Still very invested in the market wearables, Huawei is banking on connected watches, but also, more discreetly, on activity trackers. Each year it therefore offers a new iteration of its bracelet, which for 2024 bears the name Band 9. A low-cost model which is increasingly approaching the world of watches.
On the program for this device, a screen similar to that of the Band 8, that is to say a 1.47 inch Amoled panel displaying 194 × 368 pixels, and included in a case weight (14 grams without bracelet) and with unchanged dimensions (43.45 × 24.86 × 8.99 mm). Some new finishes, notably a gold rim for a little more elegance, appear this year, but if you have to look for new features, they are not visible to the naked eye. The first is the integration of a brightness sensor, absent from the Band 8, and which allows the screen to automatically adjust to the lighting conditions; those who wear their bracelet to sleep know its usefulness.
As a bracelet, the Band 9 is otherwise relatively simple, and remains devoid of GPS and complex health sensors. However, it offers more motion sensors, to better monitor sports activities – around a hundred are supported, but also sleep and heart rate. Huawei announces, as with each new generation of products, that it has improved its dedicated algorithms, and enriched the activity and sleep reports. For everyday life, the Chinese firm is announcing something new: the possibility of controlling the camera of a smartphone and controlling the music player. Personalization is also in the spotlight, since it is possible to choose from some 10,000 dials available within the Huawei Health application. This is available on Android and iOS. Finally, Huawei announces unchanged autonomy, up to 14 days of use.
This refresh of the Band 8 retains one essential characteristic: its price. Count on €59.99 for this product intended to directly compete with Xiaomi’s Smart Band 8, but also Samsung’s Galaxy Fit 3, for which we are waiting to know the details of its marketing in France.