Huawei Watch Fit 5 - SCIENTIFIC Review!

Product

Huawei Watch Fit 5 (normal/non‑Pro) — compared directly against the Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro using the same “scientific review” protocol. The reviewer also notes an upcoming deep dive on Huawei’s sleep staging update.

Main features highlighted

• Display (positioning): The normal Fit 5 is slightly smaller/lighter.
  • Normal Fit 5: 1.82” AMOLED, up to 2,500 nits peak brightness (as stated by Huawei in the materials).
  • Pro: larger screen and higher brightness (no exact nit value provided in the subtitles).
• Sports/health coverage: Lots of sports modes + health features, including NFC payments via Curve Pay in many European countries.
• Sleep tech focus: Updated sleep monitoring approach / “True Sleep 5.0,” emphasizing a stable sleep metric.

Testing method / scoring system

The reviewer uses a 1–100 scoring system (same as the Pro video) across 3 areas:

1. Heart rate tracking performance
2. Sleep stage tracking performance
3. GPS tracking performance

Heart rate score definition

• Average correlation across running + indoor cycling + outdoor cycling
• Multiplied by 100
• Weightlifting excluded from the heart-rate score (considered unreliable/not a good wrist use-case in this context).

Key results (pros/cons and performance)

1) Heart rate tracking (very strong)

Indoor cycling (spinning)

• Correlation R = 0.99 (“almost perfect”)
• Tiny deviations; excellent agreement with Polar H10 ECG

Running

• Correlation R = 0.96
• Some deviation early in runs and slight shifts, but generally “good enough” and acceptable.

Outdoor biking (commutes)

• Correlation R = 0.96
• Noted issues:
  • “Straight lines” suggesting stable/flat readings or missed signal/export quirks
  • Minor drops in some segments

Weightlifting (hard use case)

• Correlation R = 0.94
• Reviewer says it misses peaks and sometimes detects heart rate too low
• Some sessions show many “straight lines,” suspected signal/export loss
• Conclusion: wrist HR on weightlifting is not reliably good; recommends an ECG chest strap
• Competition opinion: only Apple watches and possibly Amazfit Helios strap worn on biceps are “good enough” for weightlifting; otherwise chest strap is best.

Overall heart rate score

• Average correlation 0.97 → score 97
• Pro also scored 97
• Conclusion: Fit 5 and Fit 5 Pro have essentially the same heart-rate performance (Pro difference not meaningful for heart rate).

Comparisons made (heart rate)

• Fit 5 is among the top/near-top performers in indoor cycling and outdoor biking
• Comparable Huawei watches are described as essentially similar (e.g., Fit 4 / Fit 4 Pro / Watch GT series, GT Runner 2, etc.)
• For biking outside, reviewer notes Pro did a tiny bit worse, attributed to randomness/limited testing.

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2) Sleep stage tracking (weaker—especially REM)

Reference device

• Z Max EEG headband (called a “silver standard”; not perfect, but scientific)

Huawei sleep approach

• Updated algorithm and “stable sleep” metric under True Sleep 5.0

Agreement by stage (Fit 5 vs EEG)

• Awake time ignored due to false awake detections from the reference
• Results:
  • Deep sleep: ~80% agreement (good)
  • Light sleep: ~78% agreement (good)
  • REM sleep: only ~23% agreement (poor)

Example night

• Deep sleep alignment looks reasonable
• REM is largely missed; Fit 5 detects very little REM similar to what was seen on the Pro model

Comparison / ranking vs competition

• Huawei improves average sensitivity, but REM weakness keeps it from top-tier performance
• Reviewer suggests best devices currently include: Apple, Google (Pixel watches + Fitbit), Oura Ring, Whoop Strap, and Eight Sleep Pod (Eight Sleep Pod improves sleep but is not a wearable)

Important follow-up

• Reviewer contacted Huawei; Huawei says the result is not consistent with their internal testing
• Reviewer plans additional data collection with a second person (Rafael) to check REM behavior (only REM percentage mentioned for the second person)

Overall sleep score

• Score uses average sensitivity across light + deep + REM
• Normal Fit 5: 60/100 (“okay”)
• Pro score: 60/100
• Conclusion: Pro vs non‑Pro is indistinguishable for sleep staging in this test.

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3) GPS tracking (good; Pro not meaningfully better)

Test method

• Repeat the same cycling routes and overlay tracks to assess overlap/consistency
• Also tested a route with and without wall obstruction

Cycling

• Quick signal acquisition
• Generally solid, with some deviation in certain segments and around a roundabout/walls
• Described as not top-tier but clearly solid

Running

• Left (less obstruction): near “almost perfect”
• Right (wall obstruction): more deviation but still “very good”
• Overlays suggest consistent patterns across runs

GPS score

• Subjective 1–100 score (reviewer working toward more objective measures later)
• Reviewer gives Fit 5 non‑Pro GPS score = 77
• Pro reportedly received 77 as well
• Conclusion: No meaningful difference between Pro and non‑Pro GPS.

Category result: “Good GPS tracking.”

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Unique points mentioned about user experience / design

• In daily use, the Fit 5 feels more minimal, while still being comfortable for bed
• Minor aesthetic difference: bezels aren’t identical across screen edges between normal and Pro; it “bugs” the reviewer slightly when comparing models side-by-side

Pros (as stated/implicit)

• Excellent heart rate tracking, especially indoor cycling (R=0.99)
• Very good outdoor biking heart rate (R=0.96) and overall heart-rate score 97
• Good GPS tracking with quick acquisition (77)
• Comfortable wearable and sleep-friendly fit (reviewer says it’s comfortable to wear to bed)
• Pro-to-normal differences are limited for real performance (heart rate/GPS/sleep score all similar)

Cons (as stated/implicit)

• Sleep staging is notably weak for REM (~23% agreement)
• Weightlifting heart-rate tracking is not reliable (misses peaks and sometimes under-detects; chest strap recommended)
• GPS is not top-tier (some route segments show deviation, especially around obstructions)

Overall scores / summary of recommendation

Huawei Watch Fit 5 (normal)

• Heart rate: 97/100 (Great)
• Sleep: 60/100 (Okay)
• GPS: 77/100 (Good)

Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro

• Heart rate: 97/100
• Sleep: 60/100
• GPS: 77/100
• Overall: Pro performs “more or less identical” in these tested areas.

Verdict

• If you care most about heart rate + GPS reliability, the non‑Pro Fit 5 is essentially as good as the Pro, making the normal model better value.
• If sleep stage tracking (especially REM) is a priority, the reviewer does not consider either Fit 5 model great—both are only “okay,” with REM detection as the main weakness.
• Spend extra on the Pro mainly for extras/better materials and better looks; measured performance is effectively the same.

Speaker breakdown

• Single main speaker (Rob): handled all testing results, scoring methodology, comparisons, and conclusions. No other distinct speakers’ opinions were included in the subtitles.