Huawei has been teasing this one for a long time. At the start of the month, we reported on a leaked media featuring the smartwatch. About a week later, it was officially unveiled with a post from Huawei on Weibo (translated source).
Now, to clear things up — this isn’t the first time that a smartwatch has contained a pair of earbuds. But this is the first time such a wearable is coming from a prominent name. Huawei has improved on the idea via its Flip Cover design, which can be surmised as using smart magnets to keep the buds attached and the cover closed.
The design of the Huawei Watch Buds removes the need to carry a charging case around.
The watch is powered by a 410mAh battery, which grants 3 days of usage for both itself and the buds. The earbuds are equipped with 30mAh batteries, and are said to allow for 4 hours of music playback or 2,5 hours of in-call time. Naturally, those drop down to 3 hours and 2 hours respectively with AI noise reduction enabled, which is notably different from the typical active noise cancellation.
The watch also comes with a slew of features such as:
- Adaptive brightness
- Wireless charging capabilities
- NFC support
- Acceleration and gyro sensors
- Heart rate monitoring
- Atrial fibrillation screening
- Electrocardiogram capabilities
- Blood oxygen level measurement
- 80+ exercise modes
Nowadays, most buds are bean-shaped, but these are more like pills.
The watch comes with Harmony OS 3, which is the latest iteration of Huawei’s own operating system. They are describing it as being secure, customizable and interconnected. It is also available for phones such as the P50 and Mate 40.
As of now, the Huawei Watch Buds is available to purchase only in China for ¥2,988 (about $429 or £349). The Chinese brand has not commented on a worldwide release date, but rumors suggest that we’re likely to see the Watch Buds in the west too.
