Huawei Watch: Good times

Huawei Watch

Huawei’s Watch is not perfect but it’s hard to fault a smartwatch that is this pretty.

They say first impressions count and Huawei’s Watch made a big one. Although it made a late appearance it easily outclasses just about every Android Wear smartwatch in the looks department.

The Huawei Watch easily outclasses its competitors in terms of aesthetics.

The only other model that comes close to Watch is the Moto 360 2nd gen but this watch has a case of “flat tyre”.

For the uninitiated, a tiny part at the bottom of the screen is blacked out, giving the Moto 360 a flat tyre look. It’s also a sad waste of screen space, a problem Watch doesn’t have.

Many faces

There’s more to a smartwatch than changing watch faces but it’s a guilty pleasure for many owners, especially first timers. By default Watch comes with over 40 faces, giving you plenty of customising options to match your looks.

And what’s extra cool is that you can set the watch face to stay always on, even when the smartwatch is inactive, instead of displaying a simple face (which is usually just the time in monochrome) or switching off the screen.

At 42mm (and with a 1.4in screen), it’s a pretty large watch that’s ideal for those with bigger hands.

This might sound like a dumb idea as it drains the battery faster but this means there will be no delay when you need to use it.

Also, the smartwatch looks darn good with the screen on so why switch it off?

At 42mm (and with a 1.4in screen), it’s a pretty large watch that’s ideal for those with bigger hands. Frankly, I would prefer the display to be even larger for easier reading and navigation, or at least the option of two sizes.

The 1.4in screen has a resolution of 400 x 400 pixels, which is one of the sharpest on the market. In fact, some third-party watch faces don’t look so good on it because they don’t support the higher resolution.

The icing on the cake is the scratch-resistant Sapphire crystal which protects the face which for me is a must-have for a watch as I tend to knock them around.

The Watch uses a traditional metal bracelet so you will have to take it to a shop to get it adjusted. Or you can just have it replaced as it works with any regular bracelet or strap.

The review unit was the silver stainless steel model with metal link bracelet. The link bracelet is of the traditional variety, meaning you will need to take it to a shop to get it adjusted.

There is also a version with leather straps which goes for the same price, and a black stainless steel edition which costs RM200 more but is the best looking of the lot.

Android Wear

The experience that you have with Watch is pretty much dictated by Google’s Android Wear operating system, and while it has come a long way it’s still buggy as my garden.

Watch comes with two apps, Huawei's Daily Tracking and Google's Fit to help you monitor your step count and calorie burn.

For instance, Watch will randomly disconnect from my Android smartphone and will sometimes refuse to reconnect unless I restart the watch. It has also on occasion just become unresponsive.

The good news is that Google is constantly updating the OS so it’s just a matter of time before it squashes a majority of the bugs.

Watch also has two apps – Huawei’s Daily Tracking and Google’s Fit – for monitoring your step count and calorie burn.

I know in most cases two is better than one but in this case it just causes confusion because both the apps report a slightly different step count and calorie burn. It’s not so bad because you can always choose one and stick to it, and Huawei’s app is the better and prettier bet.

The heart rate monitor is finicky – move a little and you will have to start again from the beginning.

Watch also has a heart rate monitor which will continuously track your heart rate when you start an activity like jogging. You can also initiate it anytime to check your heart rate but I found it to be slow and very fussy – I had to be absolutely still to get a reading.

Am also not too fond of Android Wear’s interface for accessing apps – they are listed vertically and it’s rather tedious to keep scrolling on such a small screen. Luckily, you can install a third-party launcher to solve this problem.

Having apps on the smartwatch is brilliant – using the Shazam app to identify a song felt like living on the cutting edge. I just hope Facebook and Twitter won’t take too long to make the jump to Android Wear.

Speak up

As with any smartwatch, you can send notifications from your smartphone to your watch so you don’t have to dig the phone out from your pocket to read messages.

I like the way Android Wear displays notifications – they appear on the bottom half of the watch without being too obtrusive.

Google’s Android Wear powers the Watch and it still needs a little more spit and polish.

The notifications work a little like Google Now. You can swipe up to read the message in full, swipe left to dismiss it or swipe right for more options.

You can reply messages but only through dictation – maybe Google couldn’t figure out how to squeeze a virtual keyboard onto the tiny screen. It’s no biggie as the dictation worked perfectly most of the time.

In terms of battery life, the watch lasted about 1.5 days as Huawei claimed, but keeping the watch face always on reduced the battery life to just one day.

In other words, this is a watch that you will be charging every day so I really wished Huawei had included a wireless charger instead of a wired one.

Time is money

If you are shopping for a smartwatch then Huawei’s Watch should top your list. Although looks are subjective, you are not going to find many other smartwatches with better build or design.

The Watch only one physical button. Double pressing it turns off the screen which is handy when watching movies.

And while you may not have the best experience, it’s hardly Huawei’s fault as Google has yet to iron out all the kinks in Android Wear. Also, at RM1,799 it’s rather pricey but at least you are getting what you pay for – and for a little more you can get the black model which is absolutely stunning.

It’s also worth mentioning that Watch is one of the first Android Wear models to support iPhones but we didn’t get a chance to test this. Nonetheless it’s good to know in case you ever plan to switch from Android to iOS.

Pros: One of the prettiest Android Wear watches; responsive; uses standard bracelet.  

Cons: Pricey; Android Wear still buggy; heart rate sensor is slow. 

Watch
(Huawei)
Android Wear smartwatch
Processor: 1.2GHz Snapdragon quad-core Cortex A7
Display: 1.4in Amoled touchscreen (400 x 400 pixels)
Memory: 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi
Features: Accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor, barometer, water/dust resistance (IP67)
Battery: 300mAh
Size (W x D x H): 42 x 42 x 11.3mm
Price: RM1,799
Rating: 4 stars
Review unit courtesy of Huawei Technologies Malaysia, 1800-22-3366