The original Huawei Watch is one of the most popular Android Wear devices to date, and for good reason. While it may be a tad on the chunky side, users flocked to the Huawei Watch because of its classy design and solid performance.
Now Huawei has just unveiled its successor (well, successors) to the original Watch here at MWC, and they certainly have a high bar to clear. Join us as we go hands-on with the Huawei Watch 2!
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Huawei Watch 2 and Watch 2 Classic officially unveiled at MWC 2017
3 days ago
In case you haven’t read our previous Huawei Watch 2 coverage, there are two different variants this time around – the Huawei Watch 2 and Huawei Watch 2 Classic. Today we’re taking a look at the Watch 2, which is the version with LTE connectivity and a fitness-focused design. The Watch 2 Classic is, well, the classier version and offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Aside from aesthetics and LTE support, these are pretty much the same watches.
The flimsy, low-quality silicone strap on the Watch 2 is a little concerning
Based on looks alone, most people probably wouldn’t be able to tell that this is device is even in the Huawei Watch family. The Watch 2 Classic is more of a direct successor to the original Watch, while the standard Watch 2 is for the sporty, outdoorsy type. The silicone band on the Watch 2 has actually been pretty overwhelming thus far; it’s sort of flimsy and feels like it’s going to break after extended use, which is slightly concerning as the original Huawei Watch was built so well.
The Watch 2 sports two physical buttons on the right side of the casing – the bottom button is programmable and can launch straight into a fitness application, and the top-most button will open up your app drawer or take you to the home screen. Unlike the LG Watch Sport and Watch Style, the Watch 2 doesn’t feature a rotating crown for navigation, meaning all of your navigation on the watch will be done via taps and swipes.
- LG Watch Sport and Watch Style review
- Samsung Gear S3 review
This may be fine for some people, but the crown on the LG watches and rotating bezel on the Samsung Gear S3 has spoiled us in this area. Especially after using the latest offerings from LG, we feel like we’re taking a step back in terms of navigation.
Both the Watch 2 and Watch 2 Classic are packed with the latest and greatest specs
If you are going to be swiping all around the interface, at least you have a nice display to work with. Both the Watch 2 and Watch 2 Classic feature 1.2-inch AMOLED displays with a resolution of 390 x 390, resulting in a pixel density of 326ppi. Under the hood, they’re packing the latest Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, 768MB of RAM and 4GB of storage if you’d like to store music on the watch itself. Both devices also have 420mAh batteries, which Huawei says will be able to get you two full days of normal use on a single charge.
On the bezel of the display, you’ll notice Huawei has included etched-in number designations. This isn’t the first watch to adopt this design cue, but we can’t say we’re huge fans of it. It sort of makes us feel obligated to use an analog face.
In case the pictures don’t relay the message properly, the Watch 2 is a pretty bulky device, and for good reason. Huawei packed a lot of tech in these watches. Both come with an optical heart rate sensor, a built-in GPS, and even an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
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Which smartwatches will get updated to Android Wear 2.0?
2 weeks ago
The Huawei Watch 2 and Watch 2 Classic are two of the first smartwatches to run Android Wear 2.0, and you can find our full review of the big 2.0 update right here. We’ll have to give you our a more detailed look at Wear 2.0 in our full review, but so far, performance on the Watch 2 has been pretty impressive. We haven’t experienced and lags or stutters in the interface.
Oh, one other thing. The Huawei Watch 2 (not the Watch 2 Classic) sports LTE connectivity, meaning you can use it to make calls, send and receive texts and do plenty of other things without needing your phone. We haven’t had the chance to throw a SIM card in our Watch 2 yet (we’re still in Barcelona, after all), but we’ll give you a full rundown in our review.
But we want to know what you think about the Huawei Watch 2 and Watch 2 Classic. Will one of these devices be your next smartwatch, or are you passing on Huawei’s offerings this time around? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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