JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Wearable health technologies now provide users with continuous access to real-time physiological data, with contemporary smartwatches consolidating photoplethysmography for heart rate and oxygen saturation, electrocardiography for rhythm assessment, and accelerometry for activity and sleep detection within a single platform. The Huawei Watch 5 exemplifies this convergence through X-Tap fingertip sensing and Health Glance, a consolidated multiparameter assessment completed in approximately sixty seconds, alongside continuous photoplethysmographic monitoring, electrocardiographic tracking, and sleep analysis. The performance of such integrated platforms in applied settings, however, remains insufficiently characterised.

Objective:

The study aims to assess the usability of the express health assessment feature, X-Tap, of Huawei Watch 5 for fingertip blood oxygen measurement.

Methods:

Thirteen participants wore the device continuously for an average of seven days. Comprehensive user feedback was collected on the performance of X-Tap health data features during daily activities, exercise, sleep, and routine use.

Results:

Users valued the device’s measurement speed and range of health metrics. The X-Tap feature emerged as a primary point of interaction, with all participants engaging with it repeatedly under varying conditions to assess its consistency and reliability. The results demonstrated high user appreciation for rapid measurements and comprehensive health data; however, concerns regarding interpretability and accuracy were reported, particularly for non-core metrics such as skin temperature.

Conclusions:

These findings provide insights into the ongoing development of consumer-grade, sensor-driven wearable health technologies, particularly in relation to user trust, comfort, and the delivery of actionable health feedback.