The HUAWEI Watch D3 rocks impressive battery life and health features

I hate that I love HUAWEI devices so much. They offer impressive design and tech, but are pushed down by the US ban, which means they have no official Google support and have limited availability in some regions (including, of course, the US). That makes recommending some HUAWEI devices a little tricky, but before I got my hands on the D3, I had never actually tried a HUAWEI smartwatch before, and I’d heard that the lack of Google support wasn’t such a big deal for its wearables.

I’ve been testing the HUAWEI Watch D3 for a couple of weeks now, and I am so glad to say that this (mostly) turned out to be the case. Not only that, but it also has unique features that could beat the mainstream competition.

HUAWEI is a master at design

If I had to pick my favorite tech brand for its designs, it would have to be HUAWEI. Its devices are impressively good-looking, and the higher-end models are made of premium materials, built to feel structurally solid. I’ve mentioned in the past that some of these seem to be “crafted with the ability of a master watchmaker.” Everything is perfectly in place, and nothing feels cheap.

The HUAWEI Watch D3 is €449. It’s not exactly among the most expensive smartwatches, but it’s getting up there. It certainly isn’t a budget proposition, and it shows.

This watch looks and feels great. It has a square aluminum case, with a crown and a button on the right side. At first sight, it looks much like a certain other smartwatch series (you know the one).

I found the HUAWEI Watch D3 to be super comfortable for long wearing sessions. The case’s weight clocks in at 40g, which isn’t necessarily the lightest, but it somehow feels more balanced than my Apple Watch. Maybe the larger band helps with that, even though its chunkier size was a bit odd at first.

By the way, there is a reason why this strap is larger, wider, and thicker than usual. It’s because it has an inflatable cuff used to measure your blood pressure. I am not necessarily a fan of the thicker band, but you get used to it pretty quickly, and those who value this feature will deem it a worthy sacrifice.

It’s worth mentioning this size is actually a slight upgrade over the HUAWEI Watch D2. The HUAWEI Watch D3’s wristband is 25.5mm wide, while the D2’s is 26.5mm wide. The D3’s strap is also 7.5g lighter.

One thing to keep in mind is that you’ll need to do a bit of work on the sizing first. It comes with two straps, and you need to pick the medium or large one depending on your wrist size. Then, you’ll have to spend some time adjusting the length, keeping in mind that the blood pressure accuracy will be affected by the fit. It comes with instructions, and the process took me about five minutes.

Once done, though, you never have to think about it again. It uses a clasp mechanism, much like traditional watches. I actually really like this system, as it is more refined and the custom fit will need no adjustments later. You just open the clasp, slide your hand in, and lock it in. It will always fit perfectly.

There is one major concern, though. The HUAWEI Watch D3 isn’t safe to get wet. This is likely because it has a strong focus on medical uses, rather than being a water activity or sports tool. It has activity tracking, but it’s mainly a medical-grade product. Not only is there no mention of an IP rating, but HUAWEI explicitly mentions you should not get it wet. If you do, HUAWEI advises that you wipe and dry it completely before taking a blood pressure reading.

Oh, and there is one more thing you may find annoying long-term. The inflatable airbag is a consumable product that will eventually wear out. You’ll need to replace it at some point. I looked into it and the process seems a bit complex. You can either buy the whole strap and airbag through HUAWEI’s partners, or you can reach out to an authorized dealer/official support to order the airbag replacement. This seems to be due to the fact that it is a certified medical component, so HUAWEI needs to adhere to medical regulations. Not exactly a deal-breaker, but it’s worth noting, as you’ll eventually have to deal with this.

Holy battery life!

Here’s one area where the HUAWEI Watch D3 beats most of its direct competition. The battery life is extremely good, especially considering all the health features it has.

After setting it up, I charged the HUAWEI Watch D3 to 100% and had no idea what I was in for. HUAWEI claims a 6-day battery life under “typical use”, but it blew those expectations out of the water. I didn’t have to charge it again for over 11 days.

That’s with most tracking features enabled, and wearing it day and night. The only ones I didn’t keep enabled automatically are skin temperature and blood pressure measurements, which are apparently the most resource-hungry. I did manually run both about twice or three times a day, though. Regardless, keep in mind that my 11 days of battery life came as a result of having those two features disabled. If you enable them all and keep them on, chances are you’ll probably get closer to the six advertised days.

I used it for the normal stuff, too. This includes checking notifications, looking into weather reports, setting timers, and the occasional call.

This battery life is impressive to me. For comparison, Garmin is known for its incredible smartwatch battery life, and I have the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro Solar ($1099.99 at Amazon), which gets some help from solar power to extend its longevity. I struggle to get that one past eight or nine days on a single charge. That said, I don’t spend much time in direct sunlight and have all features on, including LTE and GPS. Garmin does advertise up to 34 days with good solar coverage, so depending on your usage, you can get much more juice out of it.

It’s kind of hard to believe its battery life is this good. I suppose that’s good for a product meant to monitor your vitals.

How was my experience using the HUAWEI Watch D3?

Of course, what matters most is the general experience. How does it perform? Is it a good tracker and medical tool? How good is it as a general smartwatch?

All things considered, the HUAWEI Watch D3’s performance is nothing to complain about. The touchscreen is smooth and responsive. I never felt it slow down. It also has a gorgeous, bright AMOLED panel, known for its deep blacks and vibrant colors. It measures 1.92 inches and has a resolution of 408 x 480.

HUAWEI specifies that the screen has a maximum of 3,000 nits of brightness. There are brighter displays out there now, but this is still in line with premium competitors like the Apple Watch Ultra 4 ($799 at Amazon) and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 ($379.99 at Amazon), which were already known for having bright displays. I had no issues viewing it, even outdoors in direct sunlight. This is a nice upgrade, considering the HUAWEI Watch D2 had half the peak brightness, at 1,500 nits.

Our main complaint with HUAWEI devices is always software. Remember, HUAWEI is banned from working with American companies, which always means there is no official Google support. This seriously hinders smartphones and tablets, but smartwatches are a whole other beast.

The watch runs on its own Harmony OS software, and all you need to operate it is the HUAWEI Health app, which is available for both Android and iOS. This means the HUAWEI Watch D3 is compatible with the vast majority of devices.

That said, remnants of the US ban remain, which made it harder for me to use here in the States. For example, it uses Curve Pay for contactless NFC payments, which isn’t available here. We also get no access to the AppGallery or official ECG device certification — these are all pretty important features. This is only an issue in the US, so if you’re in Europe, for example, you’ll get even more mileage than I did out of this nifty watch.

I later managed to get full access to all HUAWEI features by borrowing a Mexican HUAWEI account. The AppGallery is nice to have, but honestly, the app portfolio is very limited. There are some apps for golfers, runners, Pickleball players, and soccer players. There is also a Flappy Bird-like game, if you’re into that. Additionally, you’ll get access to a watch face market with a wide range of options for purchase. This is, in my opinion, the most exciting part of getting full access to a HUAWEI account.

Even if you can’t access any extra features, you’ll get a lot of functionality out-of-the-box. This includes basic notifications, shortcuts for weather reports, and buttons to control my smartphone’s media. I was able to use the alarm, timer, and stopwatch without problems. There’s also a compass, a calculator app, a flashlight function (turns the screen bright white), a music app, phone call access, and more.

The stock customization options are also pretty good. You get a decent amount of included watch faces, and I was quite surprised by how much you can personalize them. You can change what certain sections display and get full shortcut flexibility. You can even change colors to your liking.

But health tracking is where the HUAWEI Watch D3 excels. The fact that it can measure my blood pressure is especially exciting. I don’t necessarily need to know my blood pressure all the time, but many of you will value it, whether it’s for health reasons or to optimize your training.

If it’s important to you, the watch also features ABPM (Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring), and since it’s a certified medical device in many markets, many of you may be able to use it for medical records. It essentially programs blood pressure readings throughout the day and night, and keeps the records handy to provide to your medical professional. This feature can reduce your battery life to one day, and since it’s a bit excessive for my needs, I only tested it for a few hours. It’s there if you need it, though!

Of course, there were many other metrics I actually care to know more about. It accurately tracked my steps, sleep, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, stress, and general activity. And I was able to access my general health details in the HUAWEI Health app.

With AppGallery access you get the ECG function, and you can use the watch’s sensor to get a reading. Additionally, you’ll get extra health features such as Pulse wave arrhythmia analysis, Arterial stiffness detection, and Sleep breathing awareness.

Who should buy the HUAWEI Watch D3?

So, if it’s available for purchase where you live, is the HUAWEI Watch D3 a good option? After all, it has plenty of competition.

Those who care about health and activity tracking will be spoiled by the HUAWEI Watch D3. It’s fully featured with access to a ton of crucial health metrics, and the HUAWEI Health app also summarizes everything for you, presenting all your stats in an easy-to-view interface.

Still, this is made to be a medical-grade, health-focused smartwatch, and has a niche market in mind. If you’ll be using the advanced tracking features for health reasons, it is an impressive, innovative product that may even help you stay healthier and live longer.

Those who have no need for the specialized readings might be better off elsewhere, though. If you want health and activity tracking and don’t necessarily need a medical-grade ECG and BP reader to be checking on you all the time, any other regular smartwatch will work great. There are also dedicated fitness trackers that are much lighter, smaller, and more affordable.

I feel a bit spoiled because I use an Apple Watch for daily use, and also have a Garmin Fenix 9 Pro I can pull out when I really need that great battery life and extra sensors. But if you’ll live with only one product and want a good balance of dedicated health tracking, excellent battery life, and enough smartwatch-style features to get through the day, then the HUAWEI Watch D3 is a great middle ground.