Introduction
Huawei Watch Fit 2 made its global debut in May at a glamorous event in Milan, where we saw too the Watch GT 3 Pro and the foldable smartphone Mate Xs 2. We already have the flagship wearable reviewedand now we got to spend some time with the Fit too.
It has a 1.74-inch AMOLED display, heart rate, SpO2, and stress tracking, as well as support for 97 different sport modes. Huawei offers it in three styles, where we are an elegant solution in Silver Frost color with a magnetic metal strap. The 20mm tire itself is standard and easy to replace, but we liked the overall look so we found no reason to look for alternatives.
Design and build
The Huawei Watch Fit 2 has a rectangular body and an impressively thin bezel on all four sides. It’s quite compact and fits halfway between smartwatches and smart bands. The maker equipped it with a single flat button on the side and a touchscreen, which is the only way to navigate – you can’t scroll with a rotating button.
The watch is extremely light – about 30 grams without the metal strap. But even that included is still barely felt on your wrist. However, people who don’t want to remove their arm hair may have minor issues with the belt which borrows the design from medieval chain mail with small circular elements woven together.
Huawei Watch Fit 2
The back has the health sensors and the big disappointment – two pogo pins for its own charger. That’s right, the Watch Fit 2 doesn’t support wireless charging, so you’ll need to carry another cable with you. Huawei decided to go with a magnetic option, which can be tricky at times as the magnet attaches to the metal frame and strap rather than the actual pogo pins.
Software
The UI is Harmony OS 2.0, essentially what Huawei has been using in its wearables for the past few years. The OS has been adapted for the rectangular screen, meaning the menu is only in a list – there’s no option to have all the apps and functions on one screen, floating side by side like the GT 3 devices.
Downloading Huawei Health is essential for the Watch Fit 2 to function properly. Luckily we had no problems connecting the wearable to any of the phones we tried and the app can even be downloaded from a browser. We should mention that although Huawei Health is available on Google Play, the company recommends getting it from the AppGallery repository as it has a more up-to-date version. The version currently available on the Play Store does not support the Watch Fit 2 yet.
The Huawei Watch Fit 2 supports 97 sports modes, one more than the Huawei Band 7. We specifically asked company leaders about the difference between the band and the watch, as both segments have fluctuating boundaries. The Fit 2 comes with GPS, unlike the band, which means it can track a run, swim, or bike ride on its own and doesn’t require smartphone help to do so.
Notification delivery is reliable, although Huawei has trouble displaying emojis, and they show up as an asterisk, especially if someone commented on an Instagram story. Still, they are easy to manage and navigate. Also, the Watch Fit 2 comes with weather updates (taken from the phone), sunrise and sunset times, and moon phases.
Battery life
The Huawei Watch Fit 2 has a 292 mAh battery. It can last up to 10 days on a single charge with AOD turned off and some health monitoring features turned off.
In real-life scenarios, the Watch Fit 2 lasted eight days, especially when it comes to everyday activities. Turning the AOD cuts that in half. On the plus side, each watch face comes preloaded with its AOD design, so at least you get some extra style to make up for lost stamina.
The patented charger already mentioned comes in the box and has a USB on the other side. A 50% charge takes 30 minutes, while 0-100% takes about 80 minutes.
verdict
Huawei offers the Watch Fit 2 as a stylish solution for city dwellers who want a fashion accessory that can also display notifications and some health tracking. We liked the available strap selection and the fast connectivity and communication with the smartphone.
We also enjoyed the audible fitness animations for those who prefer to exercise while staring at their wearable. The GPS is reliable enough for any casual jogger and their weekly 5k run.
The prices of the Watch Fit 2 are €150/€180/€230, depending on whether the user chooses a fluoroelastomer band, a classic leather band or the stylish choice we tested. As always, Huawei offers plenty of free offers and other discounts so that for the price in most markets you can get not only a nice portable but also a scale or a portable speaker. Seems like a solid deal to us!