PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

The Huawei Band 7 is the company’s latest attempt to claim a seat at the top, focussing on fashion and fitness at a pleasing price point. HUAWEI Band 7 is compatible with both iOS and Android phones.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Design and build

• Slim attractive design
• Decent strap colour options
• Very light

With the Band 7, Huawei has produced something that is cheap but not bargain-bucket, premium without being pricey – and design is a key part of that.

It’s available in pink, red, black and green, with my review unit in the latter shade. It’s good to have a little more choice compared to much of the cheaper competition, which generally only offer generic black bands.

The device itself is constructed from a nice sturdy feeling matt plastic, with a single button on the right side and various sensors underneath. At 16g (without the strap) it is light on the wrist, and at 9.9mm thick it should fit easily under most shirt sleeves, while the strap is a relatively breathable plastic/rubber composite.

With regards to durability, though no great claims are made for impact resistance or scratch resistance, the Band 7 is rated for 5 ATM of water resistance. This should theoretically mean it will withstand a swim, even if it might need to be babied a little in general use to avoid damage.

This aside, the case itself feels solid and well constructed, and worth the price of entry for the most part. Smart bands are never going to be considered the most premium of product categories, but this is one that can pass as a watch in general usage as well as on a run.

Display

• 1.47in screen
• OLED
• Always-on option

Screen quality is the key to success of any fitness tracker. Any display used needs to remain legible in any lighting condition, be big enough to show necessary information and sharp enough to read without squinting.

By these highly scientific metrics, the display used in the Band 7 is of good quality. That is to say that it gets dim enough to be used at night, but quite bright enough to combat a particularly strong summer sun. It is sufficiently big (1.47in) as to be able to show a host of information without feeling crowded, and though it won’t win awards for sharpness it is highly legible for the most part. As an OLED screen it offers inky blacks and nice contrast, though it doesn’t quite challenge the best on this point.

An added plus at the price point is the presence of an always on display, which does drain the battery considerably but is a considerable quality of life improvement. It allows the Band 7 to act more as a watch replacement than might otherwise be possible, and is more than the likes of the Apple Watch SE can offer at roughly five times the price.