Launched in Europe at the end of last July, the Huawei Band 7 arrived from the perspective of maintaining the good reputation built up by its predecessors, in addition to being a worthy opponent in the face of strong competition established by brands such as Xiaomi, Amazfit and Samsung.
But does the new version of the smartband have what it takes to meet all these requirements while fulfilling the public’s expectations? That’s what you find out next in our full review.
For those who already have a Huawei Band 6, know: apart from a few details – which can weigh more or less depending on the user – the Band 7 is very similar to its predecessor, equipped with the same lightweight body built in silicone, plastic and glass, with water resistance and good finish.
Being little bigger, thinner and 2 grams lighter, the new version is marketed in red, green, pink and black, but can be found more easily in national retail in the last two variants.
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Despite keeping the screen size, betting once again on a 1.47-inch AMOLED display, the display seems to be a little wider compared to Band 6, but nothing too significant. The displayed colors are vivid, with truly black blacks, and the 194×368 pixel resolution delivers a great appearance for the displayed information, making it impossible to see the pixels.
The brightness level remains the same, being adjustable between 5 different intensities. Unfortunately, there is still no brightness sensor to adjust the brightness automatically, but who knows in the next generation.
At least, as an evolution over the previous generation, the new bracelet has the Always On Display mode, which allows you to keep the screen on, displaying the time, at all times. However, some improvements in this aspect would be very welcome.
Unlike the Mi Band 7 – just to name a direct competitor, the Always On screens do not reflect the display configured for the moment. In fact, the wearer will have to decide between just 5 dials through the bracelet’s menus, but if he doesn’t like any, he’ll just see ships; or the smartband’s completely black screen.
Moving on to the construction, we have here almost a repeat of the last edition. The display’s glass fits smoothly into the plastic body and the silicone strap brings the great quality that we are used to seeing in the brand’s products.
But there is a small difference! Here, we have a clear attempt by Huawei to try to improve the bracelet exchange scheme. Unfortunately, the attempt is not the best and, although it is easier to change the band 7 than the Band 6, the pins reserved for the exchange add negatively to the design of the product, giving it a poorly finished look.
Also, as said, the exchange is not the simplest. Despite being more intuitive, the process can be a little laborious for those who are not used to it. As constructive criticism, it would be great to see the brand adopt the same mechanism here that we saw in the Huawei Fit 2.
In any case, the impressions of the Band 7’s look are exactly the same as those given to the Band 6. Its sober and minimalist design, in line with the good construction, guarantee the bracelet the possibility of fitting into practically any environment or situation, giving it a positive score on this topic.
Showing to be part of Huawei’s new generation of wearables, the Band 7 abandons the system seen in the last generation, Lite OS, to give way to Harmony OS in its 2.0 version – just as we see in other more beefy devices from the brand. However, the change does not make any significant difference in the look, as everything appears to be the same.
The fluidity and paths of the system are exactly the same, and the changes in this aspect are reserved for the slight change of some icons and the addition of a few – but important – features.
When connected to an Android device, you can configure the wristband to respond quickly to your notifications. Other than that, some options reserved for physical activities can add to the experience of those who seek the Band 7 as a companion for their exercise sessions.
In addition to 96 training modes, ranging from outdoor running and cycling to weightlifting and yoga, the bracelet features a menu dedicated to your workout status, with displays for VO2Max levels and training load, and a “ Healthy Life”, which shows the daily indexes for the user to have more positive habits.
Despite the news, this is not yet the generation responsible for bringing a built-in GPS; so if you want to track the route you take on a run or walk, you’ll still have to carry your cell phone in tow.
Here, we have the possibility of recording the same body indexes seen in other wearables of the type, being possible to monitor their heart rate, blood oxygenation levels, stress and sleep phases; In addition to being able to track your menstrual cycle. However, sometimes we noticed a certain difficulty in recording indices such as SPO2 and stress, even with the arm completely immobile and resting on a surface.
Difficulties aside, all this information can be viewed through the screen of the bracelet itself, however, everything can be better monitored through Huawei Health, on the cell phone.
Huawei Health
Available for Android and iOS, in general, Huawei Health works in a very similar way to that seen in other applications such as Google, Samsung and Apple, and tries to gather all the data collected about the user’s health in one place, keeping including a complete history.
With the wearable properly connected via Bluetooth to the smartphone, the app presents a full description of the steps taken, physical activities performed, heart rate, oxygenation and stress rates, and sleep records – including naps. In addition, it allows you to make more advanced adjustments in what involves measurements, alarm settings and the choice of dials for the bracelet.
Out of the 9 watch faces available by default through the Band 7 itself, it is possible to choose and sync a new watch face from Huawei Health. In addition to being able to choose a photo to display on the screen, you can choose from a hundred different displays through the app’s gallery. However, it is worth noting that the vast majority are paid, with values ranging from R$ 1.99 to R$ 20.
class=”darkreader darkreader–sync” media=”screen” >
Despite promising the same battery life as the previous generation, the observed reality is quite different.
In our tests, with Always On mode on all the time, constant automatic measurements of heart rate, oxygenation and stress levels, apart from occasional physical activity sessions, the battery was able to last for just over 3 full days.
This brand is far from the value promised by Huawei, which discloses 14 days of autonomy for typical use and up to 10 days for intense use.
Apparently, such a discrepancy can be thanks to the screen on all the time, since in our tests, without the feature, the estimate is that the autonomy would jump to something close to the 10 days promised by the brand.
However, this cannot be used as an excuse. If the feature is present and widely publicized, the expectation of those who buy it is that they will be able to use the full potential of the wearable while enjoying the promised autonomy.
At least, using the charger cable that comes in the box – which is the same as the previous generation – the bracelet is able to have its battery completely filled in 1 hour. Still, negative point for Huawei.
But then, is the Huawei Band 7 worth it or not? Despite being the direct successor of an excellent smartband, giving this adjective to the new generation may not be very fair. This, because despite maintaining some strengths of the past generation, the bracelet ends up leaving something to be desired in important aspects.
Here, we have the same good screen and the same great build quality, with the welcome addition of features like Always On Display, new user health tracking menus and the arrival of HarmonyOS – which despite not bringing big changes now, can be a powerful ally in the future, bringing functionality to the bracelet.
But as I said, not everything is a party. Huawei’s attempt to change the mechanism for changing the bracelets, in addition to not being exactly good, takes away the possibility of backward compatibility with the accessories of the previous generation.
Other than that, for those who choose to use all the features of the wearable – something that is more than fair, they will have to live with an autonomy that is far from acceptable for this type of device. Of course a system update could fix this in the future, but we have no way of guessing.
With all the points on the table, for those who insist on a device from the brand, it might be better to save just over R$100 and buy the Band 6 – which we released the analysis last year. After all, with the exception of AOD, the differences are minimal.
For those who want to avoid betting and insist on the screen always on, it might be better to invest a little more and buy a Huawei Watch Fit 2 or keep the same price range and go for models from other brands, such as the Xiaomi Mi Band 7.
Positive and negative points
good quality screengreat finishAlways On Modefast charging
Lack of backward compatibility in the braceletsFew free watchfacesAutonomy leaves something to be desiredAbsence of GPS and auto brightness
But what about you, what do you think of Huawei’s new smartband? Tell us here in the comments! As usual, the best prices for the Band 7 can be found in the cards below! A hug and see you next!