Titanium smartwatch with health functions: Huawei Watchfit 4 Pro in the first test

Full of functions right down to the titanium casing, the Huawei Watchfit 4 Pro appeal to demanding athletes. Whether intensive training or a leisurely stroll: the new outdoor flagship from the Chinese technology giant should always be with you. At 279 euros, the price of the smartwatch is rather low compared to the competition. We were very curious to see whether the new watch could still fulfil the needs of bikers.

>> We have compiled all the information on the new Huawei Watchfit 4 Pro and 5 smartwatches here.

Tried and tested: What the Huawei Watchfit 4 Pro can do

The new smartwatch from Huawei looks high-quality and stylish on the wrist. The titanium casing gives a robust yet elegant impression. The display has a large surface area without appearing bulky. The setup process and pairing with the Huawei Health app should not pose any challenges for the average user. The Watchfit 4 Pro is compatible with both Android and iOS operating systems. The app should be a little clearer, as all kinds of adverts for paid bonus features detract from the look and orientation. As is usual with smartwatches and sensitive health data, an account must first be created and numerous consents granted before all functions can be used. It can take a few days to discover and understand all the customisation and application options. However, with a product as complex and capable as the Watchfit 4 Pro, this is hardly surprising.

We liked the handling of the touchscreen. It responds quickly and switching between the individual pages is absolutely logical. The touchscreen is also easily compatible with MTB gloves. This is where the tech giant shows where its strengths lie. The rotating wheel on the right edge of the watch is a nice detail, but was rarely used in our test. Huawei skilfully integrates the most frequently used functions of a smartwatch into the system. The permanent heart rate measurement via light sensor works without any problems in everyday life and records an authentic heart rate curve. The sleep analysis also appears conclusive and provides an overview of the different sleep phases. In the test, the watch occasionally failed to recognise waking phases as such and slightly overestimated the duration of sleep - a typical phenomenon of smartwatches. By measuring the ECG, the Watchfit 4 Pro can help with the early detection of heart problems. Studies agree that smartwatch ECGs have a relatively high error rate from a medical point of view. Nevertheless, a cool benefit that can be realised within a few minutes.

>> Integrate your fitness tracker directly into your cycling shorts? Assos and Whoop have something for you.

Fit thanks to activity tracking and training control

The tracking of the activity level is exciting. Huawei chooses the three categories of moving, exercising and standing. However, scientists disagree as to whether standing is really suitable as a health feature. In the basic settings, the goals were remarkably easy to achieve. Just 60 minutes of relaxed walking, including making phone calls and listening to podcasts, was enough to achieve the daily target set by Huawei. Nine hours of mountain hiking filled the activity display over eleven times. This is not necessarily enough for athletes, although the manufacturer has designed the smartwatch specifically for them. It is therefore advisable to set significantly higher goals. Of course, the Watchfit 4 Pro also includes a certain amount of gamification. Medals are awarded for various virtual milestones, users can collect points and share their successes with the community.

>> Amazfit also recently presented a new smartwatch for athletes.

For athletes, Huawei offers all kinds of training plans that focus on different aspects (e.g. weight loss). Unfortunately, most of them are not free. What is available free of charge are guided meditation, breathing, warm-up and stretching exercises, some of which are specially designed for cyclists. A person is then animated on the watch screen to demonstrate the exercises and a voice from the watch tells you what to do. The fact that Huawei integrates such short units directly on the watch is great. However, most athletes will probably prefer to watch a YouTube video or similar. The Huawei Health app includes an application to monitor the relationship between nutrition and body weight. Calories and nutrients can be counted by entering the food consumed. Up to 1.6 kilos of weight loss per week is suggested as possible for a man weighing 80 kilos and a corresponding calorie deficit is suggested. Here, too, athletes need to be careful (keyword undersupply), as some functions are hidden behind a paywall. Based on user surveys, Huawei assumes that many smartwatch wearers are overwhelmed by the large amount of data. The new Health Insights feature is therefore intended to prepare the most important health and fitness figures in a cross-analysis and provide simple, personalised tips. In our eyes, this is a successful push towards user-friendliness.

>> We have also tried out the Garmin Fenix 8 in everyday use.

How good is the smartwatch for outdoor athletes?

The Huawei Watchfit 4 Pro sits unobtrusively on the wrist on a mountain bike tour. A variety of screens display lots of data and can be customised. The smartwatch uses voice prompts or vibrations to repeatedly alert the user to kilometre targets reached and improved performance. Unfortunately, the Huawei recorded an incorrect altitude metre measurement in several test runs. During a two-hour bike ride, the deviation was over ten per cent, and on a nine-hour hike, the altitude was even over 50 per cent too high. The smartwatch also did not automatically recognise a cable car ride. Unrealistically high heart rate values were occasionally recorded when running. In most cases, however, the measured heart rate was correct even over longer periods of time. Data such as distance, arrival time and oxygen saturation also corresponded to realistic values. One drawback for athletes: the textile strap of our test watch is firmly sewn and cannot be washed separately. A problem for sweaty bike rides.

Another core competence of the new Huawei Watchfit 4 Pro is its navigation function. Komoot or Strava accounts can be linked with just a few clicks in the app and on the watch. Importing routes is easy. For cyclists, the smartwatch cannot replace a handlebar-mounted GPS device. The watch is not in the permanent field of vision and therefore remains an add-on. We liked the navigation for running and hiking. The free map material is sufficient to find your way around and also contains contour lines, but hardly any data on paths. Following a virtual route with the Watchfit is much more pleasant than constantly having to pull your mobile phone out of your pocket.

>> We have tested how telephony and listening to music via bone sound works here.

BIKE conclusion

The Huawei Watchfit 4 Pro is a smartwatch that many people are likely to be looking for for everyday use. Aesthetic and high-quality, the watch is fun to use straight away. The wealth of functions is high, the handling is successful. Not all features will satisfy demanding bikers. However, the Huawei offers a good basis for hiking, running and tracking everyday movements. It is a pity that some exciting applications cost extra money. But the purchase price is absolutely fair. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor

Pro

• Top touch display and good operating logic
• High-quality hardware at a fair price
• Wide range of functions including state-of-the-art health tracking features
• usable navigation

Contra

• Payment barrier in front of some applications
• Activity and nutrition goals not ideal for ambitious cyclists
• Partly unrealistic height measurement in the test
• Bracelet cannot be washed separately

Price: 279 Euro >> available here