Hands-on review: Huawei Watch Fit 2 and Huawei Band 7

Huawei has recently released a fresh line-up of products, and the new Watch Fit 2 and Band 7 are two options for anyone looking at buying a solid, affordable smart watch or fitness tracker in time for summer.

We recently spent a few weeks with the top-of-the-range Watch D, and while it is one of the best smart watches on the market, many consumers will avoid paying the $749 price tag. The Watch Fit 2 has an RRP of $269, while the Band 7 comes in at a very reasonable $129.

Huawei Watch Fit 2

The Huawei Watch Fit 2 is essentially a fitness tracker, but it has adopted some key features from other wearables like the Watch GT 2.

Just like its siblings, it's really easy to set up via the HUAWEI Health app and takes just a couple of minutes to pair with your smartphone.

The Watch Fit 2 looks great – the 1.74-inch AMOLED FullView Display is nice and bright, and the range of watch faces at your disposal allows you to display as much (or as little) information as you desire. You can also download more faces if you're bored with the selection.

Huawei's operating system – HarmonyOS – is intuitive and easy to navigate, although it still lacks the ability to respond to messages on the device itself (except via quick replies, only available on Android devices).

However, phone calls via Bluetooth are possible, and if you have a Huawei device, you can also use the voice assistant feature, which could come in handy.

In terms of features, there are a total of 97 workout modes, and the ones we tested worked well and provided a good amount of data post-run to let you know how to improve. Unlike some of the more premium watches in the Huawei range, such as the Watch D, I felt more comfortable wearing the Watch Fit 2 during a workout thanks to the rubber-like, lightweight strap. Showering and swimming caused no issues, either.

Health-wise, the Watch Fit 2 unsurprisingly falls short of what the Watch D offers, but that's not going to be a dealbreaker for most. It still boasts accurate heart rate monitoring, SpO2 monitoring, and the excellent TruSleep tracker. TruRelax is also included, which monitors your stress levels throughout the day.

The Watch Fit 2 is capable of 10-day battery life, although this is dependent on the features you use. The advanced sleep tracking, for instance, will reduce your battery quicker, so you're probably looking at 5-7 days if you're using the watch to its full potential.

Huawei Band 7

The Huawei Band 7, on the other hand, is more of an out-and-out fitness tracker, but you get incredible value for your money.

It comes in noticeably smaller than the Watch Fit 2, with a 1.47-inch screen size. It's also light and very thin, meaning you quickly forget it's on your wrist due to the size and weight. The soft-feel silicone strap is like that of the Watch Fit 2, so it's also nice to wear during a workout. The ultra-narrow bezels almost give the illusion that the watch is floating on your wrist.
Again, watch faces are also available to download should you fancy a change. One of our favourite pre-loaded faces displayed eight lunar phases, which is pretty neat!
Huawei claims the Band 7 has a two-week battery life, which we were close to achieving during testing. Like the Watch Fit 2, though, this will depend on which features you tend to use and how much you use the watch.

With the Band 7, there are a total of 96 workout modes (don't ask which is missing from the Watch Fit 2). Again, the ones we tested worked just fine, and we were impressed by their performance. The TruSport fitness system tracks high-level metrics like running ability index, VO2Max, recovery time, and training effect.

The health features are pretty much the same as the Watch Fit 2 – it offers TruSeen SpO2 monitoring, TruSleep sleep tracking, and TruRelax stress monitoring.

Verdict

Both the Watch Fit 2 and Band 7 should be near the top of your list if you're looking at buying an affordable smartwatch or fitness tracker.

While they both feel similar to each other, some potential buyers may be put off by the size of the Band 7 and its lack of GPS, instead opting to purchase its more expensive sibling.

They might lack features compared to the aforementioned Watch D, as well as the flagship devices from Apple and Samsung, but many consumers won't want an all-singing, all-dancing device.

Huawei has done an excellent job of getting the formula just right with the Watch Fit 2 and Band 7.