Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro - NEW SLEEP TRACKING! (+ HR and GPS Scientific Review)
In a Nutshell
Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro excels in heart rate tracking (97/100, great) during cardio like cycling and running, performs well in GPS (75-80/100, good) with tight route overlaps, but its new TrueSleep 5.0 sleep staging scores only 60.1/100 (okay) due to poor REM detection (30% agreement vs. EEG). Premium build rivals Apple Watch with brighter 1.92-inch sapphire screen, titanium bezels, and €280/$300 price, working on Android/iOS. Great for sports tracking; consider alternatives like Apple Watch, Pixel Watch, or Oura for superior sleep staging.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Testing the brand new Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro, the first Huawei Watch with a totally new sleep stage model, TrueSleep 5.0. Huawei claims vastly improved sleep stage tracking. Testing sleep stage tracking, heart rate, and GPS performance. Will receive the normal Huawei Watch Fit 5 later; video coming soon. Watch both if deciding between Pro and non-Pro; both have new sleep stage tracking. Evaluates objectively based on data and data science.
Build quality is really good; looks like an Apple Watch but more premium than baseline models. Bigger screen than previous models; looks a lot like Apple Watch screen. Feels more premium, but subjective.
Main improvement: new sleep tracking. Previously released devices keep old algorithm; new devices get TrueSleep 5.0. Reason: new values not comparable to old data; people might get upset with less deep sleep shown. Example: Oura ring update caused upset despite more accuracy. Prefer user choice to update. Dedicated deep dive video on new sleep tracking for Pro and normal models, affecting all future devices.
Previous Huawei leaned toward sleep stability over classic staging (deep sleep, light sleep, REM sleep). TrueSleep 5.0 improves classic sleep stages. Full validation in dedicated video.
Huawei Watch Fit series now premium smartwatches, not just between bands and watches. Price around €280 or $300, similar to Apple Watch Series 11. Bigger, brighter screen (1.92 inches, up to 3,000 nits), symmetric bezels, sapphire glass, titanium alloy bezels, adaptive refresh rate.
Works on Android and iOS; Apple has better ecosystem integration.
Systematic scientific tests: heart rate during exercise, sleep stage tracking, GPS. Limitations: tested only on reviewer for limited days. 1-100 scoring system for heart rate, sleep, GPS; maps to categories: great, good, okay, meh, bad. Running scoreboard. Huawei provided loaner watch; no influence on testing or conclusions.
Tests against ECG reference device: running, indoor cycling, outdoor cycling, weightlifting.
Great job; correlation 1.00. Dots super close to perfect agreement line. Individual sessions overlap perfectly; tiny deviation in one.
Compared to competition (2025+ devices): top performer, close to Huawei Watch Runner, Watch Fit 4 Pro, Watch Fit 4.
Correlation 0.99; minor deviation in lower heart rates. Individual runs: very minor deviations.
Competition: amazing job, similar to Huawei Watch T6, Watch Fit 4 Pro, Watch Fit 4. Slightly below top like Apple Watches, Pixel Watch.
Correlation 0.92; detects too low heart rates sometimes, horizontal lines (stable detection artifact). Individual sessions mostly good, some horizontal lines.
Competition: upper middle class (0.9+), similar to Watch Fit 4 Pro, GT6 Pro, GTRunner 2. Below Pixel Watches, Apple Watches, Amazfit Helio Strap (biceps).
Single session; correlation not great, misses some peaks. Weightlifting hard for all watches; focus on cardio.
Heart rate score: average correlation 0.97 over three cardio exercises = 97/100 (great). Struggled on bike but still great.
Algorithm runs on watch; works without Bluetooth (needs sync later). Initial results from 4-5 nights vs EEG headband (brain waves, for sleep studies). Compares sensitivity for deep, light, REM.
Deep sleep agreement 75%; light sleep 75%; REM 30%. Ignore awake (reference detects short moments).
Individual night example: multiple cycles; Watch Fit 5 Pro misses later REM, overdetects early.
Metrics: better than previous Huawei (old algorithm). Average sensitivity and Cohen's kappa: improved, but REM poor.
Visualization (avg sensitivity horizontal, worst stage vertical): improved average vs old, but REM pulls it down; not top devices.
Top sleep stage trackers: Apple Watches (iOS), Pixel Watch (Android), Fitbit, Oura Ring, Whoop strap, Eight Sleep Pod.
Eight Sleep Pod: expensive, under-mattress tracker + cooling/heating blanket. Improves sleep via temperature control (individual sides). Affiliate link for trial/discount.
Cheaper options: Pixel Watch, Apple Watch, Fitbit. Whoop, Oura subscription-based.
Sleep score: average sensitivity 60.1/100 (okay), due to poor REM.
Sunflower positioning, possibly upgraded antenna. Tests by repeating routes; good if tracks overlap tightly.
Two tracks (sync issues): quite close, some deviation on straight road.
Multiple runs in circle: left (open) good overlap; right (wall) good to pretty good. Some deviation on wall side.
Not as good as Garmin; subjective score 75-80/100 (good).
Scoreboard: Heart rate great (97), sleep okay (60.1), GPS good (75-80).
Great for sports tracking (HR, GPS). Sleep improved vs previous TrueSleep, but not fully there yet. For good sleep staging, look at other options.
If you want really good sleep stage tracking, you might still have to look at some different brands. The Huawei is on the right track. Overall, if you also care about a more premium build and a tougher screen, it might be a good option to choose over the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch is more likely to have a scratched screen. The screen is also a tiny bit smaller and of course limited to iOS, but it will provide better integration into the Apple ecosystem. So it's really up to you in the end. I'm just here to show you the data.
Finally, remember that the non-pro Huawei Watch 5 video is coming out in a few days. In that video, I'll test the normal model with the exact same approach, and I'll keep an onscreen indicator to compare the performance to the Pro model.
Now, if you find this video useful, please consider subscribing. That way, you'll also be notified when the review of the normal version comes out, and you'll also be able to see my deep dive into the new True Sleep 5.0 algorithm.
Now, if you do decide to get yourself a Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro, maybe an Apple Watch, or you want a Whoop strap, an Oura Ring, you want to improve your sleep with the Sleep Pod, and you want to get the best discount possible, use one of my affiliate links in the description below. You'll be supporting your wallet and the channel at the same time. And you can support the channel even by buying anything at all on Amazon for that matter, even something as small as toilet paper or coffee beans.
Now, given that you watched this whole video on the Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro, I think you will like this video on the Huawei Watch Runner 2 or this video on the Sleep Pod.
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