Huawei Smart Watch

Huawei Smart Watch Review

Smart Watches: Why?

In the world of smart watches everyone has one, your neighbor, your boss, your co-workers and aside from the well known brands, most companies make one. Even the luxury brands are getting into the mix. The question is why own one?

We live in a connected world and a natural extension of your smart phone is a smart watch. More than telling time it gives you quick access to the information you want without taking your phone out, unlocking it, and waiting for the information you want or finding it. A quick glance and you know who that incoming call is from, what the text message is, or are notified that the important email has arrived. That’s why. If you find yourself using your smart phone a lot then you will definitely benefit from using a smart watch.

Which one to Buy?

Now you know why the next question is which one to buy. Like we mentioned before many manufacturers have entries into the market. LG, Samsung, Apple, Asus, Motorola, and Huawei. They all have their pro’s and con’s and we are going to talk about what makes the Huawei Smart watch stand out and if its the right choice for you. At the time of this writing the Huawei Smart Watch can be found with a price tag of $399. That makes it one of the more pricey models available. Why spend so much for Huawei’s entry when the Moto 360 2nd Gen is a full $100 less? Well lets look at what the Huawei has to offer.

TECHNICAL SPECS

Display: 1.4-inch full circle AMOLED display 400×400 screen resolution, 286 ppi

OS: Android Wear

Processor: 1.2 GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon 400

Memory: 4GB ROM; 512MB RAM

Dimensions:

Body: 42mm diameter x 11.3mm thin
Band: 185mm x 20.5mm

Weight: 136 g

Compatibility: Android 4.3+ / iOS 8.2+*

Battery: 300 maH; Up to 2 days**

Sensors: Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Barometer, Heart Rate

Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.1; WIFi

Materials:

DLC Coated Cold-Forged 316L Stainless Steel
Sapphire Crystal

In The Box:

AC adapter; Magnetic Charging Cradle; User Manual; Health and Safety

HUAWEI WATCH FAQS

* Requires a phone running Android 4.3+ or iOS 8.2+. Visit g.co/WearCheck  on your phone to see if it’s compatible. Supported features may vary between Android and iOS.

** Power consumption depends on many factors, including operating temperature, features selected, vibration frequency, display brightness, and other applications usage patterns.

Stand Out Specifications:

I wont run down the complete specifications here but the standout features are its high resolution, high ppi display. The display becomes even more impressive when you consider its high (10,000:1) contrast ratio, meaning the colors really pop. While motorola continues to design smart watches with the “Flat Tire” dead space at the bottom of the screen, you get the benefit of a fully round screen with the Huawei Smart watch. The Huawei watch also uses an AMOLED display which significantly adds to its readability when in its ambient or dim state. The Moto by comparison uses an older LCD display.

 Display aside the Huawei is the only Android smart watch so far to employ the use of highly scratch resistant sapphire crystal much like the Apple smart watch. If you think this is’int important talk to anyone who has accidentally banged their quartz crystal watch against a wall just a little to hard. Watch aficionados swear by sapphire crystal and its a feature usually only found on higher end watches. Starting to see the higher price tag?

Notably absent is GPS meaning that tracking and navigation must be done through pairing unlike the Sony offering. Additionally we do not see Qi wireless charging capability like the Moto meaning that you are stuck with a dock utilizing pins. In the case of the Huawei Smart Watch it is immediately apparent that the dock is a bit picky. It nearly always took us a few tries to get the pins lined up so the watch charges. On the upside once placed and charging we never had a problem with it becoming unmounted.

Lastly the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 provides excellent horsepower while sipping energy and the Huawei Smart Watch feels quite snappy. We have had no issues with navigation, lag, stutter, or any hardware bugginess.

Battery Life:

We are quite pleased to say that the Huawei Smart Watch is the first one we have reviewed that actually lasts two full days (48 Hours) of use without a charge while actively being used. On standby we found it will last nearly a full week if you don’t mess with it. The Huawei will sense when its battery is getting low and automatically turn off wireless to further preserve battery life and this feature really does work. It almost seems as if the Huawei just wants to keep on going until that last 1% is drained. We found in testing that the Huawei Smart watch charges from 0 to 100% in just 69 minutes using the provided adapter which means that even if you forget to charge it until you leave for work you can probably get about 50% of a charge just on your drive to work.

Options:

The Huawei Smart watch is available in multiple options that range in price from $349 for the stainless steel with black leather strap to the pricer $799 for the rose gold plated steel with matching rose gold plated steel link band.

Boxing:

Boxing has taken on a streamlined, reduced nature, with the exception of the Huawei Smart Watch. In the case of the Huawei the boxing here really alludes to its refined and more luxuries nature. A box withing a box awaits purchasers, and inside the leather lined interior is the watch of your choice.

Conclusion:

Here’s the hard part. Is it the right watch for you? Well that depends on whats important to you. Do you value screen appearance and durability, speed, and battery life? If yes then certainly the Huawei Smart Watch is the right decision. If on the other hand you prefer a cheaper option and your willing to live with the greater risk of scratches on other watches and less battery life then another option may be best for you. For us its a clear winner if you want a good looking, luxurious, and durable smart watch the really performs as its supposed to.