The HUAWEI Watch Fit 4 Pro is a great pick for Android users that crave classic Apple Watch style

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then HUAWEI’s Watch Fit 4 Pro is quite the compliment. With design cues and interface elements that will feel unmistakably familiar to Apple Watch users, the fitness-focused smartwatch carves out a niche by offering comfort, excellent battery life, and a suite of health-tracking features, all at a price that undercuts competitors. After one week of wearing the watch, I’m very tempted to keep it in rotation.

It’s hard to see a minimalist, rounded-square smartwatch and not immediately think of the Apple Watch. The HUAWEI Watch Fit 4 Pro — the first “Pro” watch in HUAWEI’s Fit series — bears a striking resemblance to its Cupertino counterpart, even featuring a flat sapphire crystal display just like Apple’s Ultra lineup. Its 1.82-inch AMOLED screen is bright and crisp, and I found it easily readable both indoors and under direct sunlight, with peak brightness reaching up to 3,000 nits (again, echoing the Ultra).

The rotating crown and single back button further reinforce the Apple-esque design language. At first glance, the Fit 4 Pro looks like a hybrid of the Ultra and Series 10: flat and rugged yet sleek rather than bulky.

While it’s not perfectly symmetrical and the titanium alloy bezel is more pronounced than I’d like, the Fit 4 Pro is very attractive and remarkably comfortable. Whether I was landscaping, deep cleaning, lifting weights, or sprinting after a soccer ball, it stayed secure and unobtrusive; it didn’t catch on sleeves, trap sweat, or bump into things, common issues I often face with larger wearables.

Much of that comes down to its slim 9.3mm profile, which positions the device quite flat to my wrist. Even though the Pro model is a few grams heavier than the standard version (30.4g vs. 27g), the thin aluminum body also keeps it surprisingly lightweight.

Generally speaking, my only design gripe with the Fit 4 series is the colorful accent of the digital crown. Pro model buyers are left with the options of a lime green, blue, or red crown which, while intended to add flair, detracts from the otherwise clean aesthetic. It feels a lot like the construction-orange action button of the Apple Watch Ultra line, and I’d prefer a more unified, streamlined look. Other than that, though, I love the overall aesthetic.

The Fit 4 Pro/Apple Watch likeness doesn’t end with hardware. Compared to watchOS, HUAWEI’s interface feels similarly refined, with intuitive controls and a sporty, modern UI. There’s a solid variety of watch faces, though I’m always disappointed when native ones feel overly branded (I suppose that’s one way of reminding users they aren’t wearing an Apple product).

Navigation is simple: swiping down brings up the control center, swiping up shows notifications. The digital crown spins through menus and the bottom button is customizable. There’s also a smart assistance hub (a bit undercooked), an app library, activity rings, and all the typical smartwatch staples like weather, music controls, and a calendar. Overall, the UI is responsive, and scrolling through workout modes, checking health metrics, or toggling between settings is smooth.

Notably, the watch is compatible with both iOS and Android phones, making it one of the few square-shaped options for Android users. In light of Google’s recent admission that Wear OS 6 is specifically designed for circular watches, the Fit 4 Pro may be even more attractive to some shoppers. Personally, I love that the shape fits plenty of on-screen stats, and I found it great for tools like maps.

Regarding smart features, the Fit 4 Pro offers the basics, including Bluetooth calling, notifications, texts, emails, and third-party apps. Things do get tricky for iPhone users, though. While the watch pairs fine, some features like music control and turn-by-turn navigation are less consistent. It’s also worth noting that there’s no NFC support for contactless payments in many regions, which puts the Fit 4 Pro behind some similarly priced competitors in terms of everyday convenience. My favorite minor feature is when you turn the digital crown within the app library, the icons shrink to show you app titles, in case, like me, you download a lot of apps and tools and can’t always identify them by sight.

With that said, the watch is not officially available for purchase in the US and if you do import it, you need to do some workarounds to access the full feature set. This starts with creating a HUAWEI ID with a non-US region selected to access the HUAWEI AppGallery. Some users have had to go as far as using a VPN (I didn’t need to). For this review, I created a new ID and set my region to Hong Kong and it worked perfectly. When it asks for a phone number, opt out. Exporting data was less successful. I was able to get a hold of my GPS data after workouts, but I could not export heart rate data in the same manner I normally do for reviews. Though the watch would sync with Strava, heart rate data was always missing.

One of the Watch Fit 4 Pro’s biggest strengths, though, is its battery life. HUAWEI claims up to 10 days on a single charge, although enabling the always-on display significantly reduces that. I managed close to four full days before needing a charge-up, which is far better than the near-daily charging routine required with an Apple Watch Series 10 or Pixel Watch 3. A night of sleep tracking only used about 5% of the battery. When I did need to top up, charging took about an hour with the device’s wireless charger. I would have liked to see a USB-C cable rather than a USB plug.

For wellness tracking, the watch features a comprehensive set of health sensors, for everything from continuous heart rate and SpO2 monitoring, to sleep stage tracking, stress analysis, heart rate variability (HRV), and ECG functionality (regionally available). It even rounds out its health tracking suite with skin temperature and respiratory rate monitoring, aligning closely with leading wearables around this price point.

As a fitness tracker, the Fit 4 Pro is also exemplary. It supports more than 100 sport modes, from triathlons and trail running to body combat and dragon boating. The Pro model adds free diving support (up to 40 meters) with apnea training and safety features. I appreciated details like water temperature and max depth, which are, again, reminiscent of Apple’s diving features. Golfers using the Pro model also get swing tracking, driving range mode, and maps for over 15,000 global courses.

Once you start an activity, the digital crown is key for mid-workout input. A quick tap will pause the clock, while a long hold will end your workout completely. I found the workflow finicky at first, but once I got used to it, it was well executed. I don’t, however, love how the watch loudly announces that I am starting and ending workouts, my pace, and my heart rate. If you don’t appreciate having your stats announced to anyone remotely nearby, I’d suggest muting that voice.

On the other hand, the smart companion announcements, which consistently let me know how my pace compared to my target pace are useful as are the real-time heart rate zones and the customizable data screens. All-in-all there are a lot of very helpful training tools packed in. Personally, I find the metronome feature truly haunting, but if a steady drum helps ramp up your sweat sessions, that’s available as well.

As for accuracy, HUAWEI’s TruSeen 6.0 heart rate sensor performed well during runs and other high-intensity workouts. For the most part, readings were consistent with my dedicated chest strap, with an expected amount of fluctuation for a wrist-based wearable. The charts above show how similarly the devices recorded one example HIIT workout, including very close peak and average heart rates. While the device is not quite as precise as say a Garmin high-end watch or the well-regarded Pixel Watch 3’s sensor, it’s certainly accurate enough for most athletes.

Likewise, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the watch’s GPS performed. I compared it directly to my Apple Watch Ultra 2 during multiple runs, and the tracked routes were nearly identical in both distance and route. The map above highlights how well the HUAWEI watch matched my Apple Watch Ultra 2. You can see right before Grote Road where I sprinted across the street, and both watches kept up.

GPS reliability makes the Fit 4 Pro a reliable choice for runners and outdoor athletes who value phone-free tracking on runs and rides. This is even more important because the Pro model adds helpful navigation tools like offline color maps, route importing, and turn-by-turn directions. These features are also great for outdoor enthusiasts (like trail runners) and definitely elevate the device.

Unfortunately, sleep tracking wasn’t as reliable, though it does now include overnight HRV monitoring in addition to the typical overnight details. The general sleep cycle overview is helpful, but stage accuracy didn’t match what I saw from my Oura Ring, and I was surprised by some of my sleep scores.

For example, on an evening when I only got three hours and 20 minutes of sleep, I received a score of 62, which feels high for a glorified nap. The next day I got a 63 for four hours and 22 minutes. A few days earlier, I only received a 76 for ~7 hours of sleep, a score that feels disproportionately low given that I slept nearly twice as long. Needless to say, the device is fine for casual overnight use, but not a standout option for serious sleep tracking.

One simple detail I love about the device’s bedtime use is that when you go to set an alarm, the watch tells you how many hours and minutes of sleep you’re going to get. It helps me make decisions a lot faster when I’m debating how aggressively to set my alarm, counting on my fingers at one in the morning.

The HUAWEI Watch Fit 4 Pro is a compelling choice for Android users looking for a square-shaped smartwatch. It’s comfortable, lightweight, packs a solid health tracking suite, and offers standout battery life. There are caveats, though. The sleep tracking, in particular, is fairly poor compared to Fitbit’s rival platform. It also can’t offer an overall experience quite as powerful as a Wear OS device. Finally, regional limitations make it a better buy for shoppers outside of the US, though it’s an excellent device anywhere if you are willing to jump through some hoops to make it work.

For iOS users, though, I recommend the Apple Watch Series 10 ($386 at Amazon) or even an older Apple Watch. iPhone compatibility with HUAWEI devices has clear limitations, and the Fit 4 Pro frankly can’t compete with the seamless integration you’ll find by sticking to the Apple ecosystem. If you’re specifically after a flat display, the Ultra lineup is the only option, but it’s quite a bit pricier.

Finally, Garmin’s Venu Sq 2 ($249.99 at Amazon) is another similar-shaped device at a great price. It packs in highly reliable fitness tracking tools, including reliable sleep tracking. However, it doesn’t offer much third-party app support.