Just a day before the Mi Band 8 was released, Huawei released the Huawei Band 8 which succeeds the Huawei Band 7. The new smartband is not so different from its predecessor, however, the design is slightly different and it weighs a little less. Like its predecessor, it can track your daily activities and also features quick replies function. In this post, we’ll be comparing the Huawei Band 7 vs 8 to understand what’s new and to help you decide if an upgrade is a worthwhile investment.
In summary, the difference between the Huawei Band 7 and 8 is that the latter has a slightly different appearance, the edges are a bit flattened unlike the Band 7 which has curved edges. The Band 8 has 100 sports modes while its predecessor has 95 sports modes. While the Huawei Band 7 supports fast charging, the Huawei Band 8 charges even faster. It took me 45 minutes to fully charge the device. Huawei claimed to have improved activity tracking on the Band 8, though, from my tests, I haven’t noticed any significant difference. Nonetheless, the Huawei Band 8 like its predecessor has been very consistent in tracking my sleep, heart rate and other activities.
Huawei Band 7 vs 8 – Full Specifications
| Product Info |
 Huawei Band 7 Full Specifications and Features |
 Huawei Band 8 Full Specifications and Features |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $44.99 | - |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Huawei Band 7 | Huawei Band 8 |
| Device type | Fitness smartband | Fitness smartband |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | May, 2022 | April, 2023 |
| Predecessor | Huawei Band 6 | Huawei Band 7 |
| Successor | Huawei Band 8 | — |
| Versions | — | — |
| BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 44.35 x 26 x 9.99 mm | 43.45 × 24.54 × 8.99 mm |
| Weight | (excluding straps), 16g | (excluding straps), 14g |
| Shape | Rectangular | Rectangular |
| Case material | Polymer | Polymer |
| Strap material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Bezel material | Bezeless | Bezeless |
| Strap size | 135 – 210mm, 16mm | 135 – 210mm, 16mm |
| Interchangeable strap | Yes, 16mm | Yes, 16mm |
| Screen protection | Anti-scracth glass | Anti-scracth glass |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Durability test | — | — |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Color | Flame red, Graphite black, Pink, Wilderness Green | Pink, Emerald green, Midnight black, Vibrant orange |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.47 inches | 1.47 inches |
| Display type | AMOLED, Full color | AMOLED, Full color |
| Display resolution | 194 x 368 pixels | 194 x 368 pixels |
| Pixel density | 283 PPI | 282.8 PPI |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 1 Physical button, Touchscreen | 1 Physical button, Touchscreen |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth v5.0 | Bluetooth v5.0 |
| Bluetooth calling | No | No |
| GPS | (connected GPS), No | (connected GPS), No |
| NFC | (China only), Yes | (China only), Yes |
| Wi-Fi | No | No |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | — | — |
| ROM | — | — |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | None |
| Band | — | — |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps alert | Yes | Yes |
| Reply to Notifications | Yes (preset replies) | Yes (preset replies) |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | No | No |
| Bluetooth music | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | No | No |
| Microphone | No | No |
| Camera | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Sensor(s) | — | — |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | Yes |
| Blood Pressure | No | No |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | No | No |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | No | No |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Fall detection | No | No |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater heart rate tracking | No | — |
| On-screen workout | No | No |
| Sport modes | 90 | 100 |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery capacity | — | — |
| Battery life | Regular: 14 days | Heavy usage: Up to 9 days, Regular: Up to 14 days |
| Charging type | Magnetic charger | Magnetic charger |
| Charging time | 30min-1hr | 30min-1hr |
| Solar charging | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Chipset | — | — |
| CPU | — | — |
| GPU | — | — |
| Operating system | — | HarmonyOS 2 |
| MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Huawei Health App | Huawei Health App |
| Compatibility | Android 6.0+, iOS 9.0+, Harmony OS 2.0+ | Android 6.0+, iOS 9.0+, Harmony OS 2.0+ |
| Payment system | Alipay | Alipay |
| Voice command | No | No |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Manual, Straps, Huawei Band 7 | Charger, Manual, Straps, Huawei Band 8 |
Difference between Huawei Band 7 and 8
While the Huawei Band 8 looks very much like its predecessor and tracks similar activities, it welcomes new additions which are listed below.
- Huawei Band 8 is slimmer and lighter
- Tracking algorithms have been improved
The Huawei Band 7 is a very slim and lightweight smartband, I never had any problem wearing it all day long. I often forget I’m wearing the band. It’s only 9.99mm thick and weighs just 16 grams without the straps. However, Huawei has taken it a bit further, the new smartband weighs just 14 grams excluding straps, and it’s only 8.99mm thick.
Another noticeable difference between these two is their appearance. Unlike the Huawei Band 7 with curved edges, the Huawei Band 8 has a more flattened frame which for me looks more stylish and attractive.
The straps come in silicone and are swappable. Though the strap hooks have been redesigned. I recall showing people how to change the straps of the Huawei Band 7, it was quite difficult to push the pin especially if you don’t have raised fingernails. With the Huawei Band 8, the straps are now very easy to change. You just need to push and remove the straps.
Meanwhile, the frame of both smartbands is the same polymer material while the straps are made of silicone, except for the orange color of Huawei Band 8 which comes with nylon straps.
Like Huawei Band 7, the new band is also rated 5ATM which represents up to 50 meters of waterproof resistance. In other words, it’s safe to wear it to the shower or swimming pool.
While the Huawei Band 7 is available in flame red, graphite black, pink and wilderness green, the Huawei Band 8 is available in four colors which include black, pink, emerald, and an orange model that ships with a nylon strap.
Nothing much has changed in the activity tracking department. The Huawei Band 8 tracks similar activities as its predecessor. Both smartbands can continuously monitor your heart rate, calories, steps, blood oxygen and stress.
These two will also track your sleep in all four stages. Meanwhile, Huawei-patented algorithms like TruSeen, TruSleep and TruRelax have been upgraded to ensure more accurate tracking results.
From my many tests with higher-end devices like the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and Versa 3, the Huawei Band 7 has been consistent in tracking my heart rate, sleep and blood oxygen.
And going by tests with the Huawei Band 8, I could hardly spot any change to support the claim by Huawei that tracking algorithms have improved. Both Bands were pretty consistent in tracking my daily activities.
I tested the sleep-tracking accuracy of the Huawei Band 8 against the Versa 3 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. The results from my many tests suggest the Huawei Band 8 is consistent in tracking my sleep duration. However, since EEG wasn’t employed in my tests, I cannot say how accurate the Band is in tracking time spent in the various stages of sleep.
The Huawei Band 8 also features more sports modes than its predecessor. From my count, the Huawei Band 7 features 95 sports modes. Meanwhile, the Huawei Band 8 features 100 sports modes.
There is still no inbuilt GPS in Huawei Band 8. It supports connected GPS to your phone just like Huawei Band 7. You must carry your phone along to map your routes and locations with any of these two smartbands.
The connected GPS function on both Bands doesn’t work as it should. For instance, with Mi Band 8, you just need to start the workout on the Band and it would automatically connect to your phone’s GPS. With the Huawei 7 or 8, you must start the workout from the Huawei Health app on your phone otherwise the Band wouldn’t track your route, pace and distance accurately. I’d thought that would be fixed with the Huawei Band 8 but unfortunately, it’s still the same issue.
Nonetheless, I tested the route mapping accuracy of both Bands against the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. My many tests showed the Huawei Band 7 and 8 to be accurate in mapping my routes as long as I start the workout from the Huawei Health app.
Beyond the slight differences in design and the few additional sports modes, the Huawei Band 8 is the same device as Huawei Band 7.
Like its predecessor, the Huawei Band 8 spots a 1.47 AMOLED display that’s very colorful and easy to read in any light condition. You get a physical button by the side in addition to a touchscreen feature that makes interacting with the device very easy. The Huawei Health app features loads of watch faces you can choose from to customize the look of either smartbands.
Both smartbands will also keep you connected so that you never get to miss important updates on your phone. Both watches will alert you when you receive notifications from apps installed on your phone. You need to enable notifications for your preferred apps, and you will be alerted when messages arrive. You have the option to reply to both calls and messages with preset quick replies.
Like the Huawei Band 7, there’s an NFC version of the Huawei Band 8 which is only available in China. This model will allow you to store your card details on the watch and make payments at supported terminals. To keep your data safe, you can setup a passcode and lock the watch.
The battery life also hasn’t changed. Huawei claims the Huawei Band 8 can last up to 14 days in typical usage, and up to 9 days in heavy usage. This is similar to what you get with Huawei Band 7. Both watches support fast charging, I’m always amazed at the speed at which my Huawei Band 7 takes to charge. It takes less than an hour to fully charge. Though the Huawei Band 8 now charges even faster. It took me 45 minutes to fully charge the device.
Huawei Band 7 vs 8 – Should You Upgrade?
To be very honest with you, I think Huawei has become less innovative in redefining the Huawei Band series. There’s no significant change to warrant an upgrade. The design looks almost the same, features are still the same, and battery life despite being outstanding hasn’t improved either. I wanted to see a more durable build, an inbuilt GPS, and a longer battery life.
Nonetheless, it’s all about preference. If you really like the flattened design and redesigned strap, you can upgrade. Otherwise, the slight changes leave very little to be desired.
