The Huawei WATCH 5 and FIT 4 want to be stylish health companions, not just fitness trackers — and they might actually pull it off.
Huawei has a point to prove, and apparently it’s wearing a purple smartwatch. At its glitzy “Fashion Next” event in Berlin, the company unveiled its latest flagship wearables — the WATCH 5, FIT 4 Series, and FreeBuds 6 — all designed to convince you that tracking your vitals doesn’t have to mean looking like a data nerd in Lycra.
The WATCH 5 is the headliner here, and it’s got all the right numbers. New fingertip-based health sensors? Check. Gesture controls that actually seem usable? Also check. Colours like Sand Gold and Purple that scream “quiet luxury”? Huawei’s definitely playing in Apple’s neighbourhood now, but with its own flair. The health tech runs on what it calls the TruSense System — a name that sounds like marketing fluff, but it does enable surprisingly seamless readings with just a tap.
South Africans will be able to grab the WATCH 5 online from 2 June at R9 999, or in stores in early July — a premium price for a smartwatch that wants to be both your personal trainer and your fashion statement.
Also on the runway was the WATCH FIT 4 Series, which keeps the familiar square face and slims down even further. At just 9.3mm thick, the FIT 4 Pro is lighter than most fitness bands, but it somehow still manages to pack in dive tracking, golf mode, and more than 100 workout types. It starts at R2 999, or R149/month for the Pro version — not bad if you’re chasing goals and aesthetics.
Rounding out the drop: the FreeBuds 6, Huawei’s first open-fit earbuds with dual-magnetic drivers. They look clean, sound good (on paper), and aim to take phone calls seriously with upgraded noise cancelling. Still waiting on local pricing and dates for those.
It’s all part of Huawei’s push to turn fitness tracking into a lifestyle brand. The new “Active Rings” campaign — basically a vibe-ier version of “Close Your Rings” — wants you to “Enjoy Your Moment” instead of obsessing over step counts. There’s something refreshingly unclinical about that.
Whether the WATCH 5 is a real Apple Watch rival or just a good-looking alternative with niche appeal will depend on how well Huawei keeps pushing this fashion-tech fusion. But one thing’s clear: this isn’t just about sensors anymore — it’s about swagger.