Jun 23, 2023

June 23, 2023 I got a watch Huawei Watch 4 – the next generation of smart gadgets on my own development Harmony OS. Compared to the previous Watch 3, the fourth generation Vochi has learned to measure the ECG, evaluate the respiratory system, display information about arterial stiffness indicators, and much more. Again, compared to the previous generation, Huawei Watch 4 has changed a bit, they have become thinner, and the screen is larger. Now the design is more streamlined. The company says the Watch 4 version is “inspired by the aesthetics of space expeditions.” I don’t know how fair this is in relation to the regular version, but the firmware looks definitely unusual. We’ll talk about her later. In part, the Huawei Watch 4 technically resembles the Watch GT 3 Pro. They also “track” the ECG, but they do not know how to assess the respiratory system and arterial stiffness. In general, everything is as usual: there are many similar wearable devices from Huawei on the market, and your task is to choose what is right for you. Of course, based on the appearance and cost of gadgets. Huawei Watch 4 was estimated at 32,000 rubles. Table of Contents Design The Huawei Watch 4 will be sold in one color – black. In this case, it is assumed that the body of the gadget is made of stainless steel, and the strap is black fluoroelastomer. In my opinion, Watch 4 in this version looks normal and unremarkable. It is almost impossible to distinguish them from other wearable devices of the company. For example, Watch 3 has a small cutout in the strap attachment area. But Watch 4 does not have it: the screen, as it were, smoothly transitions to the edges of the case and continues until the strap is fastened. Watch 3 is more round, classic. The Watch 4 is a little more futuristic. The screen is protected by durable glass. The company does not say which one. For example, the Watch 4 Pro uses sapphire. And with a decent rounding. In Watch 4, the sides are sloping, but the surface of the glass is even and flat. Another interesting thing: Watch 3 used ceramics (bottom), while Watch 4 most likely used plastic. The digital crown remained in place. Moreover, it has become 22% less than in Watch 3. Unique information for the consumer, isn’t it? A little lower – a mechanical button to call the “quick menu”. It also acts as a conductor for measuring ECG and other functions. In general, the design is pleasant, the body of the device is thin, the ergonomics are excellent, the protrusion with sensors from the bottom does not put pressure on the hand. Straps, as usual, can be removed – the classic 22 mm. It is the Watch 4 version that is more like a lifestyle, sports, and so on. But Watch 4 Pro is a different level and positioning. By the way, the vibration in Watch 4 is decent, you can feel it even on the street. Elements on the case Right: Digital crown. Used as a button and menu scroll. The system provides a vibration response to scrolling. Double tap – menu with previously launched applications; Mechanical button. She launches a pop-up menu on the right: calls, measurements of everything and everything, workouts. You can add your own icon and scroll up or down. If you click again, then you will launch the program that is located on top; Speaker. Not very loud, sounds clear. For calls in a quiet environment will do. On the street, you have to put the watch to your ear. The microphone is on the left. The sensitivity is high, the interlocutor hears you at a distance of up to 50 cm. Then it becomes quite quiet, but legible. It is best to speak at a distance of up to 10 cm: the voice is clear, legible, the tone is pleasant, the listener thinks that you are talking on a smartphone. Below – a scattering of sensors: for measuring temperature, for measuring heart rate and SpO2. Of course, there is a backlight. Display The screen has a size of 1.5 inches, or a diameter of 38 mm. The shape of the glass is such that it floats on the sides. Looks pretty. The screen resolution is 466×466 pixels, which is 439 PPI. As you can see, the Watch 4 screen is slightly larger than the Watch 3 screen. However, the resolution remains the same, which means that the pixel density has slightly decreased. AMOLED matrix. The structure is quite curious: a long rectangle is a blue subpixel, a smaller rectangle is a red subpixel, and a square subpixel is green. The maximum brightness value of the white dot is 730 cd/m2. For a watch, this is a very high figure. The information is easy to read day and night. However, let me remind you that the Watch 3 has a brightness of 770 cd / m2. PWM, of course, is present. Ripple coefficient – from 15%, pulsation frequency – 60 Hz. The viewing angles are maximum, the picture is clear and beautiful. In general, I have no complaints about the display. It remains to be said that it is touch sensitive and supports two simultaneous touches. In the clock in the “Screen” section, the brightness is manually or automatically selected, there you can also set the glow time: from 10 seconds to 5 minutes. Naturally, the device supports AOD mode. There are six design options in total. If you have a third-party watch face installed and it supports AOD, then it will be displayed. Now in the screen saver settings you can disable the activation of the screen when raising your hand. Most likely, the same feature appeared in other Huawei watches. This was not the case before. I won’t talk about watch faces, because users already know that there are a lot of them in the Huawei Health program store. Huawei Watch 4 includes 5 new watch face themes: Exploration, Productivity, Photography, Super Cards, and Big Numbers. Dials “Research”. The spirit of exploration and space aesthetics of Huawei Watch 4 are reflected in watch face themes such as Planetary Exploration, Outdoor Sports, Starry Sky and Dynamic Weather. Productivity dials. Includes topics such as “Two Time Zones” and “All the Time”. Their appearance is inspired by the design of classic mechanical watches. Other watch faces. Photography on Watch 4 includes three themes that draw attention to your subjects and give your photos a dynamic effect. Large Numbers watch faces highlight the time and date with eye-catching large fonts and vibrant colors. Super Cards watch faces are multi-functional and support a variety of cards that are easy to interact with with a single tap. Working hours Up to 14 days in watch mode; Up to 7 days in notification mode; Up to 3 days in GPS mode (20-30 minutes), 10-15 minutes of calls by the clock, notifications. It seems to me that this is excellent data, provided that you have not just a watch on your hands, but a gadget on the operating system with fast animation and information storage in RAM. Watch 4 is charged by wireless charging. And 15 minutes is enough to get about 25% of the charge. Up to 100% the device is charged in 55 minutes. The manufacturer also claims that compared to Watch 3 and Watch 3 Pro, the heat dissipation efficiency of Watch 4 is improved by 24%, that is, the temperature is reduced by 3.7℃. System For some reason, the Huawei website in the Watch 4 and Watch 4 Pro section does not say that the gadgets have received a new version of Harmony OS 3.1.0. What’s new: Other icons appeared in the top panel, you can add or remove them; Settings and menus now look like cards; All widgets on the screens are now interactive, clickable. The most important thing is working with notifications. Now they are grouped by hubs. But no less important: you can now reply to messages using a virtual keyboard, and not just ready-made templates from the Huawei Health program. You have a choice of language, a choice of keyboard (full-size or 9-key), a choice of emojis, and even word suggestions. Even if you made a mistake in the word, there will be several ready-made options above. You can read about measurements, training and calls in the review of Huawei Watch Ultimate: I’ll add on my own that an ECG, a check of the respiratory system and arterial stiffness are, as it were, things in themselves. I have already said that I gave the GT 3 Pro watch to a person with atrial fibrillation, a heart attack, and the watch did not notice any deviations. PS The application for measuring arterial stiffness in my sample did not work well: the system reported that the signal was weak. I checked not only on myself, but also on family members – everyone has it. However, in a comprehensive health check, this data can be obtained. The latest firmware is 3.1.0.138. Impression It seems to me that Huawei Watch 4 is necessary for those who want to monitor their health to the fullest, but they do not want to overpay for materials and redundant functions in Watch 4 Pro and Watch Ultimate. Watch 4 is an interesting product with all the modern features that could be added to a smart watch: eSIM, Wi-Fi, notifications (there is a keyboard), listening to music and measuring many health parameters. The price at the moment is biting – 32,000 rubles. The previous generation costs about 22,000 rubles. Ultimate option – from 55,000 rubles. Until now, you can find Watch GT 2 Pro from 10,000 rubles.