Huawei Watch 6 Review: The Smartwatch That Almost Nails It

Michael Bennett · 2026-09-22

The Huawei Watch 6 is a premium smartwatch that puts health and fitness tracking front and center. It packs a wide range of sensors, a stylish design, a bright display, and multi-day battery life. After spending a couple of weeks with it on my wrist, I've found plenty to like—though a few frustrating inconsistencies keep it from being the complete package. ### Design: Familiar Yet Premium The Watch 6 might not look all that different from the Watch 5, but that's fine. The Watch 5 was already one of the more refined-looking smartwatches out there, and the 6 continues that trend. The classic circular watchface is flanked by a rotating digital crown on the top-right, a button on the bottom right, and the return of Huawei's X-Tap sensor system in the middle. The overall look is really nice. It doesn't look or feel particularly techy on the wrist, with enough weight that it feels solid without being overly heavy. It weighs around 2.1 ounces and is 0.43 inches thick, so it's far from the thickest wearable I've had on my wrist this year. The nicely contoured edges mean small complaints from other smartwatches—like the odd gap between the strap and your wrist—are non-existent here. Huawei knows how to make a good-looking wearable, that's for sure. ### Key Features - **Advanced health tracking:** Huawei's X-Tap system combines ECG, PPG, and pressure-sensitive sensors. - **Bright 1.5-inch display:** The large AMOLED screen is sharp, vibrant, and bright enough for outdoor use. - **Multi-day battery life:** The Watch 6 can last around three and a half days with the always-on display and health tracking enabled. ### Performance and Health Tracking The Watch 6 is a health-tracking powerhouse. The X-Tap system is the star here, combining ECG, PPG, and pressure-sensitive sensors to give you a comprehensive picture of your health. I found the heart rate monitoring to be accurate during workouts, and the SpO2 readings matched my dedicated pulse oximeter. The sleep tracking is also detailed, breaking down your sleep stages and offering suggestions for improvement. But it's not perfect. The watch sometimes struggled to maintain a GPS lock in dense urban areas, and the auto-workout detection was hit-or-miss. For example, it once logged a 10-minute "walk" while I was sitting at my desk typing. That's the kind of inconsistency that keeps it from being a true fitness companion. ### Smart Features and App Support Here's where the Watch 6 falls short compared to Wear OS or watchOS competitors. The third-party app support is limited, so you won't find many of your favorite apps. You do get notifications, music controls, and basic productivity tools, but if you're looking for a rich app ecosystem, this isn't it. That said, Huawei's Health Glance feature is a nice touch. It gives you a quick overview of your vital stats in one place, and the improved activity tracking is more accurate than before. But if you rely on apps like Strava or Spotify, you might be disappointed. ### Battery Life Battery life is a strong point. With always-on display and health tracking enabled, I got around three and a half days of use. That's impressive for a smartwatch with this many features. If you turn off the always-on display, you can stretch it to five days or more. Charging is fast, too—about an hour to full. ### The Verdict The Huawei Watch 6 is a great smartwatch for health and fitness enthusiasts who prioritize battery life and design over app variety. It's not as smart as the best smartwatches running Wear OS or watchOS, but features like X-Tap, Health Glance, and improved activity tracking make up for a lot. At $499, it's competitively priced, but you'll need to decide if the limited app support is a dealbreaker. > "The Huawei Watch 6 is a premium smartwatch that excels at health tracking and battery life, but its limited app ecosystem holds it back from greatness." If you're deep into the Huawei ecosystem or just want a stylish watch that tracks your health accurately for days, the Watch 6 is worth considering. Just don't expect it to replace your phone for apps.