Huawei's Sapphire Watch
Huawei has increased its investment in the nascent wearable market by unveiling three devices at the Mobile World Congress.
Headlining the company’s upcoming range of wearables is the Huawei Watch, which will surely be to the chagrin of Apple executives and loyalists as it shares the same moniker.
Huawei chief executive Richard Yu said the Watch’s design has been inspired by old school timepieces. It has a circular watchface, classical lugs and a crown positioned asymmetrically for improved ergonomics.
Sapphire crystal – a world first for any Android Wear smartwartch – protects the face of the smartwatch. A stainless steel unibody hides the Watch’s processing hardware, range of sensors and heart monitor. Yu said the smartwatch assembled from more than 130 components.
In excess of 40 watch faces will be displayed on a 1.4-inch AMOLED screen. It has a high 400x400 resolution, a 283 pixel-per-inch density and a contrast ratio of 10000:1.
The Watch increases Huawei’s stake in the fitness market by doubling as a sporting companion. Its steel underside houses a heart monitor, while a 6-axis motion sensor and a barometer have been integrated into the body. These technologies can automatically recognise walking, running, hiking or biking exercises, in addition to logging detailed sleeping data.
Processing is handled by a 1.2GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. Running Android Wear means the smartwatch is compatible with Android 4.3 smartphones and above.
The smartwatch will be coming to Australia at a yet-to-be-confirmed date this year. Colours include gold, silver and black, and pricing is expected to be revealed closer to the on sale date.
Also unveiled was Huawei's second generation TalkBand 2 and the TalkBand N1, the latter of which is an 18 grams Bluetooth headset designed to meet the needs of fitness enthusiasts.
Both wearables will be released in Australia with the TalkBand 2 expected in April and the TalkBand N1 a month later in May. Global pricing has been set at €169 ($AU242) and €119 ($AU171).
