheless document train occasions and your coronary heart fee as a generic ‘different’ exercise routine. 

For probably the most half, you’ll possible be recording exercises on an ad-hoc foundation, or selecting from quite a few pre-set programs, starting from the light ‘Run/Stroll-Major’ to the extra intense ‘HIIT Run’.

You possibly can plan out longer routines in higher element by way of the Huawei Well being apps (iOS, Android). These have easy layouts, and are straightforward to navigate. In addition to performing as a dashboard from which you’ll search for each day step counts, and drill down into issues like sleep knowledge.  

The Huawei Well being app enables you to share outcomes of your efforts, both within the type of a JPEG, which is nice for social media bragging, or within the type of GPX and KML recordsdata, must you want to share your routes with different individuals on platforms which may settle for these recordsdata. You can even offload coronary heart fee, energy burned, and cadence within the type of TCX recordsdata, if you wish to use this knowledge elsewhere. 

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Battery

• Good longevity
• Costs shortly
• Magnetic charging cable is fiddly

Huawei says that you just’ll get between 7-10 days’ price of energy off of a single cost, and based mostly on my observations, I’d say that’s an correct estimate. 

It relies upon tremendously on what you’re doing. If you happen to’re figuring out each different day, you’re prone to want to achieve for the charging cable sooner, however in case you’re not exercising as incessantly, you’ll have the ability to go additional on a single cost. 

For instance, after 8 days, together with a full working week, 1 exercise, and 1 stag weekend, I used to be on 9% battery. 

The equipped USB-A charging cable is slightly fiddly to hook up with the underside of the Watch Match 2, and doesn’t simply keep in place. As is typical of most smartwatches, there’s no mains adapter within the field, simply the cable. 

Utilizing a 2013 MacBook Professional’s USB port, I used to be capable of get to 55% charged in half an hour, and 97% in an hour, taking about an hour and ten minutes to totally cost up. 

Utilizing a Huawei SuperCharge 22.5W mains adapter scavenged from an previous Huawei P20 Professional assessment unit, I used to be capable of go from empty to 87% full in half an hour, taking 53 minutes in complete to cost up from flat. 

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Worth and availability

The Huawei Watch Match 2 is in the stores now, instantly from Huawei. 

On Huawei’s UK web site, the Lively Version is priced at £130, whereas the Basic Version fashions are £160. The costliest Elegant Version fashions price £190. 

You can even decide up Lively Version and Basic Version fashions from Amazon UK, which is promoting them for £129 and £159, respectively. There’s additionally at present a deal on at Amazon which sees you getting both model of the watch with some Huawei FreeBuds 4i bundled in, for £189.98, and £219.98 every. 

Presently, solely the Lively Version variations of the Watch Match 2 are listed on Huawei’s Australian web site, however it’s not potential to purchase instantly.

As a substitute, patrons ought to head to Auptimal, which is promoting the Lively Version Watch Match 2’s for AU$299, and the Basic Version with the white leather-based strap later within the 12 months, or MobileCiti, which has inventory of Lively Editions solely, for AU$298.

Amazon Australia lists each Lively Version and Basic Version variations of the Watch Match 2, however was out of inventory on the time of writing. 

U.S. pricing and availability data was not obtainable on the time of writing. 

Verdict 

The Huawei Watch Match 2 is a great-looking and easy-to-use smartwatch that’s geared in direction of well being monitoring, and comes with some helpful further options, such because the cellphone locator and Bluetooth calling. With the most costly possibility priced at beneath £200, it’s extra reasonably priced than some opponents. 

Whereas there are a variety of choices, you’ve much less management over the health knowledge than you’d with different smartwatches, which could frustrate some, however these after a smartwatch which seems to be nice and might help individuals kick begin a brand new health regime, it’s a really compelling supply. 

Specs

• Dimensions: 46 x 33.5 x 10.8 mm
• Weight: 30g
• Water resistance: 50m (5ATM water resistant)
• Show: 1.74in AMOLED
• Decision 336×480, 336ppi
• Case: Polymer and metallic, with plastic, leather-based or Milanese mesh straps
• Connectivity: A-GPS;Bluetooth 5.2 and Bluetooth Low Power (BLE);
• Charging: Magnetic charging Sort-A USB cable;
• OS: HarmonyOS 2.1
• App help: Huawei Well being app helps iOS 9.0 or above, Android 4.4 or above