Huawei Watch 6 Pro Space Edition review: Luxury meets health

Huawei primarily uses paper and cardboard for its packaging, with hardly any visible plastic components. However, the outer packaging is shrink-wrapped in plastic film, meaning the manufacturer has not eliminated plastic entirely.

Huawei provides no specific information on the Watch 6 Pro's carbon footprint, the proportion of recycled materials used, or its repairability. Details on long-term software support are also lacking. The battery is not designed to be replaced by the user.

The Huawei Watch 6 Pro Space Edition is compatible with both Android smartphones and iPhones. Setup requires the Huawei Health app, which can be downloaded directly from the App Store on iOS. On Android, the app is not available in the Google Play Store but can be downloaded from Huawei's AppGallery or app stores operated by other manufacturers, such as Samsung and Xiaomi. A Huawei ID is also required to pair the watch. The app then guides users through the setup process and the necessary permission settings.

The watch runs HarmonyOS 7. The interface is clearly organized and largely intuitive to use. In addition to the touchscreen, the watch features a rotating, clickable crown and another button on the right side of the case. The crown can be used to scroll through menus and select apps. Pressing it opens the app overview or returns to the watch face. The lower button supports both single and double presses. A single press opens a quick-access menu with three customizable functions, while a double press launches a preset action, such as Curve Pay.

Swipe gestures provide quick access to widgets, settings, and other features. The app overview can be displayed in a grid layout, with the crown also allowing users to zoom in and out. Various watch faces let users customize the smartwatch's appearance, with additional designs available through Huawei Health.

One notable feature is gesture control, which worked reliably in our testing. A double pinch or a double swiping motion with the fingers can trigger selected functions without touching the display. The new wrist-rotation gesture can be used to silence alarms or exit menus, for example.

The Huawei Watch 6 Pro supports Huawei's Celia voice assistant, but only when paired with a compatible Huawei smartphone. The feature is unavailable on Android smartphones from other manufacturers or on iPhones. Alternative voice assistants such as Google Gemini and Siri cannot be used on the watch either.

The Huawei Watch 6 Pro offers a wide range of health and fitness features. In addition to continuously monitoring heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and stress levels, the smartwatch also tracks sleep and records numerous types of workouts. Other features include ECG functionality, skin temperature measurement, and Health Glance, a health overview feature that is said to measure up to eleven health metrics in around 60 seconds. The revised X-Tap sensor on the side of the case plays a central role in this.

All recorded data is consolidated in the Huawei Health app, where measurements, long-term trends, and workouts are presented in a clear, organized manner. The app also offers personalized activity goals and various assessments of physical condition. No paid subscription is required to use the basic health features.

The Huawei Watch 6 Pro continuously monitors heart rate and can alert users to irregularities in heart rhythm. An electrocardiogram (ECG) can also be recorded using the X-Tap sensor on the side of the case.

To assess the accuracy of optical heart rate monitoring, we compared the Watch 6 Pro with a Polar H10 chest strap. At rest, both devices recorded exactly 60 beats per minute. The smartwatch also delivered good results during a bike ride: across three comparison measurements, the mean absolute percentage deviation was just 2.3%.

However, a comparison of the recorded heart rate curves reveals differences in how quickly the devices respond to changes. The Watch 6 Pro tracks the overall pattern of exertion well but responds somewhat more slowly to rapid changes in heart rate than the chest strap. Brief peaks in exertion and sudden drops, in particular, are sometimes displayed with a delay or appear less pronounced. Nevertheless, the optical sensor delivers convincing performance overall.

The Watch 6 Pro can also monitor blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂). In our comparison measurements with a Braun Pulse Oximeter 1, the smartwatch consistently displayed readings one to two percentage points higher. The results are therefore relatively close. We explain what to keep in mind when interpreting such measurements in a separate article.

The Huawei Watch 6 Pro automatically tracks sleep, distinguishing between light, deep, and REM sleep, as well as periods of wakefulness. In addition to sleep duration, it records metrics such as nighttime heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate. Its features also include monitoring breathing for potential irregularities during sleep.

The results are clearly presented in the Huawei Health app. A sleep score assesses overnight recovery, while charts illustrate the progression of individual sleep stages. The app also provides insights into sleep quality and recommendations for improving sleep habits. Longer-term trends can also be tracked.

The analysis is comprehensive and provides useful guidance on personal sleep habits. As with other smartwatches, however, sleep stage classifications are estimates based on sensor data. The Watch 6 Pro cannot replace a medical sleep study.

The Huawei Watch 6 Pro supports more than 100 workout modes, including running, cycling, swimming, and various indoor sports. Depending on the activity, the smartwatch records metrics such as heart rate, workout duration, calories burned, speed, and distance covered. For outdoor activities, the integrated GNSS tracks the route even without a connected smartphone.

Detailed workout analyses are available in Huawei Health after each session. In addition to heart rate curves, these include metrics such as training load and estimated recovery time. Training plans and running analyses also help users plan future workouts. The app provides extensive data analysis that should appeal to both casual exercisers and more serious athletes.

The Huawei Watch 6 Pro supports dual-band GNSS and can record routes independently of a smartphone. For our real-world test, we compared the smartwatch with the Garmin Venu 2 during a bike ride of around 9.3 kilometers.

The results are convincing overall. While the Garmin recorded a distance of 9.33 kilometers, the Huawei Watch 6 Pro measured 9.38 kilometers. The difference is just 50 meters, or around 0.5%. The recorded routes also match closely over much of the ride.

A closer look reveals some minor inaccuracies, however. On the paths around the lake, the two recorded routes mostly remain close together. At some intersections and around bends, the Huawei watch deviates slightly more from the actual route. Minor offsets and occasional outliers are also visible between buildings. Overall, however, route tracking remains good.

More significant differences emerge in the recorded elevation gain. While the Garmin Venu 2 recorded a total ascent of 36 meters, the Huawei Watch 6 Pro reported 81 meters. Comparing both routes with Google Earth's terrain profile reveals nearly identical elevation profiles, but also numerous minor fluctuations in elevation. Since Google Earth calculates elevations using its own terrain data, this comparison does not reliably establish which watch measures the actual total ascent more accurately.

For navigation, Huawei offers offline maps and the ability to transfer routes to the watch. The Watch 6 Pro also features a dedicated outdoor expedition mode designed to make navigation easier on longer hikes, among other activities. This makes the smartwatch suitable not only for recording workouts but also for navigating without a smartphone.

The Huawei Watch 6 Pro Space Edition delivers good battery life in our testing. With the always-on display (AoD) disabled, the smartwatch lasts around six days under our usage conditions. As expected, enabling the always-on display reduces battery life, although it remains strong. In our test, the battery level dropped from 100% to 8% over four days and 17 hours.

The first low-battery warning appears at 20% remaining charge. At 15%, the watch recommends switching to power-saving mode. We did not activate this mode during our test, so the recorded battery life reflects use without additional power-saving measures.

Charging performance is another positive aspect. With the included magnetic charging pad, the watch charges from 8% to 100% in just 62 minutes. However, a power adapter is not included, so actual charging speeds may vary depending on the USB power adapter used.