The Huawei Watch D health focused smartwatch looks set for a European launch – after it launched in China back in December.
The smartwatch is the company’s most advanced health tracking device, but so far hasn’t made it out of Huawei’s homeland.
It features blood pressure monitoring and ECG tracking – as well as GPS, heart rate and all the usual Huawei health tracking gubbins.
While it wasn’t mentioned at the big press event in Milan, which Wareable attended, the company quietly announced its plans via Twitter.
Our first wrist blood pressure monitor, #HUAWEIWATCHD brings you personalized blood pressure management plans, all-day health care and healthy living habit advice.
Learn more: https://t.co/hNk0hdDgNp pic.twitter.com/Vv1M4QTqGg
— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) May 18, 2022
“Our first wrist blood pressure monitor, #HUAWEIWATCHD brings you personalized blood pressure management plans, all-day health care and healthy living habit advice,” the tweet read.
The reason for the quiet announcement is that Huawei is currently trying to get the regulatory approval it needs to launch the device in Europe.
At the Milan event, a Huawei Watch spokesperson told Wareable that Huawei “hopes to launch ECG later this year in UK and Europe."
Until it can get sign off on ECG (and presumably blood pressure too) that leaves the Huawei Watch D in somewhat of a no man’s land.
Huawei says that ECG monitoring does make the cut. But for now that's only supported in China, Indonesia, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Salvador, Chile, Vietnam, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.
We’ve seen wearables get bogged down in regulation before. Withings had its ECG tech stalled for years in the US at the hands of the FDA. However, it does seem that European regulators are slightly easier to deal with.
When cleared, it would be a big step forward for Huawei – which would join the ranks of elite health smartwatches.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.