I’ve never been the biggest watch wearer. Except when I was a kid, which is odd as I had all the time in the world and no where important to be. So I never really needed one. No pun intended. My interest in wearing a watch faded away as time went on. Again, no pun intended. OK, maybe a little.
Bad puns aside, Huawei previously hooked me up with their Watch Fit last year. It was the first time in my adult life where a watch became a part of my life. Not only was the Watch Fit a lot more high tech than the watches “back in my day” but it was also a tool to help shape me into a healthy person.
Did the healthy lifestyle last? Not as long as I’d hoped. Unfortunately, life happened and old habits came back to haunt me. However the Watch Fit is still an accessory I rely on. And since then, Huawei have launched more smart wearables, including the Band 7. At first glance, it looks very similar to the Watch Fit. And on closer inspection, they function very much the same.
Out of the box, I noticed slight differences between the two. The Band 7’s display or face, as watch enthusiasts would say as they scowl at my misnaming, is slightly narrower than that of the Watch Fit. Same goes for its band. This gives it a minimal “fitness accessory” sort of vibe. The other noticeable difference was the absence of the “hump” found on the underside of the watch where the sensors live. Which also meant an absence of an obvious mark on my wrist, which I’d have after wearing the Watch Fit. The sensors are still in the Band 7, however the housing is flush with the main body.
Setting it up was much simpler this time around too, as the Huawei Health app was already installed on my phone. All I had to do was power it up, download an update and she was ready to go. As previously mentioned, most of the functionality is the same. The Band 7 allows you to keep track of your heart rate, steps, sleep, stress and, to an extent, health. It won’t diagnose you with anything, but it will read your Sp02 (aka oxygen saturation) and let you know if you’re body is apparently doing ok or not.
There are also workout trackers and workout guides that you can complete at home, the office or outdoors. It even alerts you when you’ve been sitting or laying around for too long. As gamers, we sit still for long periods of time. And I used to obey this alert and do light exercises it provides when it would go off. But some habits don’t last very long.
The Band 7 isn’t just a fitness watch either. Other smart features include weather updates, music controls, and message/call notifications. These are functions that I’ve mainly been using as opposed to the “healthy lifestyle” functions. But that’s not to say I don’t check-in on myself either.
My sleep score, for example, is definitely something I thrive to keep above 70. I try to achieve my 10K step goal as often as possible. And I’ll turn on the Workout Tracker whenever I go on a walk. When I can remember, that is.
However, as mentioned, the Band 7 has been helpful in other ways. Believe it or not, the alarm feature has been more successful in waking me up than my phone alarm. The message and call alerts have also kept me in the loop without the need to pull my phone out at work. And keeps my boss off my back.
So is the Band 7 an upgrade? Honestly, no. There are a couple of subtle UI changes, but it wasn’t the upgrade I was expecting. But that’s not to say it’s bad accessory. Like my previous experience with the Watch Fit, the Band 7 is able to keep track with most health and fitness stats. And teamed with both the Huawei Health app and Huawei digital wifi-connected Scale 3, the Band 7 can help keep you on track of your fitness.
But if you’re like me who needs to just keep track of the bare fitness essentials, as well as having other smart watch features, Band 7 is also a good option. There are obviously other smart watches on the market that can do a few other things better, but Band 7 is an ultra affordable alternative.
