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People are switching mainly for battery life — Huawei's GT-series runs 7–14 days in real use versus roughly 1–2 days on a Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch. The tradeoffs are real: no meaningful app ecosystem, no contactless payments in the US, no official US sales channel, and limited features when paired with an iPhone.

Something noticeable is happening in smartwatch communities in 2026. Scroll through r/smartwatch on any given week and a striking share of the top posts are people announcing they’ve left Samsung or Apple for Huawei — “Bye Galaxy Welcome Huawei,” six-month GT Pro retrospectives, first-time Huawei buyers asking what they’re about to lose.

It’s worth understanding what’s actually driving this, because the reason is narrower than the enthusiasm suggests — and the tradeoffs are significant enough that plenty of people making the switch shouldn’t.

The One Reason: Battery Life

Strip away everything else and battery life is doing almost all the work here.

WatchReal-world battery life
Apple Watch Series 11~1–2 days
Galaxy Watch 9 (40mm)~24 hours with sensors on
Galaxy Watch 7 (44mm)~1.5–2 days
Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro~7–14 days (21 claimed)
Huawei Watch Fit 5 / Fit 5 Pro~7–10 days

That is not an incremental improvement. It’s a category difference, and it changes how you use the device.

One Galaxy Watch 9 owner who tested it against a Huawei on the same run summarized the tension well: the running metrics and GPS on the new Samsung were finally accurate, the watch is impressively thin — and it still lost 20% of its battery over a single night of sleep tracking, needing 1 hour 45 minutes to charge back up.

That’s the whole switching story in one anecdote. A watch that dies overnight cannot track your sleep, and sleep tracking is the feature people increasingly buy these watches for. Multi-day battery isn’t a convenience upgrade; it’s what makes 24/7 health tracking actually possible.

The secondary driver is sensor and health hardware. Switchers consistently report better heart rate consistency and sleep tracking, and Huawei’s Watch D2 remains the only mainstream wrist device with a real inflatable blood pressure cuff built into the strap rather than an optical estimate. Users cross-checking it against Omron arm cuffs report agreement within a couple of mmHg when measured in the prescribed posture — a claim no optical-only “BP” smartwatch can make.

The 6 Tradeoffs Nobody Mentions

Here’s what the switching posts tend to leave out, or discover three weeks in.

1. There is effectively no app ecosystem

This is the big one. WearOS and watchOS have tens of thousands of apps. HarmonyOS wearables have a small, largely first-party selection. If you rely on Spotify offline playback, Strava on the wrist, third-party watch faces, or any niche utility, you’re giving that up.

Reviewers who otherwise praise the GT 6 Pro’s hardware are consistently blunt about this: the smart features are limited for the price.

2. No contactless payments in the US

Huawei expanded Curve Pay across Europe in March 2026 for the Watch Ultimate 2, GT 6, GT 5 and Watch Fit 4, and regional wallets cover parts of Asia. There is no U.S. option.

If you tap to pay from your wrist regularly, this alone should end the conversation.

3. You can’t buy one normally in the US

Huawei has been on the U.S. Entity List since 2019. There’s no official U.S. retail channel for its wearables, which means:

  • Importing via AliExpress or marketplace third-party sellers
  • No local warranty or service — a failed watch is your problem
  • Possible region-locked or China-market units — buyers routinely ask whether the Chinese version has full English menus before ordering
  • Returns that are slow, expensive, or impossible

4. The Huawei Health app is not on Google Play

Google pulled Huawei Health from the Play Store. On Android you now install it from Huawei’s AppGallery, the Samsung Galaxy Store, or a direct APK from Huawei’s official support site.

It works, and it’s not dangerous if you get the APK from Huawei directly — but it’s a friction point, and it means no automatic Play Store updates.

Ironically, iPhone users have it easier here: Huawei Health is a normal App Store download.

5. iPhone pairing is heavily degraded

If you’re on iOS, know exactly what you’re buying. Paired with an iPhone, Huawei watches cannot:

  • Reply to SMS
  • Reply to WhatsApp, Messenger, or Telegram
  • Install new apps — Huawei Health on iOS has no App Gallery
  • Use certain smart-notification and mute-while-using-phone features

Health tracking and notification display work fine. Interaction does not. We break this down fully in Do Huawei Watches Work with iPhone?

6. You lose the ecosystem glue

Small things you stop noticing until they’re gone: unlocking your laptop with your watch, seamless handoff, voice assistant that actually works, WiFi on the watch (the D2 notably lacks it), and generous onboard storage for music. The Watch D2 ships with only about 4GB, largely reserved for health records.

Who Should Switch — And Who Shouldn’t

Switch if:

  • Battery life and sleep tracking are your top priorities
  • You want serious fitness/health hardware and treat the watch as a tracker, not a wrist phone
  • You’re on Android and comfortable sideloading one app
  • You want titanium and sapphire build quality at a mid-tier price
  • You have a specific clinical need the D2’s cuff-based BP addresses

Don’t switch if:

  • You use wrist payments
  • You’re on iPhone and want to reply to messages
  • You depend on third-party apps
  • You want warranty coverage and easy returns in the US
  • You value voice assistants and ecosystem integration

The Honest US Buyer’s Recommendation

Here’s where a lot of coverage isn’t straight with American readers. If you’re in the US and the thing you actually want is multi-day battery life with strong health tracking, Huawei is not your only option — and it’s the one with the worst support story.

Genuinely available in the US, with warranty and returns:

  • Amazfit (Bip 6, Active 2, T-Rex series, Balance) — 7–14 day battery, aggressive pricing, normal US retail availability. The closest thing to the Huawei value proposition you can buy without importing.
  • Garmin (Instinct, Venu, Forerunner, Vivoactive) — the strongest battery-plus-accuracy combination sold domestically, with excellent app and platform support. More expensive, and worth it if you train seriously.
  • Galaxy Watch / Apple Watch — still correct if you want a real smartwatch and can accept nightly charging.

Huawei genuinely makes excellent hardware, and the Reddit enthusiasm isn’t manufactured. But “best hardware” and “best purchase for a US buyer” aren’t the same question. If you want the Huawei experience and you’re in the US, buy it with clear eyes: you’re importing a device with no local support to get battery life you could get from Amazfit or Garmin with a warranty attached.

For a broader look at the long-battery field, see our guide to smartwatches with the longest battery life, and if blood pressure is your driver, smartwatches with blood pressure monitors covers what actually works versus what’s marketing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Huawei actually better than Samsung for a smartwatch?
It depends entirely on what you want. For battery life, sensor accuracy, and build quality per dollar, Huawei's GT series generally outperforms comparable Galaxy Watches. For apps, contactless payments, voice assistants, message replies, and ecosystem integration, the Galaxy Watch is far ahead. Huawei makes a better health-and-fitness watch; Samsung makes a better smartwatch.
Can you buy Huawei watches in the United States?
Not through official Huawei retail channels. Huawei has been on the U.S. Entity List since 2019 and does not sell its wearables through normal U.S. distribution. Buyers typically import through AliExpress or third-party marketplace sellers, which means no local warranty support, potential region or language variants, and no returns process comparable to buying an Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch domestically.
How long does a Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro battery really last?
Huawei claims up to 21 days. Independent reviewers report roughly 7 to 14 days in real-world use with always-on display and regular workout tracking, with one detailed test recording about 13 days between charges. GPS-heavy use is rated at up to about 40 hours. Even the conservative end of that range is several times what a Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch delivers.
Do Huawei watches support contactless payments?
Not in the United States. Huawei expanded Curve Pay across Europe in March 2026 for the Watch Ultimate 2, GT 6, GT 5 and Watch Fit 4, and regional wallets like GCash, Touch 'n Go and MPay work in parts of Asia. There is no U.S. equivalent, so if you tap to pay from your wrist daily, this is a genuine dealbreaker.
Which Huawei watch has real blood pressure monitoring?
The Huawei Watch D2 is the notable one — it uses a physical inflatable cuff built into the strap rather than optical estimation, and carries medical certification in the markets where it is sold. Users comparing it against Omron arm cuffs report readings within a couple of mmHg when measured in the posture Huawei specifies. Most other smartwatches, including Huawei's own GT line, do not do true cuff-based blood pressure.
Should I switch to Huawei if I have an iPhone?
Probably not, unless battery life is your single overriding priority. Huawei watches pair with iPhones running iOS 13 or later and health tracking works well, but you cannot reply to SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger or Telegram from the watch, and you cannot install new watch apps because Huawei Health on iOS has no App Gallery. You get a very good fitness tracker with notifications, not a smartwatch.