Huawei Watch Fit 4: The Budget Smartwatch Embarrassing Flagships on Features

When a budget smartwatch packs dual-band GPS with full-color offline maps, a display brighter than most flagships, and week-long battery life for under £150, something remarkable has happened. The Huawei Watch Fit 4 does not just compete with expensive watches – it actively embarrasses them on features that matter for fitness tracking.

The value proposition is staggering. Features you would expect on a £300+ Garmin appear here at half the price. But there is a real cost to that bargain, and it is not just the Apple Watch-inspired design that borders on plagiarism.

Design & Build

The Huawei Watch Fit 4 weighs approximately 27 grams without the strap – light enough that you forget it is on your wrist during sleep tracking. The aluminum alloy case measures 43.0 × 38.0 × 9.5mm, making it thinner than its predecessor while maintaining a premium feel. Huawei softened the angular edges from the Fit 3, creating curves that flow more naturally against the wrist.

The elephant in the room: this is an unabashed Apple Watch clone. The square case, the rotating crown, the button placement – Huawei did not even try to hide the inspiration. But if you want that aesthetic at one-third the price, the imitation is remarkably well-executed.

The 5 ATM water resistance handles swimming, though hot showers are not recommended despite the rating. Build quality feels solid for the price, though the lack of sapphire glass means you will want to be careful about scratches.

Color options include Purple, Grey, White, and Black. Here is a critical detail: NFC for contactless payments is only available on the Grey model. If you want tap-to-pay functionality, your color choice is made for you.

Display

The 1.82-inch AMOLED screen is where the Fit 4 truly humiliates pricier competition. Peak brightness hits 2,000 nits – brighter than watches costing £400+. The 480×408 resolution (346 PPI) delivers sharp text and vibrant colors that make budget competitors look washed out.

Always-On Display works as expected, though enabling it cuts battery life to about four days. The screen is responsive to touch and crown rotation, making navigation smooth even with sweaty fingers mid-workout.

Performance & Features

Here is where the value proposition gets complicated. The Fit 4 delivers genuinely impressive outdoor tracking while stumbling on basic smartwatch conveniences.

The Outstanding:

Dual-band GPS (L1 + L5) with support for GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, and QZSS satellite systems delivers significantly better accuracy than the previous generation. The tracked routes rival those from watches costing four or five times as much. For a sub-£150 watch to match flagship GPS precision is remarkable.

*Full-color offline maps with navigation* are the real showstopper. Import routes and follow turn-by-turn directions without your phone – a feature typically reserved for £300+ outdoor watches from Garmin. The barometric altimeter tracks elevation changes accurately, making this genuinely capable for hiking and trail running.

The TruSeen 6.0 heart rate sensor delivers impressive accuracy. During interval runs, readings stay consistent with chest strap data within 2–3 BPM. Continuous monitoring throughout the day feels reliable, and SpO2 readings align with dedicated pulse oximeters.

The Frustrating:

HarmonyOS runs smoothly, but the smartwatch ecosystem is severely limited. There is no Google Play Store, no robust third-party app selection, and the Huawei AppGallery offers a fraction of what you would find on Wear OS or watchOS. If you want Spotify control, meditation apps, or productivity tools, you will be disappointed.

The NFC limitation is maddening. Even on the Grey model with NFC hardware, contactless payments do not work with Google Pay or Apple Pay in most Western markets. Huawei Pay has limited bank support outside China, making this feature nearly useless for most international buyers.

The Huawei Health companion app is cluttered and overwhelming. It throws every possible metric at you without clear hierarchy, making simple tasks like reviewing yesterday's workout harder than it should be. Bluetooth 5.2 handles phone connectivity well, though occasional disconnects have been reported. The speaker and microphone allow call handling from the wrist, with acceptable audio quality for brief conversations.

Health & Fitness

This is the Fit 4's reason for existence, and it delivers emphatically. Over 100 sports modes cover everything from running and cycling to paddleboarding and parkour. The watch auto-detects common activities like walking and running, starting tracking without manual intervention.

Running metrics are comprehensive: pace, cadence, heart rate zones, elevation gain, and route mapping all display clearly during workouts. GPS lock typically takes just 5–8 seconds – faster than watches at twice the price.

Swimming tracking works adequately in the pool, though occasional missed laps during flip turns can happen. For open water swimming, the GPS tracks routes accurately.

Sleep tracking runs automatically with detailed breakdowns of sleep stages, respiratory rate, and SpO2 levels. The watch is light enough to wear comfortably all night. Stress monitoring, menstrual cycle tracking, and breathing exercises round out a comprehensive wellness suite.

Battery Life

This is where the Fit 4 embarrasses flagship smartwatches most thoroughly. Seven days of typical use – workouts, notifications, continuous heart rate monitoring – is the realistic baseline.

Disable Always-On Display and reduce workout frequency, and ten days is achievable. Enable AOD and track workouts daily, and four days is the floor. Compare this to the Pixel Watch 3's 24-hour rating (with AOD) or the Apple Watch SE's 18-hour claim, and the difference is stark.

Charging takes 75 minutes from empty via the proprietary wireless cradle. The cable is yet another accessory to pack for travel, but the week-long runtime means you are charging infrequently enough for it not to annoy.

Who It Is For

The Huawei Watch Fit 4 is ideal for: - Runners, hikers, and cyclists who prioritize GPS accuracy and outdoor navigation - Fitness enthusiasts who do not need extensive third-party apps - Budget-conscious buyers wanting flagship-level tracking features - Anyone tired of daily charging routines - International travelers who need offline maps on the wrist

Who Should Skip It

Avoid the Fit 4 if you: - Need contactless payments via Google Pay or Apple Pay - Want a robust app ecosystem with Spotify, meditation apps, or productivity tools - Prefer Google or Apple smartwatch platforms - Need ECG monitoring (available on the Pro model, not the standard Fit 4) - Live in the United States, where availability is limited and unofficial

The Verdict

Score: 84/100

The Huawei Watch Fit 4 is a study in contradictions: flagship fitness features trapped in a hobbled smartwatch ecosystem. The dual-band GPS, offline maps, and week-long battery at under £150 make expensive watches look foolish. But the limited apps, neutered NFC, and overwhelming companion app prevent this from being an unqualified recommendation.

For fitness-first users who view smartwatch features as nice-to-haves rather than essentials, this is exceptional value. The tracking accuracy rivals watches costing three times as much.

But if you want the full smartwatch experience – rich apps, seamless payments, refined software – the Galaxy Watch FE (£199) or Pixel Watch 3 (£349) buy meaningful improvements in software ecosystem, despite worse battery life and less impressive GPS.

The Fit 4 does not embarrass flagships universally. It embarrasses them specifically on the metrics that matter for serious fitness tracking while exposing Huawei's limitations in building a competitive smartwatch platform. Know which category matters more to you before buying.