Huawei's new Watch Buds is a versatile fitness companion
Huawei is known for their diverse catalogue of products ranging from mobile phones to tablets, but recently they have been filling the health and fitness space with its collection of smartwatches.
Last year saw the release of their stunning GT3 and versatile Watch Fit 2, which were great new additions to their growing list of smartwatches. Looking to capitalise on this success Huawei has released a new smartwatch that comes with built-in earbuds
Huawei’s Watch Buds are an interesting combination that aims to offer the functionality seen in other watches while granting access to a pair of ANC earbuds.
The Watch Buds sport a similar design to Huawei’s GT series, featuring an aesthetic that resembles a classic watch. But what is noticeably different about the Watch Buds is how much bulkier it is compared to other watches from Huawei.
Huawei's Watch Buds are their latest flagship smartwatch (Huawei)It has a steel casing that is 14.9mm and weighs a hefty 66g making the Watch Buds significantly thicker and heavier than other watches.
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This of course is due to the watch housing the earbuds, and if you are used to wearing the models like Watch Fit or GT, it might feel like it will take some getting used to.
That being said, I didn’t find it uncomfortable to wear at all, it just has much more of a physical presence than other watches.
The straps are made from soft leather that will bend and cater to different arm sizes, it looks very slick, but can be swapped for something else, allowing consumers to customise it to suit their style.
To access the earbuds you will have to open up the watch face by pushing a button which is situated below the dial. The inside of the watch’s face is magnetic, which keeps the earbuds secure when you open it up.
When closed the Watch Buds will charge the earbuds and you can keep track of their battery life via the app or by checking on the watch's screen.
They come built with ANC earbuds (Huawei)I am very impressed with Huawei’s clever design which allows both devices to co-exist effortlessly.
The Watch Buds has a brazen 1.43-inch AMOLED touchscreen display that has been framed with narrow bezels to make it much more impactful.
It's 466 x 466 resolution glistens with rich colours and sharp details. The touch controls work a charm being very responsive with minimal lag.
Huawei has managed to craft another stunning watch and hasn’t compromised on style due to the inclusion of the earbuds. It certainly is their bulkiest watch to date but Huawei has found the right balance between style and functionality.
Unlike Huawei’s other watches which generally have a water resistance of 5 ATM, which means you can take swimming, the Watch Buds have been downgraded.
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It comes with two different ratings, which will depend on whether the watch is opened or closed. When closed it has an IPX 7 rating, but once opened the rating drops to IPX 4 meaning it’s just protected from splashes of water.
It's their heaviest watch but still manages to look stylish (Huawei)This is due to the earbuds and the built-in charger, which basically can’t get wet. I wouldn’t say this fully limits the watch’s usage, however given the price, some gym goers might go for a cheaper alternative that will allow them to use their device in any scenario, like the Watch Fit 2 for instance.
The Watch Buds run on Huawei’s Harmony OS, meaning that it has inherited a lot of the functions found in their other watches, but due to the inclusion of the earbuds, there are some omissions such as no microphone or speaker.
These functions can’t be directly used within the watch but you will have to use the earbuds instead. This wasn’t a big issue for me as I prefer to use earbuds for taking calls over the watch's speakers.
The Watch Buds also include the majority of health trackers that can be found in Huawei’s previous watches. So you will be able to keep track of several different things such as heart rate, calories, steps and sleep. And like before the Watch Buds has a live tracker for all these elements that are easy to follow through its user-friendly interface.
The watch’s functionality is pretty much what you would expect if you have used one of their past products, but the real question is how good are the earbuds compared to the likes of their Freebuds.
Firstly the earbuds sport a compact design which allows them to fit securely in your ears and they remain firmly in place, even during vigorous exercises.
They come built with what Huawei is calling wide-area auricle touch controls, which allow you to not only control the earbuds by tapping them but also by tapping areas of your ears.
They can be used in a different scenarios due to it's great battery life (Huawei)I was very surprised and impressed with just how smoothly this function worked. I had full control over the earbuds, being able to accept or reject calls while controlling my music and the noise cancellation.
These gestures can be changed in the app to suit your preferences. What I did find interesting was the Adaptive Identification Technology which will automatically identify if the earbuds have been placed in opposite ears and correct the audio flow. This is such a smart feature that I’ve never seen utilised this well.
They are great for taking calls an monitoring your health (Huawei)The overall audio quality of the earbuds are much better than what I was expecting, with the app allowing you to add extra sound effects such as bass or treble boost to enhance your listening experience.
Although I didn’t hear much of a difference between them, having these options is fully welcomed.
Another big feature Huawei is promoting is the earbuds’ Noise Cancelling capabilities, which worked pretty well but weren’t as effective as other earbuds at this price range.
The Watch Bud's battery performance will vary a lot depending on how you use it. Huawei has stated that you can expect up to three days of battery life when using the earbuds and watch constantly, which is a massive difference from the huge fourteen-day usage you can expect from their other devices.
Another thing to note is that the ANC will hugely eat up the battery life of the buds and watch, really decreasing your usage. The earbuds themselves will last for about three to four hours when the ANC is turned off which isn’t that great either, however, I did find that if you don’t use the earbuds at all the watch can last for five to seven days.
Having all these extra functions rolled into one means that the Watch Buds have sacrificed battery life a fair bit, but what is impressive is that the watch is constantly charging the earbuds, so being able to run smoothly and power another device for three days is a pretty impressive feat.
Huawei Watch Buds Verdict 4/5
Huawei’s Watch Buds are a very ambitious new product that in most cases delivers above and beyond what you would expect from a smartwatch. However, even with the inclusion of the earbuds, the £449 price tag might prove a bit too much as you could probably recreate the same set-up for far cheaper and with a better water resistance rating. That being said I really enjoyed my time with the Watch Buds and the smart technology Huawei has incorporated makes it a versatile companion.
Huawei's Watch Buds can be purchased now from their website for £449.99
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