Huawei is expanding its health tech offerings with a new smartwatch feature designed to assess a user’s risk of developing diabetes. The Chinese technology company unveiled the capability at the World Health Expo 2026 in Dubai, offering a non-invasive way to gain insights into potential health concerns.
The new feature, available now for the Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro via an over-the-air (OTA) update, analyzes physiological markers over a period of three to 14 days. It utilizes photoplethysmography (PPG) technology and other onboard sensors to identify potential blood sugar fluctuations, according to Android Authority. The development underscores a growing trend of wearable devices incorporating advanced health monitoring capabilities.
Huawei emphasized that the feature is not intended to measure blood glucose levels directly or provide a diagnosis. Instead, it functions as an initial screening tool, categorizing wellness patterns into Low, Medium, or High risk levels. Users categorized as Medium or High are advised to seek professional medical help for further diagnosis, as noted in a report from Gadget Voize.
The technology leverages recent research that has identified a connection between resting heart rate and diabetes, as well as the impact of diabetes-related microvascular arteriosclerosis and neuropathy on PPG signals. Huawei developed the feature to identify blood sugar fluctuations based on these PPG measurements.
According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 589 million adults aged 20 to 79 were living with diabetes worldwide in 2024, with 43% remaining undiagnosed. The prevalence of diabetes in the MENA region is particularly high, affecting 85 million adults, a number projected to increase by 92% to 163 million by 2050. In the UAE, 20.7% of the adult population currently lives with diabetes.
Huawei plans to roll out the diabetes risk assessment feature to additional smartwatch models in the future. The company has previously integrated health monitoring features into its wearables, including blood pressure monitoring in the Watch D series and metabolic tracking in other models, as reported by DubaiMag. However, Huawei consistently stresses that these features are not substitutes for professional medical advice or diagnosis.
Professor Jiguang Wang, Director of the Shanghai Institute of Hypertension, highlighted the reliability of wearable-based PPG as an early risk-assessment method at the World Health Expo Dubai 2026.
Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro.
The company hopes the feature will empower individuals to prioritize preventative care and recognize potential health trends early on. Users can access the Diabetes Risk assessment through an app on compatible smartwatches, such as the Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro.
