Thanks to its versatility and waterproof design, this activity tracker can include walking and running, as well as aquatic sports such as swimming or high-diving. In addition to these motion-based sports it is also useful for yoga and meditation thanks to a feature that promotes a more focused approach to breathing. With steps, sleep, breathing, and heart rate covered you will be able to use this tracker for dozens of sporting activities, or even just to wear in your everyday life as you monitor your health and habits.

Like most fitness trackers, the Huawei Band 2 Pro comes with a heart monitor, a step counter, a sleep monitor, and a watch. It has the ability to count how many steps you take, to know if you are running or walking for each of those steps, and in addition to telling you how long you slept it will also tell you how much of it was REM sleep. As with most trackers it also has alert capabilities for phone calls and other notifications, and you can dismiss them right from your tracker. If all you seek is a basic fitness tracker for these features alone, the Huawei has you covered.

Beyond the basics of a fitness tracker, which records the data through the various functions, the Huawei Band 2 Pro is capable of much more. The pedometer function will not simply count your steps, there is also a running coach built in to help you with a plan. There is also a breathing coach that can help with meditation breathing, breathing better during your workouts, and in general holistic health. There is also a GPS built in for tracking your overall distance and route, and with a waterproof rating of 5ATM you can take to the waves or the pool for laps, diving, and so on. Also included in this tracker’s capabilities is the VO2 max system. This system measures your levels, estimates your oxygen intake, and uses a motion analysis algorithm to help you exercise more scientifically. It is a fascinating and handy feature to make the most of your workouts, helping make the Huawei Band 2 Pro a valuable investment in your health.

Connection, as expected, is via Bluetooth (4.2) to your smart phone and can sync with your phone up to ten meters away. Specifically, a smart phone needs to be running either Android version 4.4 or better, or iOs 8.0 or better. Your smart phone and the Huawei app will be where you will find all of your compiled information from your fitness tracker. The fitness tracker reads out data that it collects via the 3-axis accelerometer, a detached PPG cardio-tachometer, and an infrared wear sensor. All of these items are working together in your fitness tracker to send you all of the data you need to see how you are doing, what you might want to improve upon, and how well you are sleeping.

Having a smart phone from the Huawei line will definitely help you optimize how much you get out of this fitness tracker – Huawei refers to this as a ‘perfect pairing’ advantage – but even if you prefer a Samsung, Google, iPhone, or some such other option that is out there in the world, you can still get a lot out of your tracker through the downloadable app. Certain feedback came in reporting that the app does not always automatically download updates, so check periodically to see if there are any available for this app once you have it on your phone. Whether or not other workout apps will pair with this device’s app may depend on the app in question, but for the most part users were able to do what they wanted with this tracker on their phone and see the information they needed.

The inside portion of this device that includes the infrared wear sensor is slightly curved to fit comfortably against the wrist area of the body. The band is a soft but strong thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with a sleek smoothness all the way around. These combined with the fact that this tracker is only twenty-one grams in total weight makes it a lightweight, functional and comfortable fit to wear all day and night without fear. Just remember to keep clean under the strap if you wear it consistently for days, as sweat and dead skin may begin to build up if you work out hard and do not remove it for extended periods.

The Huawei Band 2 Pro is an interchangeable style band with a PMOLED screen and sleep, single-color design for simplicity and function. You can opt for the basic black, which will go with everything. You can also opt for one of the other band color choices for a bright pop of color everywhere you go. These can be swapped out easily for different outfit colors, days of the week, or whatever color tickles your fancy when you wake up that morning. Having more bands and more choices will also help remind you to clean them from time to time, since you will be able to wear the tracker constantly between battery charges. If you want a fitness tracker that is able to be disguised as a smart watch for an uptown, high end look and feel, the basic black is as close as you will likely get. This sleek, ergonomic design is made for the function of tracking fitness, and while it will still function in a workplace setting, its appearance screams ‘fitness tracker.’

Being a fitness tracker means being able to handle the rough and tumble of exercising. If you happen to take part in parkour, keep a close eye on your environment to make sure you are not risking cracking it up against walls, railings, or other various surfaces. Hard impacts are still hard impacts. If you are more of a run-of-the-mill jogger, swimmer, or other similar level of intensity activity, the stainless steel and TPU materials of this device should be more than enough to handle what you put it through. Being waterproof means that even if the only water it touches is accidental – tripping into a mud puddle or getting caught in the rain on a hike – it will keep on going.

The stainless steel PMOLED screen of this tracker is equipped with touch buttons on the side. It displays your information at 128 x 32 pixels. The coloration on the screen is black and white no matter which band color you might be considering, and measures at just under one inch. There was some feedback that the readouts on the screen are too small, in some cases the user said that even with their reading glasses on it was hard to make out information, so if you are someone who struggles with reading screens up close or small print when you are trying to read something, see if you can find a retailer near you so that you can physically test it for yourself before buying. It should also be noted that the face has a relatively brief time frame between waking up the screen to view information and the screen shutting off to conserve battery, so if you need to read off something and it takes you more than a few seconds you may be pressing your button more than once.

As was previously mentioned, the band of this device is made of TPU and comes in several colors. Most predominantly available are black, blue, or red, but other color replacement bands are available from various sources including online for very affordable prices. The bands are interchangeable, so the color you purchase is not necessarily the color you will keep for the lifespan of the product – be as versatile as you like. The strap has a width of 18-19.4 millimeters, and a length of 114.67 millimeters. The closure on this band functions as a slip-through. The solid end of the band has a small rectangular prong near the end. The other half of the band’s closure system is a strap with a series of small rectangular holes and a loop on the end. The solid half slips through this loop, and then the rectangular prong is fitted into the corresponding hole to allow for a snug and comfortable fit. If this sounds a bit less secure than a traditional buckle style watch clasp, that is because it is less secure. While some users did not report a problem, there was some feedback about the clasp opening very easily during sleep or normal day to day activities such as leaning on a counter in a shop or putting on or taking off a jacket. In those instances, it seemed even the lightest graze could remove the prong from the rectangular hole and send the strap sliding, but whether this was due to normal wearing down of the holes, a poor fit job, or an actual defect by the manufacturer is unclear. It does not seem likely that a manufacturer defect would come up as infrequently as this particular feedback, however, so it seems that all is well. Consult the manual, warranty information, and be sure your tracker is snug and in place when you are first testing it out.

In many ways the Huawei Band 2 Pro might seem complex – it has a plethora of functions and features that will alter the readout, that will tell you different information, and will tell you how you are faring – but in reality, it is very simple to use. Simply download the app to your phone, connect it to your new tracker, and you are ready to go. Some of the features and settings might take some getting used to, but they are by no means complicated and the manual can guide you every step of the way. There was some mention of a marginal lack of accuracy on certain measurements such as the step counter or GPS distance tracking. Serious runners should be aware of this when they set out, and perhaps monitor their first run with this new wristband using a secondary means of recording things, just to be certain of how accurate their run readouts will be. No one wants to have to walk around the block after a run to make the distance match up on screen with what it actually should have been, and no one wants to be informed that they are going farther than they have actually managed. Double check yourself when you first try out your Huawei Band 2 Pro, just to be on the safe side.

Battery life on a fitness tracker is paramount. If the battery dies before you finish your routine, how are you supposed to track your steps accurately? If you make it home but have to charge it at night, how will you know what kind of sleep you are getting? Most fitness trackers can make it up to a week between charging periods, but the Huawei blows them out of the water with a 21-day maximum lifespan before needing to charge again. This will vary based on a number of variables, but even as a potential maximum this is a feat that not many fitness trackers or smart watches can boast, and it is a large portion of the reason so many users considered it worth the price tag. When you do need to put it on to charge, it will only take you 1.5 hours to get the battery back to full again. The less-mentioned potential problem is your phone battery: the app for this particular fitness tracker can easily drain your battery quite a bit, the longer you review your data. Try not to linger if your phone is on low battery, just in case, and keep a close eye on your battery levels when you do check your stats.

With so much going for it, this tracker could be expected to retail for just as much as the corresponding bigger name brand trackers out there. Delightfully affordable, the Huawei Band 2 Pro typically costs between $55-$85 depending upon your retailer. This could be considered a steal in many cases, and when users reported mild unhappiness with a quirk or a function here or there, they almost always came back to how they still approved of the Band 2 Pro overall thanks to the low price tag and overall functionality. With a price tag this low, it is also easier to justify little splurges like extra bands in a wider variety of colors, especially when the extra bands themselves are relatively inexpensive. Always be sure you are also considering any add-on warranties available from your purchase location.

This particular tracker does not have much in the way of aftermarket accessories to obtain. With so much already going for it, the Band 2 Pro needs little else. As previously mentioned, you can obtain different band colors and have a different color strap for every mood or outfit you have, but in terms of customization of appearance, that is where things stop. There also maybe screen protectors available for your device but be sure you are looking at the Band 2 Pro, as there maybe nuances between it and the regular Band 2.

-V02 max
-waterproof
-21-day maximum battery

For so low a price, this particular fitness tracker is an incredible value. It can last weeks between charges, it offers a running coach, breathing exercises, and advanced sleep monitoring, all for the price of a tank of gas in some states. It was mentioned that the distance tracking is not 100% accurate, but this is by no means a deal breaker for most people, especially if you are simply looking for a fitness tracker watch to monitor your daily life. There are few other fitness trackers that will do so much for so little a price, and that makes this particular item a very positive selection and a very good value. It is a durable, easy to use, and potentially colorful piece of technology that will help you be a healthier version of yourself in no time, with all the information you need right there on your wrist, accessible at the push of a button.