We’ve said it time and again, the smartwatch is a device that has a long way to go before it reaches the level or value of a smartphone in our lives. But that hasn’t stopped phone makers from pushing their own wearable products.
If one takes a look at the global landscape of smart wearables, the most prominent name is Xiaomi Mi Band and the reason for that is its meager $13 price point.
A smartwatch costing $300 or above has to prove its worth but that depends on what you are expecting.
Huawei Watch. (Photo: The Quint)
Huawei Watch ticks the design template, it hasn’t redefined the watch but miles better than the square Apple Watch.
Pros
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Classy watch looks
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Crisp and bright display
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Reliable smartwatch performer
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Quick charging supported
Cons
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Watch is on the expensive side
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Battery life suffers (a problem most smartwatches have)
Huawei Watch lets you control your phone’s music from the watch. (Photo: The Quint)
What’s Good?
Huawei has taken the good bits of most other brands selling smartwatch and sprinkled them with its own design taste, and it works. The brand is only selling the 42-mm leather variant in the market as of now, which should get expanded to other options in the coming months.
Huawei Watch has fitness gauge. (Photo:The Quin)
The 1.4-inch display with 400×400 pixels resolution thrives on the durability prowess of Sapphire crystal glass that makes the Watch look elegant. The other layer of protection is the IP67 standard, usually seen and offered with phones.
You get onboard 4GB storage, which can store a good amount of music and apps, and the Snapdragon 400 processor under the hood with 512MB RAM that keeps the watch ticking along smoothly, without major glitches to report about. You can change your phone’s music using the Watch.
Huawei Watch offers fast charging. (Photo: The Quint)
In terms of connectivity, you get WiFi and Bluetooth which is your source of smartphone pairing.
What’s Bad?
Android Wear has improved but not up to the mark that one really expects a wearable operating system (OS) to be. Yes, the OS now works with iPhone but that doesn’t make for a happy reading for the Android user, does it?
The battery life is low for a watch, a common problem among smartwatches, the operating systems do suck a lot of unnecessary power.
There is an optical heart-rate sensor on the back, but unfortunately it doesn’t monitor continuously and can only be activated on demand.
Huawei Watch has lots of watch face options. (Photo: The Quint)
The OS does drain the battery a lot making the quick charger a welcome feature. I am really hopeful that this year’s Google I/O will offer us Android Wear in its best avatar. Google should get its house in order, before the likes of Samsung make their big headway with the Tizen OS.
Huawei Watch powered by Android Wear. (Photo:The Quint)
The Watch is not designed as a fitness companion, mainly because of the missing GPS and the functionality of the heart-rate monitor. And there are cheaper wearables that do a better job.
Why Buy It?
Huawei Watch is a nicely crafted wearable with smart features enabled by Android Wear. You might even mistake it for a traditional high-end watch and that works really well for Huawei and us.
Huawei Watch pairs with Android as well as iOS devices. (Photo: The Quint)
However, smartwatches and their software are not yet where they should be. Huawei has made a good watch that happens to be smart.
If you want to buy a smartwatch, are aware of what to expect from a smartwatch and you don’t want people pointing at your wrist because it is obvious that you are wearing a gadget, then the Huawei Watch is not the worst choice.
At the end of the day it is a pricey accessory, but that has never stopped a tech fan from buying something.
You can get the Huawei Watch in all different styles and colors on Amazon, ranging from $120 for a used watch to over $600 for a gold plated one.
