Huawei brings its watches to the UK in October. You should take time to check them out

On my trip to IFA as a guest of Huawei, I’ve been seeing rather a lot of their smartwatch.

It’s not a brand new watch – it was announced early in 2015 – but at its recent press event, it has announced the release of the watch outside of a few select markets, along with a new choice of designs.

I know what you’re thinking; Hang on a minute, here’s someone taken to a press event by that very company, and now he’s suggesting I buy their watch.

It’s easy to be cynical, but I really do think that amongst a sea of watches, the Huawei Watch does stand out as something at least worthy of a look.

Take a look at these pictures and you can’t say it doesn’t look nice. Sure, that’s subjective, but it has a nice weighty feel and the 42mm circular display has no blank areas like the Moto 360 and its recent successor, the Moto 360 2nd Gen.

The bezel also looks a bit more purposeful than the larger surround on LG’s watch.

The watch display has a 400×400 pixel resolution, at 286 pixels per inch, and the 10000:1 contrast ratio makes the always-on display look sharp and more traditional watch-like.

An always on AMOLED screen means a quoted battery life of 1.5 days, from a 300mAh battery. It’s not great, but pretty much par for the course in the world of smartwatches away from Pebble.

Flip over the watch and you’ll see a heart rate sensor, and wireless charging is standard.

Functionality wise, the Huawei Watch is a normal Android Wear device – and it is certified as running on both Android and iOS (version 8.2 and above).

There’s really nothing more to add, and now it’s all about finding the watch that suits your taste than worrying about differences in software. They’re all pretty much identical when it comes to operation.

The Huawei watches will go on sale in the UK from October, at a range of prices starting at €399 and rising to €699.

Perhaps the biggest problem for Huawei is how the average person will get a chance to see the watches in the flesh before buying.

Huawei will need to find a way into the high street, through phone stores, department stores and so on to stand any chance of selling these in large numbers.

Mind you, from a consumer point of view, fewer sales will mean more exclusivity so perhaps that’s a good thing. After all, who wants to be seen wearing the same watch as every other man and woman on the street?

Demonstration

More info: Huawei Watch

Press Release

[Berlin, Germany, September 2, 2015] Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) has today officially introduced the new Huawei watch at IFA.

The watch, with its classic design, inspired by Swiss timepieces, will go on sale in Canada, Germany, France, Spain and Italy this month priced between €399.00 and €699.00 depending on the design features chosen.

The Huawei watch will also be available for pre-order in the US from today (2nd September). It will go on sale in the UK, Japan and UAE in October and information on further regions will be released later this year.

This is the first smartwatch in the Huawei wearable family and is also the first watch on the market to truly bridge the gap between fashion and technology.

The Huawei watch, powered by Android Wear™, enables you to stay connected wherever you are, with instant alerts for calls, texts, instant messages and emails. With Bluetooth connectivity for wireless headphone usage, coupled with offline music download support, staying active is made even easier.

Music can be played via voice commands, with users able to search for destinations and navigate their way there using the same voice actions. Locating missing phones has never been easier than with the watch’s “find my phone” function.

And now, thanks to the latest version of Google’s Android Wear™, both Android and iOS users will be able to connect to the Huawei Watch.

A classic design aesthetic

The Huawei watch measures 42mm in diameter, which is the traditional dimension for wristwatches. The watch face is unique in design with its fully circular face and crown located at the two o’clock position.

There are a range of rose gold, stainless steel and black frames to choose from, as well as a variety of bespoke watch face designs, across a range of classic, luxury, business, feminine, modern and simple aesthetics.

The choice of straps includes stainless steel mesh, stainless steel links, rose gold, and black-plated stainless steel links, and brown and black leather. Easy to change, they will fit any watch strap with 18mm width lug interface.

Classically crafted

Crafted using sophisticated materials, the watch features a fully circular 1.4-inch touch-sensitive AMOLED display, coated in scratch-proof sapphire crystal (the favored choice amongst Swiss watch manufacturers), a cold-forged stainless steel frame, and comes with a built-in heart rate monitor and 6-Axis motion sensors. It has a 400 x 400 pixels resolution in 286 ppi at a 10,000:1 high contrast ratio, making it the most vibrant Android Wear smart watch to date.

In keeping with the classic, premium design aesthetic of the watch, Huawei Consumer BG has partnered with the world’s most famous fashion photographer Mario Testino to produce an advertising campaign featuring American supermodel Karlie Kloss and one of the world’s top male models, Sean O’Pry.

A new era of sporting technology

The Huawei watch includes a heart rate monitor sensor (PPG sensor), which can accurately measure heart rates. The sensor protrudes slightly for better skin contact and greater accuracy.

The 6-Axis motion sensor, with a gyroscope and accelerometer, helps to track your activities anywhere, anytime, and can distinguish between different physical activities, including walking, running and climbing.

Mr. Benjamin Norton, Wearable Design Expert at the Huawei Consumer BG, said: “Today, consumers are rarely content with just staying connected; they are looking for a premium smartwatch that is technologically innovative. When designing this watch, we were keen to combine the best in technology and innovation with premium materials and a classic look and feel. With the sapphire crystal and circular watch face, we feel that the Huawei watch has achieved this.”

Mr. Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer BG, said: “Huawei is dedicated to continually innovating and creating new products to suit our consumers’ needs. This first smartwatch in our wearables family has been designed following extensive research and demonstrated consumer demand for smart wrist wear. The Huawei watch is unique within the market with its premium look and feel and classic design, combined with superior smart technology, which allows users to stay connected on the go. No doubt, wearable devices will remain one of the most significant trends in the device industry, and by leveraging Huawei’s technology and innovation, Huawei Consumer BG aims to be a leader in the wearable space.”

Availability and Accessories

Huawei Watch will be available in more than 20 countries and regions, including United States, United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Norway, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates.