Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro: Early Review of a Strong Mid-Range Running Smartwatch

Introduction

Huawei has spent the last few years pushing harder into wearables, and the Watch Fit series sits at the more affordable end of its smartwatch lineup. The Watch Fit 5 Pro is the upgraded version of the Watch Fit 5, bringing a more premium design, extra health features and a package better suited to time outside.

At £249.99 in the UK, it slots in between the Apple Watch SE and the Apple Watch Series 11 on price. Like other Huawei watches, it is unlikely to see an official US launch. After a couple of weeks of testing with regular runs, a 10K race, sleep tracking and plenty of health features, the early picture is promising: good-looking, comfortable, accurate and packed with features for the money.

Design and Screen

The Fit 5 Pro is a genuinely good-looking square smartwatch. It has drawn compliments during testing, and its slim, light build makes it easy to wear all day and barely noticeable on runs. The 1.92-inch AMOLED display is bright, crisp and easy to read, with a snappy touchscreen plus a crown and a secondary button. The larger display over the Watch Fit 4 Pro comes without the case feeling bigger, though there is still a hint of black bezel.

Sapphire glass protection is a feature usually reserved for pricier watches, and it is a welcome inclusion here. Choose between a woven nylon or fluororubber strap, and note the watch is rated for recreational diving to 40 metres. The nylon strap is slightly scratchy, though, and not as soft as some alternatives. One small interface quirk: pressing the crown mid-scroll jumps back to the watch face rather than selecting, which feels unnatural at first. Setup is simple, but expect a series of one-time opt-ins per feature before tracking begins, a Huawei quirk no other brand asks of you.

Training Features and Accuracy

Running features are comprehensive for the price: dual-band GPS, free offline maps, interval training modes, training plans and a dedicated trail running mode. Checkpoints on loaded routes show estimated time and distance to reach them, a genuinely useful addition for ultra runners.

Post-run, you get the full suite of running form metrics such as vertical oscillation and balance, plus training load, training stress, fatigue trends, a running ability index, virtual running power, recovery recommendations and VO2 max. Everything you would expect from an entry-level Garmin is covered. Presentation on the watch is strong, though the Huawei Health phone app feels busy and some data appears duplicated in two places.

Accuracy has been solid. At the Southampton 10K, the Fit 5 Pro and a Garmin Forerunner 970 both clocked 10.2 km, with no major discrepancies since. Heart rate closely matched both a Garmin optical sensor and a chest strap, registering 114 bpm average and 152 max versus the strap’s 115 and 154, and stayed within a couple of beats on later runs. The slim, light fit likely helps here. External monitors can also be paired.

Battery Life

Huawei quotes up to 10 days of smartwatch use, 7 days typical, and 25 hours of GPS, helped by newer higher-silicon battery technology. Real-world figures roughly line up: a 24-hour period at full brightness with a one-hour run burned 12%, and overnight sleep tracking cost just 3%. GPS runtime seems a touch short of the claim, but with the always-on display off, getting through a full week looks realistic. That is solid for a fitness-first smartwatch.

Smartwatch Experience

This is very much a fitness watch and run tracker first, smartwatch second. It works with both Android and iOS, but iPhone users get a more restricted experience: fewer notification actions, no response capability and a trimmed app selection, though notifications and onboard music worked well enough that the experience did not feel limiting. NFC payments are supported through Curve Pay, which requires an extra app and setup step.

There is no third-party app ecosystem on the level of Apple or Google, and no music streaming apps. The ECG sensor and interactive watch faces are nice extras, and a new workout service mode promises greater third-party support over time.

Things to Consider Before Buying

If you already own the Watch Fit 4 Pro, this is not a dramatic upgrade. The improvements centre on design, the larger screen, a nano ceramic model option and extra health features; the running software feels very similar. Huawei typically rolls software features back to older watches, so a discounted Fit 4 Pro could still be worth a look.

Alternatives at this price include the Amazfit Active Max, Active 3 Premium and T-Rex 3, which offer comparable run tracking and offline maps, plus the Apple Watch SE, which lacks dual-band GPS and native offline mapping and is iPhone-only. A Garmin Forerunner 265 with music remains a strong recommendation for runners over this, but as an all-round package the Fit 5 Pro is arguably stronger than the entry-level Forerunner 265.

Buying Advice

For under £250, this watch delivers features you would normally pay considerably more for. If you want something stylish and not overly sporty that still has the hardware and software to be a good running watch, there is a lot to like here. Serious smartwatch users wanting a full app ecosystem should look elsewhere, and iPhone buyers should expect some compromises.

Conclusion

The Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro makes a strong early impression: attractive design, comfortable wear, robust build, reliable GPS and heart rate, and an unusually rich feature set for a mid-range watch. It is a better fit for runners and fitness-focused buyers than for those wanting a full smartwatch, but as a value package, it is one of the most compelling options in the Watch Fit line yet.