Huawei Band 7 Vs Fitbit Versa 4 : Which Will You Choose.
An interesting comparison between the Huawei Band 7 and the Fitbit Versa 4. In my experience both devices have’s it’s own pro’s and cons so if you are someone that is thinking of buying either device, I hope I can answer your question.
If you are not familiar with my comparison articles, I dont just compare specs to declare a winner. I put each device through it’s paces in six different categories, and rate a device using my own rating system. That way I present the facts that are unbiased, and not by impression as this can provide unbiased opinion.
In the end the Huawei Band 7 wins this comparison 3-2, and one no contest. Here is a summary of my final results.
| Sector | Winner |
| Smart Features | Versa 4 |
| Health Features | Versa 4 |
| Third Party App ability | Band 7 |
| Workout Mode Ability | Band 7 |
| GPS Tracking | N/A |
| Battery Life | Band 7 |
This does not mean that the Huawei Band 7 is the better device, what you have to remember is that the Band 7 is more suited for a active person, whereas the Versa 4 is more suited for a person concerned about health and well being. It all comes down to user intent, if your intentions align with the devices strengths, then to me that’s the best device for you, regardless of the comparison result.
In this article I will go through each testing category, and only provide the devices advantages over the other. I will only provide the facts so I will provide links to the full articles if you wish to see my full testing results. It could be helpful if you are seriously buying the device.
Smart Features : Winner Fitbit Versa 4
| Level | Band 7 | Versa 4 |
| Strength | Average | Strong |
| Basic | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Intermediate | 2/5 | 3/5 |
| Advanced | 0/5 | 3/5 |
| Final Score | 7/5 | 11/15 |
If you are not familiar with smart features, it’s the device’s ability to provide some form of automation. To my surprise the Versa 4 has really performed well and deserves the win in this category as the device has some built in features at advanced level, and other features that are far more reliable. Here is my article with the full test results for the Fitbit Vers4.
The Huawei Band 7 can provide basic smart features such as open messages, find your phone etc and some intermediate features that are unreliable which I will explain. Here is the list of advantages and that each device has over each other.
| Band 7 | Versa 4 |
| Music control | Messaging |
| NFC payment | |
| Digital assistant | |
| Connect to smart devices |
Band 7 Advantages
- Music control : I own the Australasian version of the Versa 4, which does not have a music player on the device.
Versa 4 Advantages
- Messaging : The Huawei Band 7 does have messaging as well, but I do think the experience the Versa 4 offers is a little better, with a larger screen
- NFC Payment : The Band 7 that I own does not have this feature. The Versa 4 now uses Google wallet and is now a far more reliable wireless payment system.
- Digital Assistant : The Versa 4 has Alexa built in, and here in New Zealand it’s fairly reliable even though we dont have our own language. Such a useful feature, especially when activating workouts, starting timer’s or asking a question. I have found that Alexa does delay for a while before executing voice instruction, but like I say, it’s only because New Zealand dont have it’s own language.
- Streaming to devices : This one is a lot of fun, you can only stream to devices that can connect with Alexa. I have managed to connect to our robot vacuum and control times it starts etc. I have not streamed the Versa 4 to a door bell, but will be a future article to share my results.
Health Features : Winner Fitbit Versa 4
Health and well being features is Fitbit’s strongest category, but there is a catch, you must have a active Fitbit subscription. Would you have the same advantage if you do not have a active Fitbit subscription? unfortunately no.
One thing that the Versa 4 does not have is snore detection and the Band 7 does. You do need to allow permission for your phone to allow the Band 7 to use the microphone to record snoring, then it can store the audio file. Setting it up is the same with all Huawei Watch’s and you can check out article Huawei Watch Fit 2 : How to set up snore detection feature
| Band 7 | Versa 4 |
| Snore detection | Reliable sleep tracking |
Third Party App Ability : Winner Huawei Band 7
| Feature | Band 7 | Versa 4 |
| Strength | Average | Average |
| Connection Type | Bluetooth | Bluetooth |
| App Stores | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| In Direct Ability | 5/5 | 2/5 |
| Direct Ability | 0/5 | 2/5 |
| Final Score | 7/15 | 6/15 |
Third party app ability is the device’s ability to integrate with third party applications. When it comes to app stores there isn’t much from both devices, and it really comes down to location. Here in New Zealand, both devices have third party apps already installed, like stopwatch etc, but nothing really useful I’m afraid.
There are two ways that a third party app can integrate with a device. There is the in direct method, or direct method.
In direct method : The Band 7 definelty has the advantage over the Versa 4. In direct interaction is where you allow permission to share your tracking data with a third party app as a partnership. During testing I used Komoot, and Adidas running and both apps synchronises very well, with the Band 7. Whereas the Versa 4 didn’t, sometimes the data would come through, or not at all which can be a little frustrating.
Direct Method : Direct method is controlling third party apps directly from your watch. The Band 7 does not have this ability but the Versa 4 does. The only app I managed to download was a medical ID app. It worked okay, and no errors occurred as I entered my own health data such as blood type or emergency contact.
In conclusion : The Band 7 does not have the same coverage as it’s higher end devices (Huawei Watch Fit 2, GT3 series or PRO series). Same goes with the Versa 4. The Versa 4 experience is no different to all the Fitbit devices that I have tested. The delay in transferring your tracking data to a third party app, doesn’t always come through, and sometimes not at all.
Workout Mode Ability : Huawei Band 7
| Criteria | Band 7 | Versa 4 |
| Strength | Strong | Average |
| Basic Level | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Intermediate Level | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| Advanced Level | 1/5 | 0/5 |
| Final Score | 9/15 | 7/15 |
When it comes to tracking your workouts, the Huawei Band 7 is the clear winner in this category, and is probably it’s strongest, with fairly reliable intermediate and advanced features that would appeal to a runner. In comparison to the Versa 4, it’s really a basic fitness tracker, that would appeal to anyone that just wants to track workouts and count steps.
If you want to know more about how I rate each device for workout mode ability check out articles Fitbit Versa 4 : Workout mode ability and what to expect and also Huawei Band 7 : Workout mode ability is fantastic. You will get an idea of how I go about rating each device, including what I look for when testing.
| Band 7 | Versa 4 |
| Training load | Training load* |
| Recovery | |
| Fitness level | |
| Improve running |
Band 7 Advantages
- Training load : The Versa 4 has something similar which is Daily readiness score, which is a premium feature, whereas the Band 7, it’s a native feature. Training load is very handy because it collects all of your sleep, stress and workout training data, then calculates your training load score. If your score is low, then do high intensity workouts, if your score is high, then ease off and do recovery workouts like yoga or walking.
- Recovery : If you train, you need to recover. At the end of the workout, the device will provide a timer to your next training time. To simply put it, if you spend long periods of time in the Aerobic or anaerobic zones, the level of training stress is higher, therefore a longer recovery time is required.
- Fitness level : The band 7 can determine this by using a feature called V02 max, which is a measure of how efficient your body is when absorbing oxygen during exercise. This feature can only be used on outdoor running mode only.
- Improve Running : The band 7 has a a feature called running ability index (RAI) which is a feature that can help improve your running form. The band 7 has a built in gyroscope sensor that can detect three dimensional movement. The band 7 tracks your running based on your wrist rhythm when running. Results are fairly reliable, but for better results would be to invest in a more higher end device where it uses multiple sensors to authenticate the motion accurately.
GPS Tracking : No Winner
| Criteria | Band 7 | Versa 4 |
| Strength | – | Weak |
| No of Sensors | – | 1 |
| Extra’s | none | none |
| Basic test | – | 1/5 |
| Hard test | – | 1/5 |
| Very hard test | – | 1/5 |
| Final Score | N/A | 3/15 |
In this category I could have easily given the win to the Fitbit Versa 4, because it’s the only device with GPS built in. However, the Versa 4 scored very poorly during my test so the most fairest outcome of this is to declare no winner.
The Huawei Band 7 uses your phones GPS signal to do any GPS tracking, and you can get very reliable results. As for the Versa 4, it has a built in GPS sensor that can only connect to a satellite systems, which is the reason why it’s accuracy isn’t the greatest. During my test’s, any device that can connect to multiple satellite systems have a better chance of accurate tracking.
For the final testing results please check out articles Fitbit Versa 4 : Is the GPS tracking accurate? and also Huawei Band 7 : Does it have a GPS sensor?
Battery Life : Winner Huawei Band 7
| Tests | Band 7 | Versa 4 |
| Strength | Strong | Average |
| Battery economy without GPS Tracking | 4/5 | 2/5 |
Normally when it comes to battery life testing I would do two different tests, the first test is battery economy, based on my typical usage, then the second test would be based on the GPS battery consumption. Since the Huawei Band 7 does not have built in GPS, I can only compare the battery economy results.
If you want to know more abut how I have rated each device check out articles Huawei Band 7 : Great Battery life, but beware of these drainers and also Fitbit Versa 4 : Battery life is fantastic. Each article will have the full test results including the 2023 updates for Huawei Band 7, which has gained a very big battery life efficiency to go with a very impressive battery recharge.
My Typical Usage
- 60-70 minutes of strength training (Morning)
- 60-70 minutes of GPS tracking (running/ hiking)
- Up to 100 screen activations (AOD always on display)
- Up to 20 messages viewed
- All day heart rate tracking
- Sleep tracking 6-7 hours per night
Battery Economy Comparison
- Test results based on my typical usage only per day
- Test ends at 90% has been consumed.
- The Huawei Band 7 is 33% more efficient when it comes to battery economy
| Criteria | Band 7 | Versa 4 |
| Battery economy without GPS Tracking | 10% | 15% |
| No of days | 9 | 6 |
| Star rating | 4/5 | 3/5 |
Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have learnt a lot about both devices in comparison. As I reflect on the comparison, it wasn’t really comparing apples with apples because both devices have their own unique speciality, and you can see with the very strong scores given in specific categories, and weaker in others.
All though the Huawei Band 7 wins the comparison does not mean that it’s better than the Fitbit Versa 4. Like I say, it all comes down to user intent so if your intentions is to prioritise Health and well being then you should consider the Fitbit Versa 4. The Band 7 cannot track heart or sleep health as well as the Versa 4.
Although I try to condense this article down and only present the facts, please do take the time to check out the article links I have provided so you get an idea what I look for during testing. Please note it’s not the industry standard, but a system of my own design to create some form of separation. I think that this is important, especially if you are investing your hard earned cash in a device.
If I didn’t quite answer any questions, you could also check out the articles Fitbit Versa 4 : Is it worth buying or upgrading? or Huawei Band 7 : Is it worth buying. In these articles I attempt to create the ideal profile that would benefit from using these devices. Thank you for reading.
