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Review of HUAWEI WATCH D smartwatch with blood pressure tracking function

 

Functions for tracking heart rate, blood oxygen and body temperature have long been commonplace for wearable devices. The ECG function is also present in many high-end smartwatches.

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There have also been models on the market that track blood pressure for a long time, but their results were based on mathematical calculations and often turned out to be incorrect.

An attempt to change this was made by the developers of the HUAWEI WATCH D watch , offering users to monitor blood pressure levels thanks to a full-fledged blood pressure monitor with an inflatable cuff . Some time ago, such watches came to our test lab and today we will talk about what they are capable of and what they had to lose in order to realize their main feature.

PRICE, PACKAGING AND COMPLETE SET

The idea of ​​a watch with an inflatable tonometer cuff is not new – the medical equipment manufacturer Omron has a similar solution, but it is very expensive – from 75 to 90 thousand rubles. HUAWEI WATCH D does not seem expensive against their background and is comparable in price to smartwatches in the upper price segment. In the Russian market, they can be found for 25-30 thousand rubles. The watch is available in a single color “graphite black” with a black fluoroelastomer strap.

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The packaging is standard – a small, slightly flattened cube made of thick and pleasant to the touch cardboard. The box is painted white, and all the inscriptions and logos on the lid are embossed in rose gold. The image of the device from the front of the box is also present, and the reverse side contains information about the rules of transportation, the manufacturer and precautions, as well as the designation that the model has protection according to the IP68 standard and supports the Bluetooth protocol.

The watch lies in a cardboard recess with a plastic film on which a QR code is applied that opens the video instruction. Inside the installed and snapped strap is a mold of soft foam that helps the strap hold its shape in the package. Behind a pair of cardboard partitions in the box, you can find a compartment with a very impressive package, mostly related to the main function. In addition to the watch itself with a strap already installed out of the box and a large size L cuff, the kit includes :

  • Half strap in size M without buckle with cuff of the same size installed
  • Replacement textile pouch size L
  • Replacement textile pouch size M
  • Metal plug for compressor
  • Paper centimeter for measuring the wrist
  • Wireless charging with fixed USB-A cable
  • Quick Guide
  • A guide to correctly fitting the cuff strap and measuring blood pressure
  • Warranty card

SPECIFICATIONS

  • Model Code: MLY-B10 
  • Minimum smartphone OS requirement: HarmonyOS 2 or later, Android 6.0 or later, iOS 12.0 or later
  • Size: 51×38×13.6mm
  • Weight, g: 41 (without strap), 91 (with L size strap)
  • Screen: 1.64″ AMOLED color screen, resolution: 456 x 280 pixels, touch
  • Battery: no information
  • Charging type: wireless (5V, 2A)
  • Processor: no information
  • Built-in memory: no information
  • RAM: no information
  • Working time: up to 7 days of intensive work
  • Connectivity: GPS, Bluetooth 5.1 with BLE/BR/EDR support, NFC (not for payment)
  • Waterproof: IP68
  • Speaker: no 
  • Microphone: no 
  • Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, optical heart rate monitor, ambient light sensor, temperature sensor, hall sensor, differential pressure sensor
  • Monitoring: steps, TrueSleep, running, heart rate, calories, stress, blood oxygen (SpO2), ECG, blood pressure, temperature
  • Other: SMS notifications, notifications about calls and changes in the weather forecast, vibrating alert

APPEARANCE AND SCREEN

The manufacturer took the appearance of the HUAWEI Watch Fit fitness bracelet as the basis for the design of its tonometer watch, adding angular shapes and better materials to it, and at the same time significantly increasing the shape in size. You certainly can’t call this model thin and light, but there are reasons for this in the form of a mini-compressor built into the case, as well as a fairly wide bracelet. On a large male hand it looks normal, but on a thin female hand it looks a bit large.

It is worth noting that the watch case is made according to the IP68 dust and moisture protection standard, but it is strictly not recommended to swim or even take a shower in them. There are no programs for swimming in the exercises, and hot water when taking a shower can harm the compressor and disable it. However, a light ingress of water when washing hands or during rain does not harm the watch in any way, as well as sweat from the wrist during physical exertion. Unless a wet cuff can irritate the skin and require washing over time, as it absorbs sweat well. The fabric cover of the cuff is easy to remove, but putting it back on is already more difficult.

The strap is made of fluoroelastomer, and the quality of workmanship is not worse than that of the GT3 line, that is, with good wear resistance. Its thickness is as much as 30 mm, so it will be more difficult to find a replacement for another one if desired than on a model with a 20 or 22 mm strap, and it is unlikely that there will be a cuff mount. One of the ends of the cuff is attached to the bottom of the strap (the other end is attached to the pump from the bottom of the watch), and on the top there is a lock with a folding clasp that holds the watch very securely on the hand.

As materials for the watch case, the manufacturer uses durable aluminum alloy in the frame area, as well as glossy plastic on the back cover. The latter collects greasy traces and dirt well. The screen on top, as well as the sensor area below, is covered with glass. According to the manufacturer, the protective glass of the screen is well scratch resistant, and we can confirm that in a month of everyday use, not a single scratch appeared on the screen and case. The screen collects traces well, but thanks to the oleophobic coating, they are erased quite easily with the same hand. Under the glass, the screen is surrounded by fairly wide frames of 3-4 mm, but thanks to the OLED matrix and dark themes, you can only notice this when the screen is off and at a certain angle of light.

The OLED matrix used in this watch has good brightness, which allows the screen to remain readable in clear weather in the sun. The resolution of the screen is not a record for this type of device, but the pixel density of 326 ppi is sufficient so that even very small text does not seem pixelated. Of the minuses, we can only note PWM at any brightness level, but all the watch models that came to us for testing sinned with this. It is unlikely that even people with sensitive vision will get tired of their eyes from a short look at the readings from the clock. 

The screen touch only supports taps and swipes in four directions for navigation. In addition, there are two functional oval buttons on the case to control the clock. The top one with an embossed line in the middle and the HOME mark next to the end is responsible for entering the main menu, as well as for returning to the main watch screen. The lower one is surrounded by a red border and is marked with the word Health at the end of the frame, and by default it is responsible for launching the main function of the device – measuring blood pressure. If desired, it can be reassigned to many other actions – for example, to start the desired workout or control music on your smartphone.

INTERFACE, FUNCTIONALITY AND AUTONOMY

The interface is classic for HUAWEI wearable devices based on proprietary Harmony OS. A curtain with quick functions like finding a phone is pulled out from above, and a notification screen from a smartphone opens from the bottom. Swipe from left to right to open the widget with weather and music control from your smartphone, and the reverse in turn will help you move between widgets related to various indicators of health and activity tracking. The watchfaces embedded in the device’s memory are mostly digital, and some display the latest blood pressure readings, as well as the current heart rate, steps and calories.

The main menu, accessible by pressing the HOME button, is made in the form of a vertical list with a subsection structure. Here the user has access to the training section with a choice of 70 options for exercises and sports, including crossfit, various dances and biathlon. There is also standard functionality in the form of music control, remote shooting and viewing notifications from a smartphone, weather forecast, alarm clock, stopwatch, timer and flashlight.

You can respond to notifications, including those from Telegram, using prepared phrases and emojis. The list of prepared phrases can be expanded through the application with your own options. But you will not find the functionality of Bluetooth calls here. The watch has neither a microphone nor a speaker, and when calling a smartphone from the watch, you can only reject the call or send an SMS with a quick response from four prepared phrases.

In addition, the built-in memory of the watch is not available to the user, so there is no possibility to install third-party applications. The specifications indicate support for NFC, but the possibility of contactless payment using HUAWEI WATCH D is not yet available. At least we did not find such a setting either in the application or on the watch itself. Perhaps it will be added over time through a firmware update.

However, most of these shortcomings can be explained by the fact that the WATCH D has a slightly different purpose, namely, more focused on tracking the health of the user. In the developer’s home region, this watch has a medical device certification. According to HUAWEI, the main function for tracking blood pressure here has the same minimum error of ± 3 millimeters of mercury as conventional blood pressure monitors.

Since the measurement on the wrist takes place along the thinner radial artery, then for a more accurate result, it is necessary to follow the rules for the correct position when measuring. The hand holding the watch should be pointing diagonally towards the opposite shoulder so that the watch is flush with the heart and the screen away from the wearer. In this case, the watch should not touch the chest, the second hand should hold the elbow of the arm being measured, the user should sit straight with the feet fully pressed to the floor, and also try to relax and not talk. When using the function, the built-in pump inflates the cuff with pressure up to 40 kPa, and does it almost silently. When the measurement is completed, the watch will notify the user with vibration.

We have repeatedly tested the measurement of pressure, comparing the results with the Boulle BL-PMA750 shoulder tonometer, which is often used in everyday life. With a measurement difference of 1-2 minutes on the watch, fairly close indicators are obtained both for the upper and lower values ​​of blood pressure with a difference of up to 8 mm Hg. Art. Given the compactness and fairly good accuracy, the watch can be confidently used to monitor pressure while traveling.

As for the ECG measurement functionality, it is identical to what we saw in the HUAWEI WATCH GT3 Pro smartwatch. As there, the user needs to put his index finger on the flat button for 30 seconds and try not to move while the watch draws a cardiogram. For the entire time of testing this function, the watch drew only a cardiogram with a sinus rhythm, that is, without deviations from the norm.

When measuring heart rate and oxygen saturation in the blood (SpO2), the results are as close as possible in terms of values ​​with a pocket pulse oximeter. However, this is the norm for most modern smartwatches and fitness bracelets.

The watch can also measure temperature and stress levels, as well as monitor the user’s sleep. There are no complaints about sleep indicators. The phases of sleep, as well as the wake-up time of HUAWEI WATCH D, are shown very accurately. As for the temperature indicators from the skin of the wrist, which were 2-4 degrees lower than the usual axillary indicators, the values ​​​​for the most part depended on the ambient temperature – in living quarters they were almost always within the normal range of 32 to 34 degrees for a given body area.

Stress, on the other hand, was 90 percent of the time at a moderate level during wakefulness and always at a low level during sleep.

The manufacturer promises up to 7 days of autonomy. With real everyday use, we had enough hours for an average of 8-10 days. Pulse, oxygen, stress, temperature, and sleep were monitored constantly, the main pressure function was used a couple of times a day, and the ECG was used a couple of times a week.

The watch is charged using a wireless charger that magnetizes towards the back. With a full discharge, it will take about 85 minutes to replenish energy up to 50%, and a little more than 3 hours for a full discharge . Charging HUAWEI WATCH D from a smartphone with reverse wireless charging will not work, as the strap does not allow you to position the watch evenly on your mobile device.

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