Review of the Huawei Band 7

 The Huawei Band 7 is a fitness tracker that is remarkably economical and offers a tonne of functions for a low cost. Due to Huawei's continuing legal battle with the US government, it is not currently accessible in the US, but it can be purchased in the UK for about £49.99 or AU$$159.00.

It competes head-to-head (or bezel to bezel) with the Fitbit Inspire 2 in that regard, challenging Fitbit's hegemony on the more cheap end of the spectrum. However, customers can acquire a slim, light, and comfy fitness tracker with more sensors than the average user is likely to require for the low cost of entry.

This includes blood oxygen readings, which were previously only available on more expensive smartwatches, in addition to the standard accessories like step tracking, heart rate monitoring, and calorie tracking. Though there are third-party watch faces that can be downloaded (and purchased), the Huawei Band 7 is locked to third-party connectors, therefore there is no Strava integration, making it an incomplete experience for those seeking something more pliable. However, it can write to Apple's Health app.

Sadly, there is no onboard storage or Bluetooth playback, so if you want to listen to music while running, you'll need to bring your phone. Although it lacks GPS as well, its step counts and distance tracking throughout testing were remarkably accurate.

It's still difficult to disagree with the pricing here if you're just beginning your fitness adventure, and with a good companion app that can set a range of fitness objectives, there's a lot to appreciate for such a modest outlay. It's unquestionably among the top inexpensive fitness trackers available.

The Huawei Band 7 debuted earlier in 2022, and while it's currently on sale in the US for US$149, it's also available in Graphite Black, Wilderness Green, Nebula Pink, and Flame Red for UK prices of £49.99 and AU$159, respectively.

With a price of $99.95/£89.99/AU$179.95, the Fitbit Inspire 2 is significantly more expensive than this device.

Impressive AMOLED display; available in Graphite Black, Wilderness Green, Nebula Pink, or Flame Red

individual watch faces

It's fair to say that the Huawei Band 7 appears to be very similar to all other fitness trackers at first sight. Our test device is the Wilderness Green variation, which resembles a broader, squarer Fitbit Inspire 2.

The AMOLED display is the star of the show here, with a 1.47-inch screen that is flatter than some rivals but never seems cumbersome because to the small frame that measures just 9.99mm thick. Because of the intense black border surrounding the display, Huawei claims that the Band 7 has no bezels. In fact, we're willing to bet that even if there were bezels, you wouldn't see them.

The Huawei Band 7 weighs only 16g without the strap, and using the pins below, you can easily reattach and detach straps. There is only one side button for navigation, and the touch screen is used for all other functions.

There is no power brick included; instead, charging is accomplished through a tiny block with a USB-A attachment. We regret to inform you that attaching the charger requires a little more finesse than the gratifying "snap" of the Fitbit, but we did adjust to it after a few days.

Score for design: 4.5

a battery's two-week life

SpO2, as well as other sensors, are used.

a fitness monitor rather than a smartwatch

It's important to note that the Huawei Band 7 is a fitness tracker rather than a complete smartwatch in order to set expectations. It doesn't have as many features as other full smartwatches like the Huawei Watch GT 3 due to the thin, small display, lack of third-party apps, and music playback.

The Huawei Band 7 will be able to focus on its strengths and excel at them, starting with the battery, which is an advantage. The two-week battery life here, despite the diminutive chassis, makes several competitors seem nearly ridiculous in contrast.

That is not to suggest that it isn't working hard; heart rate monitoring occurs frequently, and in our time testing, we discovered that its step-tracking was just as precise as an Apple Watch on the opposite wrist that costs orders of magnitude more. In fact, Huawei calls the blood oxygen and heart rate monitoring method TruSeen 4.0, and this watch continuously runs the Sp02 monitoring, which is often a more active procedure on other watches.

In a similar vein, compared to Apple's own metrics, TruSleep 2.0 tracks sleep states and provides a more thorough description of sleep stages.

As was already said, however, the lack of onboard storage means that individuals who love working out to music will feel a little left out here. Runners may wish to choose an alternative with GPS tracking so they can be free of their smartphone.

Score for performance: 4.5

Android and iOS are compatible

Simple but somewhat lacking in detail

Even though the Huawei Band 7 is connected to a phone, the Huawei Health app is a fantastic piece of technology. Once you've joined in, it displays a dashboard with your steps and workout time along with "at a glance" views of your heart rate, distance travelled, and any special plans you may have to meet your "Health Goals," as Huawei refers to it.

The app may establish customised training measures to assist you achieve your goals, with options ranging from blood pressure management to weight management. We chose the weight control option, and the instructions said to increase our activity level to boost metabolism. It's a terrific set of "training wheels" for beginners, but it can actually go much further.

This is so that you may stop being out of breath while jogging for a bus, progress to fun runs, and then complete half-marathon and full-marathon schedules. This touches on how important it might be to have the next "level" to reach while beginning to run while also keeping track of your progress.

Even better, all of your data is stored in one place because it is written to Apple's Health app.

Score for the companion app: 4.5

You've never tracked your fitness.

The Huawei Band 7 is a terrific initial step toward achieving ever-higher objectives because it takes much of the guessing out of early training and comes with a simple app and a number of training routines.

You delight in triathlons

The Huawei Band 7 is the perfect training partner for triathletes because to its water resistance, variety of activity kinds, and strategies for each.

You don't need another subscription.

There is no additional subscription required for Huawei Health's functions, other from extra watch faces.

Leave your phone at home, please.

You must have your iPhone or Android device with you while jogging, at least outside, due to the lack of GPS and Bluetooth audio support.

You utilise running apps frequently.

You cannot import data from Strava or Nike Run Club into the Huawei Band 7 if you already use such services.

Inspire 3 by Fitbit

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is the company's least expensive tracker, but after the first six months, you'll need to upgrade to Fitbit Premium to receive the full benefits.