Apple Watch Series 12 vs Huawei Watch 5 specs comparison
Apple Watch Series 12 offers the more complete smartwatch experience, particularly for iPhone owners, with stronger app support and ecosystem integration. Huawei Watch 5 counters with much longer battery life and excellent health hardware, so it makes more sense if endurance matters more than third-party apps.
Full comparison
The full record
74 specifications across 6 areas, with 28 genuine differences.
1. Design & display Mixed
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Huawei Watch 5
Release date
2026-09-18
2025-05
Physical size
Aluminum/titanium: 46 x 40 x 9.7 mm or 42 x 37 x 9.7 mm; ceramic: 47 x 41 x 9.85 mm or 43 x 37 x 9.85 mm
46 x 46.7 x 11.3 mm (46 mm); 42 x 42.5 x 10.5 mm (42 mm)
Weight
46 mm: 39.5 g (aluminum GPS), 38.6 g (aluminum GPS + Cellular), 44.9 g (titanium), 51.3 g (Pearl White ceramic), 52.9 g (Night Blue ceramic); 42 mm: 32.2 g, 31.5 g, 36.5 g, 41.7 g and 42.8 g respectively
58-63 g (46 mm); 48-51 g (42 mm), without strap
Material
Aluminum, titanium or ceramic case, 60% tougher than Series 11
Aerospace grade titanium, 316L stainless steel or 904L stainless steel (depending on version)
Water resistance
5 ATM; IP6X; depth gauge to 6 m
5 ATM + IP69
Color options
Aluminum: Dark Bronze, Light Gold, Black, Space Gray; Titanium: Radiant Gold, Natural; Ceramic: Pearl White, Night Blue
46 mm (Purple, Silver, Brown, Black); 42 mm (Beige, Sand Gold, White, Green)
Display type
Always-On Retina LTPO3 wide-angle OLED
LTPO 2.0 AMOLED
Display size
42 mm or 46 mm case (ceramic cases are 43 mm or 47 mm tall)
1.5 inch (46 mm); 1.38 inch (42 mm)
Display resolution
42 mm: 374 x 446 pixels; 46 mm: 416 x 496 pixels
466 x 466 pixels (310 ppi 46 mm; 338 ppi 42 mm)
Display brightness
Up to 2,000 nits
Up to 3,000 nits
2. Battery & charging Huawei Watch 5
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Huawei Watch 5
Battery
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Battery life
Up to 24 hours; up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode
Full power mode: 46 mm (4.5 days typical use, 3 days AOD, 11 days max in battery saver mode); 42 mm (3 days typical use, 2 days AOD, 7 days max in battery saver mode)
Charging
USB-C magnetic fast charging
Wireless charging
3. Sensors & positioning Huawei Watch 5
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Huawei Watch 5
GNSS type
Built-in GNSS
Built-in dual-band GNSS
GPS
Yes
Yes
GALILEO
Yes
Yes
GLONASS
Yes
Yes
QZSS
Yes
Yes
Beidou
Yes
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Yes
Barometric altimeter
Yes
Yes
Compass
Yes
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Yes
Optical heart rate
Yes (always-on optical heart sensor; high-frequency background tracking)
Yes
Electrical heart rate
Yes
Yes
SpO2
Yes
Yes
Temperature
Yes
Yes
Galvanic skin response
No
No
Microphone
Yes
Yes
Speakers
Yes
Yes
Vibration motor
Yes
Yes
4. Health & activity Huawei Watch 5
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Huawei Watch 5
Steps
Yes
Yes
Distance
Yes
Yes
Calories burned
Yes
Yes
Floors
Yes
Yes
Sports tracking
Yes
Yes
Sleep
Yes
Yes
Heart rate
Yes
Yes
HRV
Yes (Up to 24x more frequent than Series 11)
Yes
Stress
No
Yes
Blood oxygen
Yes
Yes
Respiration rate
Yes
Yes
Skin temperature
Yes
Yes
ECG
Yes
Yes
Blood pressure
Hypertension notifications (no direct blood-pressure measurement)
No
Body composition
No
No
Glucose
No
No
Hydration level
No
No
UV exposure
No
No
Calorie intake
No
Yes
Hyperglycemia risk assessment
No
Yes
Arterial stiffness detection
No
Yes
Pulse wave arrhythmia analysis
Yes
Yes
5. Smart features No clear edge
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Huawei Watch 5
Smartphone compatibility
iPhone 11 or later or iPhone SE (2nd generation or later) with iOS 27 or later
Android 9.0+ and iOS 13.0+
Operating system at launch
watchOS 27
HarmonyOS
Bluetooth
Yes (5.3)
Yes (5.2)
Wi-Fi
Yes (Wi-Fi 4 / 802.11n, 2.4/5 GHz)
Yes (Wi-Fi 6)
NFC / connected pay
Yes (Apple Pay)
Yes
UWB
Yes (2nd-generation UWB)
No
Cellular
Optional (5G RedCap and LTE on supported regional models)
Yes (eSIM)
Smartphone notifications
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth calling
Yes (standalone on cellular models; via paired iPhone otherwise)
Yes
Smartphone music control
Yes
Yes
On-board music storage
Yes
Yes
Voice assistant
Siri AI powered by Apple Intelligence
Yes
6. Navigation & safety No clear edge
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Huawei Watch 5
Maps
Yes
Yes
Offline maps
Yes
Yes
Navigation
Yes
Yes
Emergency SOS
Yes
Yes
Satellite SOS
No
No
Fall detection
Yes
Yes
LED flashlight
No
No
Diving
No
Yes (freediving to 40 m)