Huawei (华为) rolls out HarmonyOS 6.0.0.328 "fans" beta to WATCH 5 series — Kirin W80 processor surfaces

Beta push and key features

Huawei (华为) has opened a HarmonyOS 6.0.0.328 "fans" (花粉) beta for its HUAWEI WATCH 5 / Ultimate / FIT 4 series, reportedly recruiting 13,000 participants for the trial. The update brings several consumer-facing additions: new interactive watch faces (including "舞林萌主" and "梵星绮梦") with customizable elements and animation triggers, improved outdoor cycling metrics such as simulated cadence, power and FTP calculation when paired with a power meter, phone-battery reminders and enhanced health-summary cards on the always-on screen.

Kirin W80 revealed

It has been reported that some users who installed the beta can now see the watch processor model listed as HUAWEI Kirin W80. The Kirin W80 was previously exposed on Huawei’s website and is already confirmed in marketing material for the HUAWEI WATCH Ultimate 2. Huawei claims that, paired with HarmonyOS 6.0, the W80 enables system-level hardware-software-cloud coordination and a roughly 30% whole-device performance uplift — a company assertion that remains Huawei’s own benchmark.

Why this matters

Why should Western readers care? HarmonyOS is Huawei's in-house OS alternative to Google’s Android, increasingly central to its strategy across phones and IoT wearables. The Kirin brand recalls Huawei’s pre-sanctions chip lineage, and the W80’s appearance is notable amid years of U.S. export controls that have limited Huawei’s access to advanced chipmaking. It has been reported that the W80 is positioned to boost Huawei’s fitness and health capabilities on-device, a priority area as wearable competition intensifies globally.