Review: Huawei Watch sets a new standard for Android Wear smartwatch design [Video]

Huawei Watch is beautiful. I know that’s a rather odd way to start out this review, but this is hands-down one of the best looking smartwatches on the market. I suppose that opinion is somewhat subjective depending on your taste, but every little detail about Huawei Watch’s look and feel is proof that there’s light at the end of the tunnel for beautiful smartwatch design…

Huawei Watch is one of the first new Android Wear devices rolling out in this new iOS-compaible world and I believe it’s one of Apple’s biggest competitors in this space in terms of design and detail. It also breathes new life into the Android space with it’s refreshingly classy design. Take a look at the unboxing experience in the video below. I was impressed. It actually felt like I was opening a high-end analog watch for the first time.

The quality of materials used all around puts Huawei Watch in another category of class. The polished 42mm stainless steel body comes in at 11.3mm thick, but surprisingly doesn’t feel as bulky as it sounds. The leather strap works well in combination, but there are also other strap variations you can pick up at difference price points or just slap your own 18mm watch band on it for ultimate customization.

Check out our Huawei Watch review video below:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2IxBSfCAUA]

The circular AMOLED display measures in at 1.4-inches and has a resolution of 400 x 400 (286 ppi). It’s covered by sapphire crystal, which puts its durability and scratch resistance a step above the competition in the Android Wear space. The display is powered by a 300 mAh battery, 1.2Ghz Snapdragon 400 processor, and 512MB of RAM with 4GB of storage. Nothing special in terms of Android Wear specifications, but the Sapphire-covered AMOLED display is a big win in my opinion. You’ll also be happy to know that this little guy carries an IP67 dust and water resistance rating as well.

I decided to set up the Huawei Watch with my iPhone 6, but there’s definitely no problem using it with Android either. If you haven’t been through this process before on iOS or Android, it’s very simple and both the watch and phone will guide you through it. Functionality is rather limited when connected to iPhone. You can count on notifications pushing through, but everything happens on a very simple level. You won’t be able to do very much with these incoming notifications (aside from archive, delete, and reply with the Gmail app), but for some people including myself, just having them is enough. Of course, there’s the fitness aspect and a few other handy tools, but nothing nearly as comprehensive as you’ll find with Apple Watch on iOS.

On the other hand, Huawei Watch offers the exact same experience as any other Android Wear smartwatch out there when paired with an Android device, but that’s not a bad thing. Everything from changing watch faces, diving into settings, scrolling through notifications and messages, is a breeze as Android Wear has been since its inception. This is the a shining example of smartwatch beauty.

If you’re not familiar with Android Wear at all, we’ve got a review to get you up to speed. Also, for a closer look at Android Wear in its entirety, check out Cam Bunton’s video on his first impressions with Android Wear’s new iPhone compatibility.

I can’t stress this enough, Huawei Watch is absolutely gorgeous in style and operation. Everything is buttery smooth. Majority of your navigation is done with swipes across the display, but there’s also a side button which will allow you to sleep the watch (which can also be accomplished by palming the display), or access the app menu with a long-press. There’s a heart rate monitor on the under side of it and you’ll also find the connection points to attach Huawei Watch’s puck-like charger. Unfortunately it’s not charged through a wireless standard, but the magnetic puck snaps into place easily. This is helpful because like most other smartwatches out at the moment, you’ll be charging Huawei Watch each night. Not a deal breaker for myself though.

So what’s the real story here? In my eyes, Huawei is taking this smartwatch thing very seriously. This is the Android Wear watch to be in 2015. It’s without a doubt the best ones we’ve seen to date, but is it the best smartwatch? That’s subjective depending on your needs. My needs are simple, but it most certainly wins over my other Android Wear devices . It’s beautifully crafted and price competitively with the market coming in at $349. For the materials and presentation, that’s well worth it to me. Huawei has managed to release a first generation product that’s at a level which may surpass all of the second generation Android Wear competitors in every category. Good job, Huawei.