Huawei makes some very unique and good-looking smartwatches. The one I have with me is the GT2 Classic that I bought in 2020 and the 3 features it has that I use the most are viewing messages and notifications on it without pulling out my phone, the flashlight feature, and skipping between music as well as adjusting the volume of music and videos. Yes, I rarely use it to actually look at the time.
But this is basic compared to what else Huawei has. So these are 3 of the most interesting and unique watches made by Huawei right now that you can buy.
A watch and a case for wireless buds all in one
The first is the Huawei Watch buds. And I think this is genius. So you have a watch with wireless buds inside it. I say it’s genius because instead of fumbling about looking for your case and the buds, the case is always on your wrist. The watch face opens up like a lid and the buds themselves will be magnetically attached to the lid such that they lift up with the lid when you open it.
The wireless buds themselves have a battery life of up to 4 hours despite them being small enough to fit inside the watch. Battery life for the watch is 3 days which is definitely below the Huawei standard of 7 to 14 days but it’s still a lot better than anything Apple, Samsung, or Google can pull off right now. You just have to contend with its bulkiness.
Obviously, there are some trade-offs. Because the whole lid essentially flips open, It is not water resistant so any activity, scenarios, or workout routines involving water are not recommended.
The other is that using the buds frequently will heavily impact the battery life of the watch. These wireless buds each have tiny batteries inside them that charge by drawing power from the main battery in the watch. So the more they are used, the faster the watch battery will be depleted.
The watch also loses calling features. The loudspeaker and built-in mics are removed to make space for the battery and the buds so the said speaker and mic are moved to the buds. That said in the 3 years I have had my watch I have used it for calls probably less than 5 times so even I would not miss that. Anyway, this one will set you back a hefty US$490. But if you consider you are getting a watch and wireless buds with noise canceling then it’s not that bad.
Swappable watch belts. Meet swappable watch frames
Next up is the Huawei Watch GT Cyber and it brings a fresh take on what customizing your watch is. Normally when you buy a smartwatch the only way you can jazz it up is to buy bands or belts of different colors and materials for it.
The GT Cyber goes a step further by also including the frame of the watch. So you can remove the functional bit of the watch completely off the frame and put it on a different frame. This allows you to have different frame and belt combinations for an even more comprehensive form of personalization.
The look is a love-hate affair because of the rugged cyber design of the frames but it’s the design is not just cosmetic. This one is a direct competitor to the US$800 Apple Watch Ultra in that it is bigger and more rugged. It is tested to endure harsher environments so it can survive colder or hotter environments better than other Huawei watches and has gone through military test procedures for testing how well it handles shocks and bumps. And on the inside, it’s also one of the smartest watches Huawei makes in that it’s running HarmonyOS meaning you can install apps on it and it also comes with the Celia voice assistant built in.
Apart from the polarising looks it’s also worth mentioning that although it’s running an OS that allows for installing apps, it only has access to Huawei’s App Gallery for these apps. So if the app you need is not available on Huawei’s App Gallery then you’ll be out of luck. That said, Huawei quotes the battery life of the GT Cyber at 7 days of normal usage and 3 days of heavy usage. In terms of price, the GT Cyber is the cheapest on this list at US$245.
BP and ECG measurements are right there on your wrist
This last one has been out for a while now. It’s the Huawei Watch D and it’s got a strong focus on health. It is one of the very few smartwatches that comes with blood pressure and ECG measurement built in. Most smartwatches including mine can measure heart rate and blood oxygen saturation and use this data to also give readings of stress and the quality of your sleep. But Blood Pressure and ECG require specialized hardware which Huawei has managed to fit in the Watch D
Blood Pressure hardware that includes a pump and airbag has been made small enough to fit in a wristwatch. It also has electrodes specifically for ECG measurement and Huawei even claims that the BP measurements you get from this watch have a margin of error of +/- 3mmHg so it’s probably as reliable as a smartwatch can get.
You would think all this hardware will result in terrible battery life but Huawei claims 7 days of battery life which is very decent.
This watch has some protection against water but they discourage the use of this watch around water especially workout routines done in water or when taking a shower. If you are not comfortable using your phone there then the same applies to this watch. The average price for this one is around US$435.
A watch that can connect to satellites
If you stuck around till now then you deserve a bonus one. Huawei is working on a watch that will have direct communication with satellites dubbed the Huawei Watch Ultimate. A majority of smartwatches Huawei makes have built-in GPS receivers for location tracking during a workout routine. But this satellite communication will be for 2 way communication separate from GPS for SMS in remote areas.
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4 comments
This post without images is useless 😄
… there is a video, literally moving pictures
Hahaha jus made my day.
[Steven He voice]: Emotional damage!!!
Some of these are dangerously close to being gimmicky, but still, they are interesting ideas overall.