Huawei’s new smartwatches are aiming to redefine wearable tech for the fashion-conscious, blending style with substance in a way that might just turn heads in both the tech and fashion worlds.
At their product launch event in Barcelona today, Huawei unveiled a range of new wearables and tablets, with the WATCH GT 5 Series taking centre stage. This latest iteration of Huawei’s popular smartwatch line brings some significant upgrades over its predecessors, most notably in the health tracking department.
The standout feature is the new HUAWEI TruSense System, which Huawei claims leads the industry in tracking vital signs like heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and respiratory rate. It’s a bold claim, but if it holds up, it could give Apple and Samsung a run for their money in the health-tracking stakes.
What’s particularly intriguing is the new Emotional Wellbeing Assistant. Huawei says this feature allows the watch to infer the user’s emotional state. While the specifics of how this works weren’t detailed, it’s an interesting concept that could open up new avenues for mental health tracking – if it proves accurate and useful in real-world scenarios.
Design-wise, Huawei seems to be taking cues from traditional watchmakers. The WATCH GT 5 Series comes in a range of sizes and styles, from the chunky 46mm version with its octagonal dial and titanium construction, to the more delicate 41mm model with its nano-ceramic build and gold accents. It’s clear Huawei is trying to cater to a wide range of tastes and wrist sizes.
One area where Huawei has always excelled is battery life, and the GT 5 Series doesn’t disappoint. The 46mm model boasts up to 14 days of use on a single charge, while the 41mm version manages a respectable 7 days. In a world where many smartwatches struggle to last more than a day or two, this could be a significant selling point for many users.
But Huawei isn’t just focusing on the mainstream smartwatch market. The WATCH D2, an update to last year’s WATCH D, brings some serious health monitoring capabilities to the table. The standout feature here is the Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM), which offers 24-hour blood pressure tracking. For those with hypertension or at risk of developing it, this could be a game-changer.
The WATCH D2 also packs in a comprehensive suite of health monitoring features, including ECG, vascular elasticity measurements, and sleep apnea detection. It’s clear that Huawei is positioning this as a serious health device, not just a fitness tracker with a few extra bells and whistles.
For those looking for something a bit more rugged, the WATCH Ultimate Green Edition offers enhanced golfing features and an improved Expedition Mode. With its liquid metal body and sapphire glass cover, it’s built to withstand some serious punishment. The 100-meter diving mode with audio functions is a nice touch for the aquatically inclined.
Huawei hasn’t announced South African pricing for these new watches yet, but based on previous releases, we can expect the WATCH GT 5 Series to start around R7,000, with the WATCH D2 and WATCH Ultimate likely commanding a premium over that.
While Huawei’s phones have faced challenges in Western markets due to ongoing tensions with the US government, their wearables and tablets have continued to gain traction. These new releases show that Huawei is still very much in the game, pushing the boundaries of what we expect from our smart devices.
