HUAWEI Watch officially launched

It’s easy to forget that MWC 2015 doesn’t officially start until tomorrow, given the slew of device announcements that are happening before the show even gets under way. Flagship season is upon us, and while the stiff competition continues in the smartphone space, another area in which things are getting very interesting is in the wearables department, with the LG Watch Urbane coming soon, along with another entry from a somewhat surprising OEM. After “leaking” two promotional videos showcasing the company’s latest product, HUAWEI formally introduced the newest entrant to the Android Wear market, the HUAWEI Watch!

The Android Wear smartwatch industry is still in its infancy, and as companies continue to further refine their products, one thing that will keep coming up with every subsequent release is, “that is the best looking one yet,” which certainly holds true for the HUAWEI Watch, which so far, looks to have done the best job in combining the design language of traditional watches with smart capabilities. The HUAWEI Watch is certainly deserving of its tagline, ” Timeless design. Smart within.”

For starters, much appreciated will be the 1.4-inch full round display, with a resolution of 400 x 400 resulting in a pixel density of 286 ppi, lacking the flat tire seen with the Moto 360. Of course, the LG G Watch R and the upcoming G Watch Urbane also feature full round displays, but what HUAWEI has managed to get right in this regard is to keep the bezels around the display at a minimal, the lack of which makes the LG devices stand out more than they should.

Great design is also accompanied by solid build quality, with the 316L corrosive-resistant stainless steel body and sapphire glass display, along with the choice of interchangeable leather or metal bands, allowing for a premium look and feel, not just in the smartwatch space, but when it comes to watches in general. Of course, good looks will quickly be forgotten if the device fails to deliver in terms of performance, but that shouldn’t be much of a problem, with the device packing a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 512 MB RAM, as Android Wear isn’t the most demanding of operating systems. 4 GB of available internal storage rounds out pretty standard fare in terms of specifications.

We know exactly what to expect when it comes to the software side of things, especially with OEM customization of Android Wear limited to only offering unique watch faces. Android Wear is also in its very early stages, and consumers are on a journey to discover what this wearable OS has in store for us. In the case of the HUAWEI Watch, all the standard capabilities are available, but the device does manage to pack quite a few extras, including a 6-axis sensor, heart rate monitor, and barometer. The 6-axis sensor is particularly useful for your fitness needs, as it allows the watch to recognition the motion you’re doing, such as walking, cycling, hiking, running, or sleeping, and then automatically record and sort the data accordingly.

The HUAWEI Watch will available in more than twenty countries at launch, with pricing information to be made available shortly specific to these individual markets. Stay tuned with Android Authority as we work to get you a hands-on look at the HUAWEI Watch, along with more fantastic coverage to come from MWC 2015!

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Barcelona, Spain, March 1, 2015: HUAWEI continues to break new ground in the wearables space by unveiling today the HUAWEI Watch, powered by Android Wear™ at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015. The fully circular watch features a 1.4-inch touch-sensitive AMOLED display, scratch-proof sapphire crystal lens, cold-forged stainless steel frame, and comes with a built-in heart rate monitor and 6-Axis motion sensors. The HUAWEI Watch is the first smartwatch in the HUAWEI wearable family.

“We have responded to consumers’ requests from around the world asking for a smartwatch featuring a timeless design that is truly smart from within. Through HUAWEI’s continued commitment to ‘Make It Possible,’ the HUAWEI Watch delivers on that promise and gives the consumer a premium smartwatch that is technologically innovative,” said Richard Yu, CEO, HUAWEI Consumer Business Group. “As the first smartwatch in our expanding line of premium wearable products, the HUAWEI Watch was designed and created to enhance and be part of the consumer’s everyday lives.”

Timeless Design

Designed by a team of experienced watch designers that have a rich history in creating fashionable and timeless watches, the attention-to-detail becomes apparent upon first glance as the device boasts a sparkling AMOLED 1.4-inch display at 400 x 400 pixels resolution in 286 ppi at a 10,000:1 high contrast ratio, making it the most vibrant Android Wear smartwatch in the world.

Made of more than 130 components, HUAWEI Watch has a crown, frame and hinge built from high-quality and scratch resistant cold-forged stainless steel making it 40 percent harder. With an intuitive 2 o’clock press button, the watch offers the highest levels of control and comfort to the user. The HUAWEI Watch comes in three stylish colors: gold, silver and black. Designed with personalization in mind, more than 40 unique watch faces will be available to choose from, including a full range of watch straps made from different materials, and styles. The HUAWEI Watch will come with a magnetic charging station for the users benefit.

Smart Within

Powered by Android Wear, receiving SMS, email, calendar, app, and phone call notifications has never been easier or more convenient. Compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3 or higher, HUAWEI Watch boasts a powerful Qualcomm 1.2GHz processor for optimal performance, includes 4GB of storage, 512MB of RAM and Bluetooth 4.1. For the sports enthusiast, or just those interested in tracking fitness levels, HUAWEI Watch features a heart rate monitor sensor, 6-Axis motion sensor, and barometer sensor that automatically detects and tracks in real-time if a user is walking, running, biking, hiking or sleeping. Specifically, users can monitor everything from the number of calories burned, to heart rate, climbing height, steps taken, and distance travelled.

Availability and Accessories

HUAWEI Watch will be available in more than 20 countries including United States, United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Norway, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates. Exact availability and pricing will be announced at a future date in each of the local markets.

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